56th RBC Heritage
Harbour Town Golf Links
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
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Eyes On (odds via Bet365.com)
Scottie Scheffler (+400): Golf is not played in a vacuum by robots, right? Baby is due any minute. Surely he is “worn out” from four rounds of major championship golf last week? No way he just shows up and plows down the field again, right? Right?
Xander Schauffele (+1400): Just take your top-10 money and move on to next week. He’s cashed eight of ten in the top 10 and was fourth here last year.
Ludvig Aberg (+1400): The Swedish Cyborg tried to run down Scheffler last week. Playing in his first major championship didn’t slow him down but a loose iron shot on No. 11 on Sunday did. He won’t make that mistake this week if in contention. Hop on.
Patrick Cantlay (+1400): His record here resembles his record on TOUR. Always in contention, he’s yet to get it over the finish line in the Lowcountry. Without a win since late summer of 2022, we always want more. He is the course horse (non-winner’s division) this week.
Rory McIlroy (+1400): The win in the Middle East in January feels like it was ages ago. Hopefully after telling Todd Lewis from The Golf Channel that he will finish his career on the PGA TOUR will set him free. It’s your money.
Collin Morikawa (+1800): Now do it again. If his tee-to-green game is back, he’ll enjoy the VERY friendly greens at Harbour Town. I wrote in here last week if he’s 30-1 or worse, he’s an auto-bet. Hope you scattered a few across your card.
Tommy Fleetwood (+2000): The safest bet on the board last week shared third in his best finish at the Masters. I’d expect another similar performance this week.
Matt Fitzpatrick (+2500): I was disappointed to read he was having trouble with his lofted irons last week. I would have thought all gears would be greased before the first major. Cashing T22 last week wasn’t the end of the world, but he constant struggle with his equipment is off-putting. He shouldn’t be this deep at this course as the defending champion if everything was fine and/or dandy. Weird.
Max Homa (+2500): Emptied the tank last week. See you at Quail Hollow in a few.
Cameron Young (+2800): Easy greens should have his full attention this week. Looking for his first TOUR win, he opened with 63 the first time he played here. First-time winners ran well here before the Pandemic, but this Signature Event field is quite a bit different.
Will Zalatoris (+2800): Missed the cut by a mile at the last Pete Dye challenge at TPC Sawgrass. I’ll do you a favor and leave him alone this week.
Jordan Spieth (+3000): If the drive down Magnolia Lane doesn’t fire the all the cylinders, I’m not sure this week will either. Never missing the cut in seven previous tries here, he won’t again this week (no-cut event). The contrarian play here is a top-10.
Wyndham Clark (+3000): An absolute stat monster, I’d prefer him on a bigger track (Quail Hollow) but he did show the technical ability to work shots at TPC Sawgrass. Never missing the cut in five starts at Harbour Town, he’s never cashed better than T29. Conflicted.
Shane Lowry (+3500): Top-10 machine here arrives as a sponsor’s exemption. Pay it off.
Brian Harman (+5000): Nice price for a guy with 14 previous starts and recent success.
Cam Davis (+6000): Every dollar you got.
JT Poston (+6000): Top 20 should be about right.
Denny McCarthy (+6000): Let’s try this again. Working out the kinks at Augusta after a tough playoff loss in San Antonio should have eased the pain. He will relish his next moment.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout (+6000): Stick him in the top 20 and off you go.
Taylor Moore (+6000): Just as hot as Bezuidenhout, nudge him up a tier.
Adam Schenk (+8000): Might be a week for Top 20 plays.
Rickie Fowler (+12500): Does nappy factor work on Kid No. 2? Well, Fowler No. 2 is on the way! Let’s try it!
NOW PLAYING:
| Host Course | Harbour Town Golf Links |
| Yards (per official scorecard): | 7,213. |
| Par: | 71 (36-35). |
| Greens: | Poa Trivialis overseed (TifEagle Bermuda); 3,700 square feet. |
| Stimpmeter: | 12.5 feet. |
| Second Cut: | Ryegrass Overseed at 1.25 inches. |
| Bunkers/Water Hazards/In-Play | 54/18/18 |
| Architect(s): | Pete Dye (1967). |
| Defending Champion (event): | Matt Fitzpatrick (-17). |
| Multiple Champion(s) Entered: | None. |
| Course Record (latest): | 61; Troy Merritt (2015; not entered). |
| 72 Hole Tournament Record (April): | 264; Brian Gay (2009). |
| 72-Hole Tournament Record (June 2020). | 262; Webb Simpson. |
| Fact of the Week: | Only three previous champions are in the limited field this week. |
Harbour Town Golf Links
The third Pete Dye design of the season, and the first of two in the next two events (TPC Louisiana), Harbour Town opened for business in 1967.
The RBC Heritage has been hosted on the links since 1965. The 2023 edition was the first to break the 7,200-yard barrier and returns at 7,213 yards for the 2024 edition.
Playing 36-35 to Par-71, the famous lighthouse on Calibogue Sound is the aiming point on the 18th tee and provides the widest fairway on the property. Only 22 acres of Fairway can be found snaking through the trees, 54 bunkers, and 18 water penalty areas.
The rough cut down to 1.25 inches for the 2024 edition will assist recovery shots to hold the greens. The overseeded Poa Trivialis putting surfaces are the second-smallest greens on TOUR, trailing only the links at Pebble Beach. The more wind, the more difficult it is to attack fairways and greens.
Properly missing greens affords a chance to chip in or knock it close. Approach shots finding the proper levels on the putting surfaces are opportunities to shave a shot off the scorecard. Known for hole-outs and one of the highest one-putt percentages on TOUR, keeping the ball dry is the No. 1 priority. Gaining strokes tee to green goes a long way to winning this week.
Troy Merritt (2015) and David Frost (1994) share the course record with 61 (-10). Neither man is in the field this week.
Winning by ten shots, Brian Gay set the April tournament scoring record in 2009 on 20-under-par 264.
The June scoring record is 22-under 262, set by Webb Simpson in 2020.
2023 Season Winners
2023 Season Winners
| Event | Winner |
| Sentry Tournament of Champions | Jon Rahm |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Si Woo Kim |
| The AMERICAN EXPRESS | Jon Rahm (2) |
| Farmers Insurance Open | Max Homa (2) |
| AT&T Pebble Beach | Justin Rose |
| WM Phoenix Open | Scottie Scheffler |
| The Genesis Invitational | Jon Rahm (3) |
| The Honda Classic | Chris Kirk |
| Arnold Palmer Invitational | Kurt Kitayama (first TOUR win) |
| THE PLAYERS Championship | Scottie Scheffler (2) |
| Valspar Championship | Taylor Moore (first TOUR win) |
| Corales Puntacana | Matt Wallace (first TOUR win) |
| WGC – Dell Technologies MP | Sam Burns |
| Valero Texas Open | Corey Conners |
| Masters | Jon Rahm (4) |
| RBC Heritage | Matt Fitzpatrick |
| Zurich Classic of New Orleans | Davis Riley & Nick Hardy (first TOUR win for each) |
| Mexico Open at Vidanta | Tony Finau (2) |
| Wells Fargo Championship | Wyndham Clark (first TOUR win) |
| AT&T Byron Nelson | Jason Day |
| PGA Championship | Brooks Koepka |
| Charles Schwab Challenge | Emiliano Grillo |
| Memorial | Viktor Hovland |
| RBC Canadian Open | Nick Taylor |
| U.S. Open | Wyndham Clark (2) |
| Travelers Championship | Keegan Bradley (2) |
| Rocket Mortgage Classic | Rickie Fowler |
| John Deere Classic | Sepp Straka |
| Genesis Scottish Open | Rory McIlroy (2) |
| The Open Championship | Brian Harman |
| 3M Open | Lee Hodges (first TOUR win) |
| Wyndham Championship | Lucas Glover |
| FedEx St. Jude Championship | Lucas Glover (2) |
| BMW Championship | Viktor Hovland (2) |
| TOUR Championship | Viktor Hovland (3) |
| Fortinet Championship | Sahith Theegala |
| Sanderson Farms Championship | Luke List |
| Shriners Children’s Open | Tom Kim |
| ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP | Collin Morikawa |
| World Wide Technology | Erik van Rooyen |
| Butterfield Bermuda | Camilo Villegas |
| The RSM Classic | Ludvig Aberg |
2024 Season Winners
| Event | Winner |
| The Sentry | Chris Kirk |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Grayson Murray |
| The American Express | Nick Dunlap (a) |
| Farmers Insurance Open | Matthieu Pavon (rookie) |
| AT&T Pebble Beach | Wyndham Clark (54 holes) |
| WM Phoenix Open | Nick Taylor |
| The Genesis Invitational | Hideki Matsuyama |
| Mexico Open at Vidanta | Jake Knapp (rookie) |
| Cognizant Classic | Austin Eckroat (first time) |
| Arnold Palmer Invitational | Scottie Scheffler |
| THE PLAYERS Championship | Scottie Scheffler (2) |
| Valspar Championship | Peter Malnati |
| Texas Children’s Houston Open | Stephan Jaeger (first time) |
| Valero Texas Open | Akshay Bhatia |
| 88th Masters Tournament | Scottie Scheffler (3) |
The 56th RBC Heritage
The fifth Signature Event of the season, the field of 69 players includes 43 of the top 50 from the Official World Golf Rankings.
Only 15 players in the field this week did not qualify for the Masters last week.
The Aon Top 10 and Aon Next 5 are in the field.
Matt Fitzpatrick won the 2023 edition, defeating 2022 champion Jordan Spieth in a playoff.
There are no multiple winners in the field this week and only three previous winners (Fitzpatrick 2023, Spieth 2022, and Simpson 2020).
The last champion to successfully defend the title was Boo Weekley in 2008.
A TOUR event since 1969, the youngest winner is Davis Love III (23, 1987), while Hale Irwin, 48 in 1994, is the oldest winner.
There is no cut.
The winner will take home 700 FedExCup points and $3.6 million of the $20 million purse.
Recent Winners – RBC Heritage
Italics – not entered this week.
| Year | Winner | Notes |
| 2023 | Matt Fitzpatrick (-17)* | Defeated 2022 winner Jordan Spieth in a playoff. |
| 2022 | Jordan Spieth (-12)* | Defeated Patrick Cantlay in a playoff. |
| 2021 | Stewart Cink (-19) | Blew away the field by four shots at age 47 for his third title at Harbour Town. |
| 2020 | Webb Simpson (-22) | Perfect June weather and a perfect golf course allowed Simpson to set the record. |
| 2019 | C.T. Pan (-12) | Closed with 67 to lap Shane Lowry and Dustin Johnson. |
One and Done
I’ll be joining Spotter’s game again this season. Now, where did I put my checkbook…
35 events.
1 player per event (plus a backup pick if your guy gets kidnapped on Wednesday night and doesn’t make it to the first tee Thursday).
1 use per year.
Add up the total money and Spotter is yer uncle!
| Event | Selection | Earnings |
| The Sentry | Collin Morikawa | 690,500 |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Corey Conners | 18,592 |
| The American Express | Adam Hadwin | 310,800 |
| Farmers Insurance Open | Jason Day | 0 |
| AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am | Jordan Spieth | 70,125 |
| WM Phoenix Open | Matt Fitzpatrick | 156,200 |
| The Genesis Invitational | Max Homa | 329,000 |
| Mexico Open at Vidanta | Tony Finau | 145,125 |
| Cognizant Classic | Russell Henley | 32,850 |
| Arnold Palmer Invitational | Scottie Scheffler | 4,000,000 |
| THE PLAYERS Championship | Will Zalatoris | 0 |
| Valspar Championship | Sam Burns | 0 |
| Texas Children’s Houston Open | Wyndham Clark | 54,418 |
| Valero Texas Open | C Bezuidenhout | 67,735 |
| 88th Masters Tournament | Rory McIlroy | 175,500 |
| Total Winnings: | 6,050,845 |
His game has more fun stuff to it. Reach out @A340Spotter on Twitter or A340Spotter@frontier.com for more details and to join.
Recapping Last Week – 888th Masters Tournament
MY CHOICE: Rory McIlroy – T22
Didn’t expect him to fall apart in the stiff breezes of Friday, but here we are. Those of you who are saving him for Valhalla, the site of his last major championship almost 10 years ago, congratulations, he might have it fixed by then.
It took Sergio Garcia 19 tries to win the Masters, the most ever. McIlroy will try for the 17th time next year.
Whatever.
Other to Consider:
Xander Schauffele: Never wins enough, does he? Fantastic 2024 form, minus a trophy. A errant tee shot on the 72nd hole cost his investors a few bucks, but otherwise solid top-10 payday. Solo eighth.
Scottie Scheffler: If you believe in the numbers, you save him for down the road. If you have watched him play, I don’t see how you can. WINNER. I’ve never been happier to play him at a Signature Event and win more money hahahahha.
Hideki Matsuyama: Stay healthy, my friend! T38
Brooks Koepka: Limited chances in this game to use him. Didn’t match or break par in four rounds. NOW HE WILL BE REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY MAD defending his PGA Championship. Lots of bluster, not many decent golf shots. T45.
Jon Rahm: See above with Scheffler and Koepka. After having not being lauded and loved on property this week, he moped to T45. What did you think was going to happen? You sat here last year and told everyone you weren’t going anywhere. Hahahahaha. Give me a break, Mr. Sensitive! You took the money. Now, run!
Jordan Spieth: He’s home. Sadly, they changed the locks. MC.
This Week – RBC Heritage
MY CHOICE: Patrick Cantlay
With an immaculate record here, sans victory, I’m trying to catch him on the UP. I won’t play him at Valhalla or Pinehurst, so it’s this week or Memorial, another loaded field. Loading up on a guy whose WORST payday here is T7 should be easy.
SHOULD BE.
Others to Consider:
Matt Fitzpatrick: Other than what I wrote above, this is his spiritual home on TOUR.
Scottie Scheffler: Save your money for the majors or Augusta North (Muirfield Village Golf Club).
Jordan Spieth: Colonial instead.
Shane Lowry: Please, fire away.
Cameron Davis: I cannot get off him this week so fade accordingly.
Glass Houses 