HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. -- As part of Verizon Communications merger with MCI, the PGA TOUR event formerly known as the MCI Heritage will be renamed the Verizon Heritage.

"We will say a fond farewell to the MCI Heritage name and welcome Verizon Heritage," said Tournament Director Steve Wilmot. "We have enjoyed our affiliation with MCI since 1987, and with MCI now part of Verizon, we look forward to continuing and expanding that relationship."

"The Heritage couldn't be a better venue for Verizon," said John Killian, president of Verizon Business, the new unit formed from the merger of Verizon and MCI. "As our company becomes truly global, we will continue to build on the best of our heritage. This special tournament reflects our values -- integrity, respect, accountability and, of course, performance excellence."

The 38th annual Verizon Heritage will be conducted April 10-16.

The venue for the Verizon Heritage, the Harbour Town Golf Links, is one of the TOUR players’ favorites. The Pete Dye-designed layout, one of the few tree-lined fairways with abundant water and sand traps adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean, evokes the way the great game of golf was played in Scotland.

It's a shotmaker's course, resulting in many past champions who have gone on to become enshrined in the World Golf Hall of Fame: Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, Tom Watson, Hale Irwin, Bernard Langer, Johnny Miller, Nick Price, Nick Faldo and the late Payne Stewart. In all, past Heritage champions have combined to win 67 major championships.

The purse for this April's Verizon Heritage has been increased to $5.3 million, with the winner receiving a check for $954,000.

Tournament badges are available at Verizon Heritage Headquarters, 71 Lighthouse Road, Suite 4200, Sea Pines Center, Hilton Head, S.C., 29928; by phone at (843) 671-2448 or (800) 234-1107 or online at www.verizonheritage.com.