RBC Heritage Preview: Scheffler and McIlroy get back to business after mixed Augusta fortunes

RBC Heritage 2024 Preview

The dust had bearly settled in Georgia before the PGA Tour cogs started grinding back into gear, pulling in a stellar field to its next stop in South Carolina.

Attention turns straight to regular season PGA Tour action and to the East Coast for the RBC Heritage – the traditional post-Masters event that has Signature Event status in 2024’s reimagined calendar.

And if you’re thinking the top stars may choose to swerve this one given the emotional rollercoaster of a week at Augusta National – think again. A stellar lineup, minus LIV’s finest, assemble with Green Jacket champion Scottie Scheffler’s name perhaps surprisingly still down despite the imminent arrival of his first child.

Matt Fitzpatrick returns to the Palmetto State fresh off his T22 finish at Augusta where the Englishman defends his title from 2022, overcoming 2021’s champion Jordan Spieth in a playoff.

Who is in the field for RBC Heritage?

Being a Signature Event, the RBC has a limited field of under 70 players, which includes no less than 16 of the world’s top 20 players in the currently conjected OWGRs.

Rory McIlroy jumps straight back on the horse after yet another opportunity to complete the career Grand Slam slips by. The Majors come thick and fast now, so there’s no time to dwell on what could, should, and would have been. It’s straight back to work – even for Scheffler too.

“I feel like playing professional golf is an endlessly not satisfying career. For instance, in my head, all I can think about right now is getting home. I’m not thinking about the tournament. I’m not thinking about the Green Jacket, said the 2024 Masters Champion.

“I wish I could soak this in a little bit more. Maybe I will tonight when I get home. But at the end of the day, I think that’s what the human heart does. You always want more, and I think you have to fight those things and focus on what’s good.”

Collin Morikawa, Tommy Fleetwood, Ludvig Aberg, and Max Homa are all set to feature after highly commendable Masters performances, as will those with tails between their legs including Brian Harman, Sam Burns, and Tony Finau and Jordan Spieth, who will be glad of the chance to right some wrongs this week.

Not making the trip east, however, will be 2024’s indifferent-looking Viktor Hovland. The Norwegian Ryder Cup star who couldn’t stop winning at the back end of last season has only sneaked a top 20 finish once this year and had a meltdown at the Masters on his way to an early exit.

The full field can be accessed here.

Where is RBC Heritage played?

The par-71 Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina hosts the RBC Heritage which is due to play 7,213 yards. The Links is a Pete Dye design, assisted and developed by Jack Nicklaus and five-time winner Davis Love III, and is traditionally one of the players’ favorite stops on the PGA Tour.

While the fairways are not particularly narrow, accuracy is key to accessing the spots that will allow for attacking the tiny and often heavily guarded Bermuda greens.

Who will win RBC Heritage?

After his 2022 win, Spieth famously said: “Well, I won this golf tournament without a putter!” And he did, ranking 60th for SG: Putting. This is likely a bit of a red herring though as Fitzpatrick ranked second 12 months ago for the same stat, and the two winners before Spieth ranked third and second also.

With the greens being smaller than average on the PGA Tour, combined with the course being highly wind-exposed, even the best approach players will miss the target, and therefore the ability to get up and down is a better guide to who could go well. GIR and Scrambling percentage are perhaps the best indicators on paper.

If pre-tournament prices of the past eight winners are anything to go on, you might want to take a look further down the list and put more weight on course form, links prowess, and scrambling ability!

How much will the RBC Heritage winner receive?

The field at Hilton Head Island will compete for a cut of the $20 million Signature Event purse with the winner set to receive a $3.6 million cut and 700 FedExCup points.

How to watch RBC Heritage?

US viewers can catch all the action on Golf Channel.

All times EDT

Friday, April 19: The Golf Channel, 14.00

Saturday, April 20: The Golf Channel, 12.00

Sunday, April 21: The Golf Channel, 12.00

UK viewers can catch all the action on Sky Sports Golf.

All times GMT

Friday, April 19: Sky Sports, 12.00

Saturday, April 20: Sky Sports, 16.00

Sunday, April 21: Sky Sports, 16.00

RBC Heritage: Tee Times

Tee times and grouping for rounds 3 & 4 can be found here.

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About the author

Ross Tugwood

Senior Digital Writer

Ross Tugwood is a golf equipment writer for todays-golfer.com, specializing in data, analytics, science, and innovation.

Ross is passionate about optimizing sports performance and has a decade of experience working with professional athletes and coaches for British Athletics, the UK Sports Institute, and Team GB.

He has post-graduate degrees in Performance Analysis and Sports Journalism, enabling him to critically analyze and review the latest golf equipment and technology to help you make better-informed buying decisions.