If you’re suffering from a Masters hangover then fear not, as the PGA Tour ventures off to South Carolina for the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town. Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and the latest Green Jacket sporter, Patrick Reed, may have taken the week off, but the tournament still promises to be a belter with the likes of World No.1 Dustin Johnson, in-form Paul Casey, former winner Matt Kuchar, serial contender Luke Donald, and defending champion Wesley Bryan all present at the event.
Last year Bryan finished top of the pile after he edged out Luke Donald to claim his first PGA Tour title. The South Carolina native is a whopping 125/1 long shot to successfully defend the plaid jacket, a feat no player has achieved since Davis Love III back in the early 1990s.
The player Bryan beat that day was Luke Donald, by a single shot. It’s Donald who definitely represents the value bet of the tournament out at 50/1. It’s simply amazing how the RBC Heritage has not yet been added to the Englishman’s trophy cabinet considering that in the last nine years he’s accumulated a whopping five runners-up spots, along with a brace of 3rd-place finishes. His game was made for this course, and given his aforementioned remarkable record - without actually winning the event - he’s well worth a punt to finally sport the famous plaid jacket.
Johnson, who is sponsored by RBC, returns to the tournament on the back of a T10 showing at Augusta. It’s the World No.1’s first appearance at the event since 2009 - when he missed the cut - and it will be interesting to see how the ante-post 15/2 favourite fares this time around on a course which doesn’t really suit his game at all.
At the close of play on Day One Matt Kuchar found himself in contention at the top of the Masters leaderboard, however he then dropped off the pace, falling to T28. The 39-year-old now makes the trip to Hilton Head Island which just so happens to be where he recorded his last victory, back in 2014. He’s since finished 5th, 9th, and 11th, and is worth a look at 20/1 in the outright market.
A month ago Paul Casey ended his long-awaited search for a second PGA Tour win after triumphing at the Valspar Championship. Then at the Masters he finished off his final round with a stunning 65, meaning he heads to the RBC Heritage in good nick.
Other names worth keeping an eye on include Cameron Smith, Marc Leishman, and Brian Harman. Smith carded a superb final round 66 at the Masters, including 30 on the back nine, to record a top-5 finish, while Mark Leishman led the tournament before settling for 9th. Both players are a 25/1 shot for RBC glory. Meanwhile, Harman (30/1) has two top-10 finishes in his last four showings at the South Carolina event.
Two players with decent recent records at the event include William McGirt (three top-10 finishes in his last four appearances) and Russell Knox (three top-11 placings in four years) who can be backed at 60/1 and 66/1 respectively.
