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The Heritage
 
 

The pleasure of the PGA Tour’s annual visit to Hilton Head Island in the week after the year’s first major championship, the Masters, was always that it represented something of a relaxing comedown from the drama and intensity of Augusta National.

Some golfers loved this holiday feel, others wanted to just escape the course so didn't play, but now that the RBC Heritage is a Signature Event the vibe has changed.

The field is no longer a full one but just 64 players. Those who wish to treat it as an after party are a little conflicted and those who’d rather be elsewhere are definitely conflicted.

That latter element is worth considering, especially Scottie Scheffler who is down to play but remains on paternity watch so might be the most conflicted of all.

It’s always said but it bears repetition: Augusta last week and Harbour Town this week are very different.

Augusta is long, wide, undulating and it has lightning fast, large greens.

Harbour Town is short, tight, flat and the small greens are on the slow side owing to the sea breezes.

The former also has bent grass greens, the latter Bermuda grass on the putting surfaces.

It plays to a yardage of 7,213 yards with a par of 71.

When given a choice big-hitters tended to miss the week. They’ve placed here but very rarely contended – they get frustrated by the restrictions from the tee.

It is now a longer course (about 200 yards) than when Jim Furyk more or less lived in the top 10, but his thoughts still make sense.

"I won’t lie to you," he said. "My strengths are very valuable here, getting the high, bombing draw and driver isn’t really in my wheelhouse and there’s not a huge need for that here.”

Last year’s winner Matt Fitzpatrick had long loved the course because his family used to holiday there.

The layout was designed by Pete Dye and has some of his typical features (including the fact many big-hitters are put off by everyone mostly hitting to similar spots from the tee).

Jack Nicklaus was involved in the build – it was his first job as an architect and while it does test distance control it does not do so in the typical way of his later designs (which feature raised rather than flat greens).


Angles to consider

1/ Strokes Gained Tee to Green

Winners anywhere tend to have fine SG T2G stats but it makes sense here because avoiding the trees and hitting the small greens (and making par when not doing so) is the nub of the test. The last nine winners ranked 11th or better in this category.

2/ Ball striking

It’s an old school measure but eight of the last 10 winners ranked 32nd or better in their previous start when making the cut - they were in form tee to green.

3/ Course form and similar tracks

Course specialists come to the fore here. Davis Love III won five times, Stewart Cink three times, Jim Furyk had four top two finishes with two wins, Boo Weekley won back-to-back, Webb Simpson was a winner and a play-off loser, Luke Donald had seven top three finishes. Look also for form at Waialae, El Camaleon and Sea Island – all of them tight, short and by the sea. There have also been four winners of the Sedgefield-Harbour Town double (Sedgefield is not flat but it has small greens and calls for conservative/accurate tee shots.)

4/ Post-Masters

Contending at the Masters is rarely helpful, perhaps because the physical, mental and emotional tanks are on empty. But the last three winners came from Augusta with motivation. Cink and Fitzpatrick were emboldened by top 20s, Spieth was fuming after a missed cut.


Selections

The above angles have been used to create a shortlist from which the following players are selected.

Cameron Young

He proved he likes the course when third in 2022 and he’s also been second on Bermuda at Jackson, second at blustery-by-the-sea Royal Greens and second at Dye’s Austin CC. This year he’s been third at Emirates, eighth at Scottsdale, fourth at PGA National, second at Innisbrook and ninth last week. He’s ranked first and third for Ball Striking in his last two starts and was third for SG T2G at Innisbrook.

Tom Kim

Still only 21-years-old the Korean is a three-time winner on the PGA Tour and the first of those came at Sedgefield. It makes sense that he liked it there because he’s short and straight from the tee, and excellent there on in. He missed the cut on debut but he’s got it in him to thrive here and arrives fresh from a second Masters appearance that saw him card a best-of-the-day 66 on Sunday (when he was superb SG T2G). He was 17th for Ball Striking for the week in Augusta.

Taylor Moore

Playing his second season of major golf this year he landed a first top 20 last week and should be feeling chipper. Moreover it was a 15th straight week of four rounds of golf and came after finishing second at Memorial Park. He was fifth at Southwind last year and won at Innisbrook. He’s also been fifth at Sedgefield and eighth at Sea Island. He was 11th at Harbour Town last year and ranked 14th for Ball Striking last week. We've taken the 55/1 with the place paying out 10 places (a higher price with fewer place is available).


Tips:  0-3; -6.00pts

1pt e.w. Cameron Young at 28/1 (William Hill, 888Sport 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6,7)  62nd

1pt e.w. Tom Kim at 55/1 (Coral, Ladbrokes 1/6 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10)  18th

1pt e.w. Taylor Moore at 55/1 (Coral, Ladbrokes 1/6 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10)  58th