Now that the Masters is all said-and-done the PGA Tour resumes with the FedEx Cup race. We will have to wait until mid-June for golf’s next major, the U.S. Open at Erin Hills. In the meantime, check out our 2017 RBC Heritage Preview & Betting Tips
Where: Harbour Town Golf Links, Hilton Head, South Carolina
When: Thursday 13th April (9:00pm first tee)
2017 RBC Heritage Betting Tips
The Harbour Town Golf course was designed by Pete Dye, the same man responsible for TPC Sawgrass or the home of the Players Championship. It’s a short layout with narrow fairways and small greens. This means that Driving Accuracy (over length), Greens-In-Regulation and Scrambling are the three most relevant stats to look at.
The first tournament after a major championship always feels weird to me. The field is generally watered down and it’s hard to gauge if the players will be worn out form the Masters week. Last year’s eventual winner was Brandon Grace and he didn’t even make the cut at the Masters a week before winning the RBC Heritage.
Course experience seems to be the general theme for previous winners. Matt Kuchar, Jim Furyk and Graeme McDowell all saw the course multiple times before winning. Another thing that these winners all have in common is their “playing style”. They’re all strategic almost defensive players, as opposed to “bombing it off the tee” overpowering the course type players. This is valuable information for selecting golfers at Harbour Town.
Adam Hadwin
This guy is having a break out season and ticks all the boxes for Harbour Town. He has four top 10’s including a win at the Valspar Championship and a 2nd place finish at the CareerBuidler Challenge. Hadwin currently sits 5th in FedEx Cup standings. He chooses accuracy over length off the tee (currently hitting 63.85% of fairways), he hits a high percentage of greens-in-regulation at 69.08% and his scrambling is among the best on tour (ranked 4th at 69.14%). Finally, his course experience is right in the sweet spot (3rd start). He closed with a 67-last year to finish 30th.
Pat Perez
Perez has been a surprise packet on the PGA Tour this season. He also has four top 10’s including a win at Mayakoba in November. He currently sits 7th in FedEx Cup standings. His course experience at Harbour Town is high and his results have been solid (18th, 18th and 26th). He is hitting a high percentage of greens at 69.32% and he is scrambling at 62.96%. Pat is good value this week.
William McGirt
Coming off a solid Masters campaign (T22nd) McGirt will enter Harbour Town with plenty of confidence. He is also my top ranked golfer when combining Driving accuracy, G.I.R and scrambling stats. McGirt is very straight off the tee (ranked 6th at 71.40%) and he also hits a ton of greens at (70.68%). He has finished 9th here on two occasions and looks over the odds.
William McGirt to win
$51
Brian Stuard
Brian Stuard is currently the straightest driver of a golf ball on the PGA Tour (ranked 1st at 74.09%). He won his first PGA Tour tournament last year and he finished 5th here in 2014. He is a long shot but he has all the credentials to succeed in this watered-down field.
John Huh
I had to include this guy at his odds. In 2014, he finished in 3rd place here, so he obviously feels comfortable at this golf course. He hits 65.33% of fairways off the tee, his greens-in-regulation percentage is solid at 68.59% and he scrambles almost as well as Adam Hadwin at 67.35%.
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