RBC Heritage Preview: Betting Tips and TV Times
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RBC Heritage Preview: Betting Tips and TV Times
Everyone might still be talking Tiger, but the PGA Tour is back this week for the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head… and there’s four of the world’s top 10 players in attendance. In total, 40 players who were at Augusta National make up field of 132 this week.
That includes major champions Dustin Johnson, Francesco Molinari and Jordan Spieth, as well as the likes of Xander Schauffele, Bryson DeChambeau, Patrick Cantlay, Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Kuchar.
Here’s how to watch, what you need to know about the course, and who to back…
Course: Harbour Town Golf Links, Hilton Head Island
Par: 71 | 7,099 yards
Defending Champion: Satoshi Kodaira
RBC Heritage: TV Times
Thursday:
Featured Groups: Live PGA Tour, Sky Sports Main Event (12:15), Sky Sports Golf (12:15)
Main Coverage: Sky Sports Golf (20:00)
Friday:
Featured Groups: Live PGA Tour, Sky Sports Golf (12:15)
Main Coverage: Sky Sports Golf (20:00)
Saturday:
Sky Sports Golf (18:00)
Sunday:
Sky Sports Golf (18:00), Sky Sports Main Event (19:00)
15th club preview of the course: Stats you should know
Short hole lengths punctuated by tiny green surfaces are the trademark of Pete Dye’s Harbour Town Golf Links. In turn, distance doesn’t benefit players as much as it does on a typical PGA Tour layout. A run through the recent winners of this event – Graeme McDowell, Jim Furyk, and Wesley Bryan among them – proves this point quickly.
Last year, Harbour Town Golf Links ranked as having the sixth-toughest greens to hit in regulation on the PGA Tour. Players are tested in a different manner, but still sternly: Harbour Town was the 2nd-toughest course on the PGA Tour under 7,100 yards in the 2017-18 season. Only Pebble Beach Golf Links was more difficult among the shorter set.
A testament to the design of the golf course – and how frequently players miss greens in regulation – can be found in the PGA Tour record books. Missed greens in regulation inherently mean more chip shots hit by players, and fewer putts per round. There are six instances in PGA Tour history where a player hit 94 putts or fewer over the course of the entire tournament. Four of them came at Harbour Town.
RBC Heritage: Betting Tips
Dustin Johnson: 7/1
Back to World No.1 after a runner-up finish at the Masters, which was his seventh top 10 of 2019 (which includes two wins). T16 here last year in first start in eight years. Ranks 2nd scoring average, 5th SG: Tee to green and inside the top 15 on tour for SG: Off the tee, SG: Approach and SG: Putting.
Francesco Molinari: 14/1
A disappointing back-nine left Molinari T5 as he put two balls in the water to lose the lead, and the title, to playing partner Tiger Woods at the Masters. Still, it was his third top 10 in four starts, which includes victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational – and he admitted he wasn’t feeling his best over the weekend. T22 in 2017 here. Ranks 23rd SG: Putting.
Bryson DeChambeau: 16/1
Went from leading after round 1 at Augusta to T29, but he showed some good signs again and has three top 10s and a win in 2019. Two top-5s here in last three starts. Ranks 5th birdie average, 8th SG: Off the tee and 22nd scoring average on PGA Tour.
Patrick Cantlay: 18/1
Fell apart on the final three holes at the Masters to finish T9, but his performance was so much better than that – and included a 64 on day three. He also has back to back top 10s here in the last two years. Ranks 6th scoring average, 10 SG: Tee to green, 19th birdie average and 21st for SG: Tee to green.
Matt Kuchar: 20/1
Has gone T12-T7-T2 in his last three starts, and with a win (2014) and with three top 11s and a T23 here in his last five starts, he’s definitely a man with course form – and leads any other player in scoring here since 2014 at 42-under-par. Ranks 1st GIR, 5th driving accuracy, 7th SG: Approach, 10th Scoring average, 11th SG: Tee to green and 15th birdie average.
Xander Schauffele: 20/1
Coming off a T2 at the Masters. Schauffele has a win and three other top 15s this year, and was T32 here last year. Ranks 8th scoring average, 10th birdie average, 14th SG: Approach, 15th SG: tee to green and 19th SG: Around the green.
Tommy Fleetwood: 22/1
Finished T36 at the Masters but had two top 5s at the Players and Arnold Palmer Invitational, but is making his debut here. Ranks 4th SG: Off the tee, 6th SG: Tee to green, 15th SG: Around the green and 17th scoring average.
Jordan Spieth: 22/1
Spieth doesn’t have much to show for 2019, but he did rebound with three under-par rounds in a row at the Masters – something he’s struggled to do after posting early leads throughout this year at various events. Ranks 28th for birdie average, 11th putting average.
Webb Simpson: 25/1
Flew under the radar as he posted a T5 at the Masters, which was his first top 10 of 2019 since a T8 at the Sentry Tournament of Champions. T5-T11 in his last two starts here last year. Ranks 12th scoring average, 11th SG: Around the green and 13th driving accuracy.
Kevin Kisner: 28/1
Kisner finished T21 at the Masters, following his victory at the WGC Dell-Match Play. He was T7 here last year, and T11 in 2017, so another play with great course form. Ranks 22nd driving accuracy, 30th scoring average.
Jim Furyk: 33/1
Has two top 10s and hasn’t finished worse than T37 in 2019, which was at the Genesis Open in February. Won here in 2015 but has gone MC-T70. Ranks 1st driving accuracy, 3rd scoring average, 10th SG: Approach the green, 12th GIR, and 19th SG: Tee to green.
Ian Poulter: 35/1
Poulter finished T12 at the Masters and has four top 10s in his last eight starts. He also led after 54 holes here last year and finished 7th, which was his third top 20 in a row. Ranks 7th S: Around the green, 10th GIR, 16th driving accuracy percentage.
Si Woo Kim: 35/1
Runner-up last year here, finished T21 last week and T4 at the Valero Texas Open. Ranks 6th birdie average, 8th SG: Approach, 28th scoring.
Luke Donald: 60/1
Six-time runner-up at Hilton Head, including 2016 and 2017. Finished T9 at the Valspar Championship.
