Columnist image

| Archive

Fresh off the Masters we head to the RBC Heritage with one of the best fields in tournament history due to the elevated status of the tournament and $20 million purse.

All of the PGA Tour’s biggest stars were expected to tee it up this week, until news came that Rory McIlroy had withdrawn from the event, and Will Zalatoris will miss this tournament, and the rest of 2023 due to back surgery.

With this event happening the week after the Masters, it hasn’t been the most popular spot on tour. Normally, this is a perfect spot for the best golfers in the game to take a breather and regroup after grinding through the first major championship of the season.

Jordan Spieth spoke about the Tour’s schedule this year and how it might have affected his game at Augusta National.

“I would attest some of my decision-making just to a level of focus that I wish I had a little bit more of,” Spieth following his final round at the Masters. “If I'm trying to pinpoint it, it seems like I don't remember the last time I tried to peak on my eighth out of 10 weeks in a row. I don't remember ever having that.

“So, yeah, like I said, this is a year that's a bridge year for us on the PGA Tour. So I want to keep playing the elevated events as well as the other events that I really love to play. So I knew that was going to happen this year, but it should be decided for me in the future, which would be a good thing.”

With this being the ninth tournament in 11 weeks for Spieth, the same guy who won this event last year after missing the cut at the Masters, it has me looking at some other golfers in this field and steering clear of some bigger names in this tournament.

Let’s take a look at the five players that have caught my eye this week at Harbour Town.

Cameron Young 20-1

I circled this event for Cameron Young three weeks ago when news emerged of a new caddie on his bag.    

Since then, all Young has done is finish runner-up at the Match Play and quietly finished tied for seventh at the Masters.

Young tied for second here last season, despite having a poor putting week.

Paul Tesori, Young’s new caddie formerly of Webb Simpson, has already been on the bag for a win once at the course in 2020.

That field three years ago was a good one, too, as it was one of the first events back on Tour after the COVID-19 shutdown.

Young’s first win feels inevitable at this point, and after going off as a 100-1 longshot last year, he’s now just 20-1 this season and one of the favourites to cash the first outright ticket of his young career.

Prop to play: Cameron Young First Round Leader 37-1 

Justin Thomas 26-1

Why does it seem like Justin Thomas always ends up on the wrong side of the draw?

The American flew under the radar heading into last week’s Masters, and opened with a solid round of 70.

With eight holes remaining in the second round, Thomas was well clear of the cutline.

But the conditions Saturday morning were too much and he played his final eight holes at six over and missed the cut.

And yet, his numbers still look good.

According to RickRunGood.com, Thomas gained nearly two shots off the tee in his 36 holes, and was once again positive in the ball-striking category in the sixth of his last seven events.

The big bugaboo with Thomas is the flatstick. It is unquestionably the worst part of his game, but the 29-year-old has played this event four times, and has been effective with the putter in three of those.

The missed cut for Thomas also meant he got Sunday off while most of the top players in this field had to finish their third round and grind through their fourth.

Could the added rest give him the leg up this week? I think it just might.

Prop to play: Justin Thomas: Top 10 +250

Matt Kuchar 45-1

Matt Kuchar loves this golf course.

The 44-year-old has seven finishes inside the top 20 in his last eight trips to Harbour Town in April.

His only fniish outside of the Top 25 in this event since 2013 came in 2020 when the event was held in June. 

A large reason has to do with his putting at this course.

Kuchar has gained at least 4.00 strokes putting in more than half of the 15 times he’s played in this event.

With distance not a prerequisite at this course, it makes sense that Kuchar can compete here as the length at most venues can often put him behind the eight ball without even hitting a shot.

The last time we saw Kuchar, he finished third at the Valero Texas Open, picking up his third top 10 since January, and fourth if you include the ninth-place finish at Match Play.

Prop to play: Matt Kuchar Top 30 +115

J.T. Poston +55-1

Hey now wait a minute, Mr. Postman.

Four trips to Harbour Town for J.T. Poston, three finishes inside the Top 10.

Something about this course just works for Poston. In 2020 he managed to crack the Top 10, despite losing 3.93 strokes on approach.

Recently, he’s been playing some great golf.

He finished tied for 10th at the Valspar Championship and followed that up by winning his group at the Match Play. Last week, he made the cut for the first time at the Masters.

Take all of that, add it to his great course history and you have a sleeper that opened up at 95-1 to win the event that is now down to 55-1.

Prop to play: J.T Poston Top 40 +110

Wyndham Clark 100-1

Finally let’s throw a 100-1 outright dark on Wyndham Clark.

Clark has been playing some great golf lately, picking up back-to-back top 10’s and hasn’t missed a cut in his last 12 events.

The name of the game for Clark has been approach play. Clark has gained at least 3.5 strokes on approach in five of his last six measured events.

Those events include cracking the top 40 in every elevated event this season he has played in.

He has also finished inside the top 40 in 11 of last 12 events.

His course history isn’t the best around Harbour Town (T54, T64, 64, 35), but he’s playing some of the best golf of his career and I anticipate this being a good week for him.

Prop to play: Wyndham Clark Top 40 +160