There is no rest for the weary as fifty-four players who competed in last week’s Masters have made the trip to Hilton Head Island, S.C. for the fifth signature event of the year at the RBC Heritage.
The field is highlighted by World No. 1 and two-time Masters champion Scottie Scheffler. Can he make it four wins out of his past five starts before heading home to be with wife Meredith for the birth of the couple’s first child?
Our golf experts preview the RBC Heritage and provide their favorite prop picks along with best bets to win this week.
RBC HERITAGE
Location: Hilton Head Island, S.C., April 18-21
Course: Harbour Town Golf Links (Par 71, 7,213 yards)
Purse: $20M (Winner: $3.6M)
Defending Champion: Matt Fitzpatrick
FedEx Cup Leader: Scottie Scheffler
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday-Friday, 2-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (GC), 3-6 p.m. (CBS)
X: @RBC_Heritage
Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday-Friday, 7:15 a.m.-6 p.m. ET; Saturday-Sunday, 6:45 a.m.-6 p.m.
PROP PICKS
–Sahith Theegala to Beat Sam Burns (-140 at DraftKings): Burns has a lot on his mind with his wife Caroline Campbell due to give birth to the couple’s first child any day. While he tied for 15th here last year, Burns enters having missed his past two cuts and failing to break the top 30 in his past four starts. Theegala at least made the weekend at the Masters before settling for a T45 and tied for fifth at last year’s RBC Heritage.
–Brian Harman to Finish Top 20 (+138 at BetMGM): Harbour Town is one of the favorite tour stops for Harman. It was the first tournament get attended as a fan and the first tour event he played in as an amateur. The Georgia native missed the cut at Augusta but tied for seventh here last year.
–Nick Taylor Top Canadian (+450): Solid odds for a player who has a win and a pair of other top-20 finishes this season. Yes, he missed the cut at Augusta and yes, Taylor does face formidable competition in this prop that includes Corey Conners (+190), Adam Hadwin (+320), Adam Svensson (+450) and Mackenzie Hughes (+450). But Taylor is also the top-ranked Canadian at No. 27 for his strong body of work.
2024 Prop Picks Record: 20-24-1
BEST BETS
–Scottie Scheffler (+400 at BetMGM) has won three of his past four starts and finished tied for second in the other. The last player to win on tour following a major victory was Tiger Woods in 2006. Despite being the heavy favorite, Scheffler is the book’s biggest liability as he leads the field in both total bets (18.3 percent) and money (21.2 percent) backing him to win.
–Xander Schauffele (+1200) finished eighth at the Masters despite failing to break 70 in any round. It was his third consecutive top-10 finish. Schauffele’s odds have lengthened a bit since opening at +1000, but he is BetMGM’s third biggest liability with 8.2 percent of the money backing him.
–Ludvig Aberg (+1400) is coming off a solo second place in his Masters debut. He is second only to Scheffler with 9.4 percent of the money backing him since the young Swede opened at +1200.
–Rory McIlroy (+1400) hasn’t been in great form as of late, but did post a solo third two weeks ago at the Valero Texas Open.
–Tommy Fleetwood (+1800) quietly tied for third at Augusta after a T7 in Texas.
–Matt Fitzpatrick (+2500) finished fifth at the Players, T10 at the Valero Texas Open and was in contention before settling for T22 at the Masters in his past three starts.
–Max Homa (+2500) finished T3 after shooting 73-73 over the weekend at Augusta, but missed the cut here last year.
–Jordan Spieth (+2800) missed the cut at the Masters but won this event in 2022 and lost in a playoff last year.
–Cameron Young (+2800) is still seeking that elusive maiden PGA Tour victory. He posted a solid T9 at Augusta and tied for third here two years ago. The same odds at DraftKings have seen Young second to Scheffler with 8 percent of the money backing him.
NOTES
–This is the fifth of eight signature events in 2024, featuring a $20 million purse along with 700 FedEx Cup points for the winner.
–Fifty-four players in the field competed in the Masters last week, including all five players who finished tied for third or better. Five players are competing in their first signature event of the year: Erik Barnes, Brice Garnett, Chandler Phillips and Alejandro Tosti via the Aon Swing 5 standings along with sponsor exemption Kevin Kisner. Victor Perez was bumped from the Aon Swing 5 when Erik van Rooyen finished T55 at the Masters. That pushed Thomas Detry from the Aon Next 10 to the Aon Swing 5 and Perez out of this week’s field.
–Five-time champion Davis Love III holds the tournament record with 33 career starts.
–World No. 6 Viktor Hovland withdrew after missing the cut at the Masters.
–Field Level Media