London, Jun 13 (IANS): Former World No.1 golfer Tiger Woods opted out of RBC Heritage which is currently scheduled to be held in Hilton Head between June 18-21.

The 44-year-old hasn't featured in any PGA tour event since mid-February and RBC Heritage becomes the second event in the revamped calendar in which he won't be participating after this week's Charles Schwab Challenge.

Current number one golfer Rory McIlroy, meanwhile, will be making his first appearance at the event after the 2009 season. This will be his first appearance on the revamped tour after he sat out of this week's event.

Tommy Fleetwood, Patrick Cantlay and Adam Scott are the only golfers from the world's top 10 not teeing it up, with Patrick Reed and Webb Simpson both in the star-studded field, according to the Sky Sports report.

McIlroy, recently, had lauded the protocols put in place by the officials for the safety of players as golf looks to get on its feet in the wake of coronavirus pandemic.

"It has felt very safe. Everyone is doing the right things, and the people that are involved with the tournament are wearing masks and wearing gloves and there's sanitiser everywhere you look," McIlroy was quoted as saying by the Guardian.

"It feels safe. I feel safe, and I would say basically everyone else that's here feels the same way.

"I think it's an important week because golf can show that we can play in a socially distant manner. We can conduct a tournament and adhere to all the safety protocols that have been put in place."