NO Rory McIlroy at the RBC Heritage this week, because he is not a big fan of the Hilton Head course – and why shouldn’t he pick and choose his events after his Augusta heroics?
With McIlroy taking the week off, Scottie Scheffler – the man he replaced as Masters champion, and will surely dethrone as world No 1 before long – is the clear 4-1 favourite.
Scottie Scheffler comes here as the defending champion and is rightly favourite with no Rory McIlroyUnlike McIlroy, Scheffler IS a big fan of Hilton Head, and he is the defending champion. But hang on, haven’t we been here before recently? Several times?
This will be the fourth time the Texan has attempted to defend one of the nine titles he won in a stellar 2024 campaign, and he is yet to get the job done.
He has shown signs that the hand injury which delayed his start to the season is no longer troubling him, finishing runner-up in NHouston and fourth behind McvIlroy at Augusta.
But is that enough to back him at such short odds with any real confidence. Thanks, but I’ll look elsewhere, especially with seven more players from the world’s top ten also in action.
RBC Heritage golf tips
I’m going to go outside that top ten for my first selection because Sungjae Im, ranked 22nd in the world, looked to be finally finding his form this year when finishing fifth at Augusta.
The tight, fiddly Hilton Head course seems to suit the Korean. He played well enough to finish higher than his share of 12th last year, and has produced several more eye-catching efforts at the South Carolina course.
He looks good each way value at 40-1, and the same can be said of Jordan Spieth, who can be backed at the same odds – tempting for a player who won here in 2022 and then finished runner-up as the defending champion.
Sure Spieth can be erratic, a fact that has been documented here a few times. But his final round 69 at Augusta to finish T14 was his first bogey free round in the Masters for nine years..
If he continues to cut down on the mistakes – and avoid those costly big numbers – he could easily make his presence felt again.
Of the players at the head of the market, Ludvig Aberg stands out after a second great run at a green jacket, even though he is still a relative rookie at Augusta.
The Swede claimed a top ten in his first start in the Heritage a year ago. So the general 12-1 looks a decent price.
Former Open champion Brian Harman has never missed a trip to Hilton Head since turning pro 13 years ago, and has managed three top tens.
He clearly thinks he can do a lot better here, Harman won the Texas Open a couple of weeks ago, and despite a so-so Masters – a tie for 36th – he looks another good each way option at 66-1.
And I’m not convinced Ryan Gerard’s hot spell is over after he finished ninth and second in the two Texan events.
He did not qualify for the Masters, but at least that means he will be fresher than many of his rivals – and 125-1 looks a big price.
Corales Puntacana golf tips
With only 72 players in action at The Heritage – because it is a $20miillion Signature event – the PGA Tour is doubling up, with the lesser lights heading down to the Dominican Republic for the Corales Puntacana Championship.
The fact that the field is made up of journeymen makes this event very volatile. So while 18-1 joint favourite Keith Mitchgell deserves to be at relatively short odds in this field, I would prefer to take a chance with one or two players at longer odds.
Big-hitting Argentine star Alejandro Tosti is one worth considering at 40-1, especially after finishing fifth and 12th in the two Texas events. This is much weaker.
His countryman, Emiliano Grillo, has also been knocking on the door, and is 50-1 with some bookies.
And Rafael Campos, who was second here in 2021, might just be encouraged enough by his invite to the Masters to defy odds of around 125-1, even though the Puerto Rican golfer missed the cut at Augusta.
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