RBC Heritage Picks, Best Bets and Golf Odds

RBC Heritage Picks, Best Bets and Golf Odds:

Rory McIlroy became the first repeat winner at the Masters since 2022. The second green jacket gives McIlroy six career major championships, tying him with Nick Faldo, Phil Mickelson and Lee Trevino. McIlroy will take this week off, but most of the game’s elite head to South Carolina for the RBC Heritage. 

Scottie Scheffler (4-1) won here the week after he won the Masters in 2024. Scheffler was 12 strokes off the lead after two rounds of this year’s Masters, but he is never out of it with rounds of 65 and 68 over the weekend. He ended up finishing at 11 under, one stroke behind McIlroy. 

Xander Schauffele (+1450) seems to be Mr. Automatic to finish inside the top 10 at a major and lived up to that, finishing ninth on Sunday at Augusta. He has finished inside the top 10 in four of his last five events. 

Recent former RBC Heritage champions in this week’s field include 2023 winner Matt Fitzpatrick (16-1), 2022 winner Jordan Spieth (33-1) and last year’s champion Justin Thomas (40-1).

Cameron Young (+1750) held a two-shot lead at one point on Sunday at the Masters and Russell Henley (18-1) also had a piece of it for a minute as well.

Tommy Fleetwood (21-1) and Ludvig Åberg (25-1) both had disappointing weeks at Augusta. 

Collin Morikawa, priced at 25-1 along with Patrick Cantlay, played through his back injury and was moving gingerly, yet still finished T-7. 

Sam Burns (33-1) was in the final pairing on Saturday at Augusta and stumbled early on Sunday but still rebounded to finish T-7.

The Event

The RBC Heritage was established in 1969 as the Heritage Classic and the inaugural event was won by “The King” himself, Arnold Palmer, at just 1 under par (283), which is still the highest score ever to win this event. Harbour Town Golf Links at Sea Pines Resort on Hilton Head Island has been the event’s host since its inception. RBC, the Royal Bank of Canada, has been the event’s title sponsor since 2012. Except for 2020 (due to COVID-19), the RBC Heritage has been played on the week after the Masters since 1983. 

Ten men have won this tournament more than once through 2021.

5 wins
Davis Love III: 1987, 1991, 1992, 1998, 2003

3 wins
Hale Irwin: 1971, 1973, 1994
Stewart Cink: 2000, 2004, 2021

2 wins
Johnny Miller: 1972, 1974
Hubert Green: 1976, 1978
Tom Watson: 1979, 1982
Fuzzy Zoeller: 1983, 1986
Payne Stewart: 1989, 1990
Boo Weekley: 2007, 2008
Jim Furyk: 2010, 2015

Other notable winners here include Jack Nicklaus (1975), Nick Faldo (1984), Bernhard Langer (1985), Greg Norman (1988), Nick Price (1997), Jordan Spieth (2022), Matt Fitzpatrick (2023), Scottie Scheffler (2024) and Justin Thomas (2025).

The Field

82 players will be playing for a $20 million purse ($3.6 million to the winner) in the limited field for the “Signature Event” at the RBC Heritage. There will be no cut this week. 

The Course

Harbour Town Golf Links was designed in 1967 by Pete Dye and assisted by Jack Nicklaus, which was the first foray into course design for the “Golden Bear.” Harbour Town plays as a par-71 of 7,243 yards. It is a Coastal links that is tree-lined with doglegs and narrow sight lines off the tee, as you will find with most courses in the Carolinas. The trees can also disguise the wind. Some of these dogleg holes force you to lay up off the tee with less than driver. 

The fairways and rough are overseeded Ryegrass and the greens are overseeded Poa Trivialis. The rough was shortened three years ago and will be around 1.5 inches this year. The average fairway width is around 33.5 yards, which is less than tour average, so ball striking has an even greater importance. The tiny, dome-shaped greens (a Dye trademark) average around 3,700 square feet and are the second smallest on the PGA Tour and will roll at an average speed (11.5) on the stimpmeter. 

Water comes into play on nine holes, with six of those affecting approach shots.

Most of the first 16 holes at Harbour Town play inland as the course weaves through natural woodlands, which are surrounded by a residential housing development.

The 17th and 18th holes are the highlights at Harbour Town. The 17th hole is a par-3 with a beautiful background of the Calibogue Sound. It plays 185 yards over water to a green fronted by a large bunker that runs the entire length to the left side with bunkers on the right.

The 18th is one of the most famous holes on the PGA Tour. It is a tough par-4 that features the famous 90-foot Harbour Town Lighthouse. Though it has a massive 75-yard wide fairway, it plays as one of the most difficult holes on the course due to the water that lines the left side of the hole, along with the wind gusts that blow off the Calibogue Sound right into the player’s face.

Pete Dye is the designer, and there are several Dye courses on the PGA Tour schedule annually if you are looking for a course correlation. They include:

Austin Country Club – WGC Dell Matchplay since 2016

Crooked Stick – 2012 and 2016 BMW Championship

Ocean Course – Kiawah Island – 2012 and 2021 PGA Championship

TPC River Highlands – The Travelers

TPC Louisiana – Zurich Classic of New Orleans

TPC Sawgrass – THE PLAYERS Championship

TPC Stadium, PGA West – The American Express since 2016

Whistling Straits – 2010 and 2015 PGA Championship

Aside from the Dye designs (especially TPC River Highlands and TPC Sawgrass), other courses with strong correlations include Waialae CC, Sedgefield CC, Pebble Beach and Sea Island Resort. 

The Hilton Head Island Packet provides an interactive hole-by-hole guide of Harbour Town Golf Links. 

No one is more synonymous with the RBC Heritage and Harbour Town Golf Links than Davis Love III, who has won this event five times. DLIII discussed the restoration that began after last year’s event and concluded in November with Jason Lusk of Golfweek here. 

Love and his team did not make sweeping changes, but there are some differences from last year. For instance, the green complexes were restored to their original dimensions. Certain bunkers were reshaped or repositioned, and while a few trees were removed, others were planted to maintain the course’s signature overhanging look. Small bunker islands that once featured tall grasses were simplified, now covered with a thin layer of rough.

The renovations also include stacked sod bunkers on select holes, which are often found on links courses, and they were part of Dye’s initial design but had gradually been replaced over time. 

RBC Heritage Recent History/Winners

2025: Justin Thomas (-17/267); 20-1*

2024: Scottie Scheffler (-19/265); 4-1

2023: Matt Fitzpatrick (-17/267); 28-1**

2022: Jordan Spieth (-13/271); 40-1***

2021: Stewart Cink (-19/265); 125-1

2020: Webb Simpson (-22/262); 30-1

2019: C.T. Pan (-12/272); 160-1

2018: Satoshi Kodaira (-12/272); 250-1****

2017: Wesley Bryan (-13/271); 80-1

2016: Branden Grace (-9/275); 40-1

2015: Jim Furyk (-18/266); 25-1*****

2014: Matt Kuchar (-11/273); 18-1

2013: Graeme McDowell (-9/275); 40-1******

2012: Carl Pettersson (-14/270); 55-1

2011: Brandt Snedeker (-12/272); 35-1*******

2010: Jim Furyk (-13/271); 14-1********

Playoff win over Andrew Novak – *

Playoff win over Jordan Spieth – **

Playoff win over Patrick Cantlay – ***

Playoff win over Si Woo Kim – ****

Playoff win over Kevin Kisner – *****

Playoff win over Webb Simpson – ******

Playoff win over Luke Donald – *******

Playoff win over Brian Davis – ********

Note: The RBC Heritage became a “Signature” event with a limited field beginning in 2024. 

Statistical Analysis

Harbour Town has the second-smallest greens on the PGA Tour, so strong iron play is at even more of a premium than usual.

Strokes Gained: Approach — Average Per Round (2026 PGA Tour season)

1. Collin Morikawa 1.066
2. Si Woo Kim 0.912
3. Austin Smotherman 0.874
4. Daniel Berger 0.849
5. Matt Fitzpatrick 0.810
6. Akshay Bhatia 0.792
7. Kurt Kitayama 0.728
8. Ryan Gerard 0.712
9. Nicolai Højgaard 0.712
10. Xander Schauffele 0.662
11. Corey Conners 0.622
12. J.J. Spaun 0.587
13. Ryo Hisatsune 0.576
14. Viktor Hovland 0.575
15. Sepp Straka 0.568
16. Wyndham Clark 0.542
17. Jacob Bridgeman 0.501
18. Cameron Young 0.499
19. Shane Lowry 0.474
20. Sudarshan Yellamaraju 0.474
21. Tommy Fleetwood 0.459
22. Jordan Smith 0.454

Slightly less than half of the approach shots play from the 150–200-yard range. 

Average Proximity to the Hole Gained — Feet Per Round — 150 to 175 Yards (Last 36 Rounds)

1. Chandler Blanchet 15.32
2. Corey Conners 9.81
3. Daniel Berger 9.77
4. Scottie Scheffler 9.72
5. Ryan Fox 9.48
6. Akshay Bhatia 8.82
7. Tom Hoge 8.73
8. Xander Schauffele 8.02
9. Viktor Hovland 7.81
10. Sami Valimaki 7.67
11. Karl Vilips 7.32
12. Harry Hall 7.25
13. Marco Penge 6.97
14. Sepp Straka 6.62
15. Patrick Cantlay 6.19
16. Lucas Glover 5.49
17. Collin Morikawa 5.31
18. Andrew Putnam 5.18
19. Gary Woodland 4.75
20. Shane Lowry 4.69
21. Ryan Gerard 4.61

Average Proximity to the Hole Gained — Feet Per Round — 175 to 200 Yards (Last 36 rounds)

1. John Keefer 17.76
2. Viktor Hovland 16.72
3. Scottie Scheffler 14.35
4. Si Woo Kim 12.54
5. Nicolai Højgaard 10.80
6. Shane Lowry 10.21
7. Collin Morikawa 10.04
8. Patrick Cantlay 9.80
9. Bud Cauley 9.47
10. Karl Vilips 9.06
11. William Mouw 8.83
12. Nico Echavarria 7.78
13. Austin Smotherman 7.25
14. Patrick Rodgers 6.95
15. Taylor Pendrith 6.79
16. Akshay Bhatia 6.69
17. Lucas Glover 6.53
18. Nick Taylor 6.22
19. Keegan Bradley 5.77
20. Kurt Kitayama 5.13
21. Brian Campbell 5.10

While it is not all that difficult to gain strokes Around The Green here, these are small and firm greens, so the short games must be tidy.

Strokes Gained: Around The Green — Average Per Round (2026 PGA Tour season)

1. Tommy Fleetwood 0.712
2. Scottie Scheffler 0.618
3. Harry Hall 0.538
4. David Lipsky 0.524
5. Andrew Putnam 0.515
6. Nick Taylor 0.503
7. Alex Noren 0.498
8. Jason Day 0.457
9. Ben Griffin 0.454
10. Ludvig Åberg 0.420
11. Sahith Theegala 0.358
12. Matt Fitzpatrick 0.309
13. Sungjae Im 0.307
14. Tony Finau 0.300
15. Chris Gotterup 0.296
16. Min Woo Lee 0.294
17. Keegan Bradley 0.272
18. Patrick Cantlay 0.247
19. Viktor Hovland 0.240
20. Michael Thorbjornsen 0.229

Scrambling (2026 PGA Tour season)

1. Robert MacIntyre 70.81%
2. Russell Henley 70.30
3. Jason Day 69.93
4. Andrew Putnam 69.27
5. Xander Schauffele 69.01
6. Jake Knapp 68.68
7. Patrick Cantlay 68.18
8. Nick Taylor 68.14
9. Matt Wallace 67.79
10. Sahith Theegala 67.56
11. Scottie Scheffler 66.44
12. Jordan Spieth 66.34
13. Rickie Fowler 65.85
14. Michael Thorbjornsen 65.54
15. Cameron Young 65.31
16. Denny McCarthy 65.30
17. Nicolai Højgaard 65.17
18. Harris English 65.05
19. Kurt Kitayama 64.94
20. Viktor Hovland 64.85
21. David Lipsky 64.84
22. Ryan Fox 64.57

Harbour Town produces one of the lowest driver usage rates on tour at only 55.6%. It also ranks fourth lowest in average driving distance at 280.1 yards per drive. 

It is a fairly typical Pete Dye risk/reward course, where if you drive the ball to the safe side, then the approach shot is more difficult. However, if you hit closer toward trouble (water hazards, bunkers), then the approach shot is easier to the hole.

The best way to account for off the tee and driving performance here at Harbour Town is Good Drives Gained. 

Good Drives Gained (Last 36 rounds)

1. Russell Henley 39.9
2. Si Woo Kim 37.5
3. Collin Morikawa 35.4
4. Andrew Putnam 32.9
5. Tommy Fleetwood 32.4
6. Ryo Hisatsune 30.6
7. Scottie Scheffler 27.3
8. Matt Fitzpatrick 26.4
9. William Mouw 24.7
10. Lucas Glover 22.2
11. Rickie Fowler 21.5
12. Ryan Gerard 20.8
13. J.J. Spaun 19.5
14. Jason Day 18.7
15. Corey Conners 17.9
16. Ludvig Åberg 17.5
17. J.T. Poston 16.9
18. Daniel Berger 16.8
19. Cameron Young 16.5
20. David Lipsky 15.4

Six of the 11 par-4s measure 400-450 yards.

Strokes Gained Par-44s 400-450 Yards (Last 36 rounds)

1. Rickie Fowler 26.4
2. Brian Campbell 21.5
3. Sahith Theegala 18.5
4. Si Woo Kim 18.3
5. Sam Stevens 18.2
6. Xander Schauffele 17.6
7. Gary Woodland 16.6
8. Scottie Scheffler 15.5
9. Russell Henley 15.1
10. Matt Fitzpatrick 15.1
11. David Lipsky 14.7
12. Steven Fisk 14
13. Jason Day 12.8
14. Kurt Kitayama 12.8
15. Nicolai Højgaard 12.2
16. Ryo Hisatsume 11.5
17. Corey Conners 11.1
18. Austin Smotherman 10.7
19. Ryan Gerard 10.7
20. Robert MacIntyre 10
21. Michael Kim 10

Harbour Town is a course that is more about positioning than overpowering the course.

Strokes Gained: Courses < 7,200 Yards (Last 36 rounds)

1. Scottie Scheffler 91.9
2. Justin Thomas 61.5
3. Russell Henley 49.5
4. Patrick Cantlay 47.7
5. Ben Griffin 45.2
6. Tommy Fleetwood 44.8
7. Alex Noren 44.4
8. Maverick McNealy 43.3
9. Harry Hall 41.3
10. Sepp Straka 40.6
11. Ludvig Åberg 36.6
12. Jason Day 35.2
13. Nick Taylor 34.3
14. Sam Burns 31.6
15. J.J. Spaun 31.1
16. Min Woo Lee 26.1
17. Sungjae Im 26
18. Si Woo Kim 24.1
19. Brian Harman 23.8
20. Taylor Pendrith 23.6
21. J.T. Poston 23
22. Rickie Fowler 23

Harbour Town is around the middle of the pack on the PGA Tour in terms of scoring difficulty. It is not an easy track, but the scoring has gone lower with it now being a “Signature Event” and having a deeper field of top-end players.

Birdie Or Better Percentage (2026 PGA Tour season)

1. Scottie Scheffler 29.17%
2. Akshay Bhatia 27.98
3. Collin Morikawa 27.53
4. Min Woo Lee 27.41
5. Ludvig Åberg 27.38
6. Jacob Bridgeman 27.16
7. Jake Knapp 26.48
8. Matt Fitzpatrick 26.22
9. Sudarshan Yellamaraju 26.19
10. Cameron Young 26.19
11. David Lipsky 26.11
12. Pierceson Coody 25.93
13. Ryo Hisatsune 25.88
14. Russell Henley 25.79
15. Ryan Gerard 25.62
16. Robert MacIntyre 25.56
17. Harris English 25.33
18. Si Woo Kim 25.14
19. Sam Burns 24.79
20. Chris Gotterup 24.67
21. Maverick McNealy 24.67
22. Alex Noren 24.52

Bogey Avoidance Percentage (2026 PGA Tour season)

1. Jason Day 10.71% (percentage of time player makes bogey or worse)
2. Scottie Scheffler 10.91
3. Robert MacIntyre 11.48
4. Russell Henley 11.51
5. Patrick Cantlay 11.71
6. Cameron Young 11.71
7. Jake Knapp 11.85
8. Nick Taylor 11.99
9. Rickie Fowler 12.10
10. Jacob Bridgeman 12.19
11. Xander Schauffele 12.22
12. Si Woo Kim 12.36
13. Matt Fitzpatrick 12.50
14. Sahith Theegala 12.57
15. Kurt Kitayama 12.63
16. Sudarshan Yellamaraju 12.86
17. Michael Thorbjornsen 12.90
18. Jordan Spieth 13.07
19. Sam Stevens 13.30
20. Collin Morikawa 13.38
21. Shane Lowry 13.43

Selections

Xander Schauffele (15-1, DraftKings)

Schauffele did what Schauffele usually does at the major championships last week at the Masters. Even when he is not right there in contention, he always seems to be around. He finished ninth at Augusta and is now better than a 50% clip for top-10s at majors.

He led the field last week for Greens In Regulation and was No. 2 for Strokes Gained: Approach.

The greens seemed to give him some trouble, but he should like the switch back to the Poa overseed this week. 

Schauffele has just one top-5 here in six appearances (fourth in 2023), but the incoming form cannot be ignored with four top-10s in his last five starts. 

Collin Morikawa (28-1, Fanatics)

Morikawa was obviously still battling his back injury last week at the Masters but gutted it out and still finished T-7. 

His ball speed off the tee was obviously down, but that will not hurt him much here, where players don’t hit driver all that much. 

Augusta is a difficult walk because of its length and undulations. Harbour Town is much easier to get around. Clearly, there is a risk of a W/D, but I am going to trust that Morikawa feels well enough to play here. Plus, if you throw out that W/D at The Players, he has finished top seven in his last four events. 

Morikawa leads the PGA Tour for Strokes Gained: Approach, and iron play is the name of the game here. 

Jordan Spieth (33-1, Bet365)

Spieth won the RBC Heritage in 2022, his last PGA Tour victory, and was second in 2023, plus has three other top-2 finishes here. 

He finished 12th in the Masters but was second in the field for Greens In Regulation and fifth for Strokes Gained: Approach.

His irons have continued to be excellent over the last couple of months as he’s now ranked inside the top 8 for Strokes Gained: Approach in three of his last five events.

Maverick McNealy (39-1, Circa)

McNealy finished well at the Masters with a 5-under 67 on Sunday to wind up T-18.

He ranked fifth in last week’s field for Strokes Gained: Around The Green, and the short game will be important around the small greens at Harbour Town. 

McNealy was third here last year and fourth here in 2021. 

Sahith Theegala (80-1, Circa)

Having missed so much time with both oblique and neck injuries last season, Theegala dropped substantially in the OWGR and missed the Masters.

He began the year at 120 and is now at 73 courtesy of four top-10 finishes in 2026. 

Theegala is not in the U.S. Open, for now, and has about six weeks to get into the top 60 OWGR for a spot. 

He finished runner-up to Scheffler here two years ago and was fifth in 2023. 

Brian Harman (100-1, DraftKings)

Harman finished just T-33 at the Masters, but Augusta National is always going to be too long for one of the shorter hitters on tour. 

On the other hand, Harbour Town is one of the more ideal courses for Harman, as evidenced by his form with four top-13 finishes here in the last five years, including third last year and seventh in 2025. 

Placement markets, matchups, and/or other bets will be up Wednesday at VSiN.com/picks