RBC Heritage

A million people have recapped it a million ways, so I won’t spend any more time on the Masters as we get ready for tomorrow’s action at Harbour Town, but boy howdy, what an electric Sunday. This is how it’s supposed to be.

Off the Top

1. Tread lightly when looking back at some of the course history here as this event’s field has changed wildly over the past couple years. Once a spot to take a breather after the Masters, now it’s a signature event where nearly all the top players are involved.

2. NO CUT THIS WEEK! Only the hosted signature events have cuts, so this is a smaller field where everyone makes the weekend.

3. In case you're not familiar, the green jacket isn’t the only piece of clothing you can win in April. The RBC Heritage honors golf’s roots by giving the winner a custom-tailored Tartan jacket each year.

Now, a look at the course:

Harbour Town Golf Links

Characterized by numerous doglegs, overhanging trees, a wide array of devilish bunkers, and minuscule greens, Harbour Town Golf Links is a coastal par-71 course that measures 7,213 yards. It is a relatively flat course with fairways flanked on all sides by a variety of trees including palmettos, oaks, and pines. There might not be a greater contradiction in courses played in consecutive weeks on Tour than going from the expansive, lengthy, and undulating Augusta National to the claustrophobic, concise, and level Harbour Town. It ranks as the 17th-shortest course on Tour.

As the Bermudagrass is still mostly dormant this time of year, the tournament is played on fairways and rough overseeded with ryegrass. In years past, the rough has typically been minimal at only 0.75″, and more like the first cut at Augusta National. In 2023, the Tour gave it a massive increase up to 2.5″ and then decreased it to 1.25″ last year. This year, it’s up again to 1.5″. Greens are the second-smallest on Tour at an average of only 3,700 square feet. They are overseeded with Poa Trivialis and run around 11.5 on the stimpmeter.

As the field strength has increased, the scoring average has dramatically decreased. While not a birdie-fest by any means, scoring last year was -1.65. Over the last five years, Harbour Town ranks as the 17th easiest course on Tour.

There are numerous reasons why Harbour Town can limit scoring to a degree. With trees everywhere, drives off-the-tee that are not hit to the proper location on the fairway could be met with hanging branches on the following approach shot. Water comes into play on nine holes with six of those affecting approach shots. Also, the second-smallest greens on Tour combined with a course that is exposed to the wind from the Atlantic coast can cause GIR% numbers to shrink rapidly on windy days.

Many “Pete Dye” trademarks on the course can trick players and cause trouble. These include blind shots off-the-tee, treacherous Scottish-style pot bunkers, and firm sloping greens. Overall, Pete Dye does an excellent job of using the natural environment to intimidate the player. Those who can strategize their way around the course and hit their targets will have the best chance to raise the trophy on Sunday.

Simply put, Harbour Town is a test of accuracy and short-game skills. Each hole requires a game plan and the ability to control both line and distance off the tee. It is a station-to-station layout that severely minimizes the effects of driving distance, and it presents golfers with an almost-exact recipe for success. If players can accurately hit the ball from point to point and into specific targets they will be able to take advantage. From tee to green, there is very little margin for error. It demands strategy, touch, and shot-making ability.

Betting

Welp. I got wrecked last week, giving a nice chunk of the Min Woo Lee money back, but I still enjoyed the tournament and hit on a few stupid props (and a matchup fading Brooks).

Back to the grind this week, with a much smaller card

Outrights

Russell Henley +2500
Corey Conners +2750
Shane Lowry +3950
J.J. Spaun +7000

Weather

It's looking pretty nice, all things considered. Some gustier afternoon conditions are expected, so maybe a slight issue for some of the later tee times on Friday, but with the small field, the tee times are pretty tightly grouped compared to a normal tourney.

News and Notes

• Another awesome piece of tradition at the RBC: the cannon.

• This is a ways off, and who knows if these are even the teams, but man, I’m down for more golf at the Olympics for sure.

• Lastly, one more article to peruse this week as we prep for Major #2, now LESS THAN A MONTH AWAY!