Biggest Storylines in Golf Ahead of the 2015 RBC Heritage
Jordan Spieth. Jordan Spieth. Jordan Spieth. Between the 21-year-old's resounding Masters triumph and his New York City media tour, golf fans haven't heard about much else in the past few days.
And with the winner of the 79th Masters Tournament set to be in the field at this week's RBC Heritage, you're certain to hear more about the prodigious young Texan this week...which isn't a bad thing.
However, there are a few non-Spieth-related storylines on the PGA Tour in this week after the Masters.
What are they? Read on to find out.
The New Master Is in Town
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In a classy gesture, and assuredly to the delight of both tournament sponsor RBC and golf fans, Spieth is electing to honor his commitment to play in the Heritage this week.
Spieth proved his mastery of Augusta National on Sunday as he tapped in his final putt for an 18-under-par total on the week, tying Tiger Woods' record score from 1997. Monday and Tuesday, Spieth, with green jacket in tow, visited seemingly every New York City media outlet and landmark.
While he's almost certainly due for a letdown this week after the emotional victory and exhausting few days that followed it, Spieth will be teeing it up at Harbour Town Golf Links.
He may not get to the course until Wednesday to begin his preparation, but counting Spieth out this week would be unwise in light of his recent campaign of brilliance.
A point of note: Spieth tied for 12th at the RBC Heritage last year a week after finishing second at Augusta.
(Strong) Masters Ratings Are in
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2015 Masters ratings are in, and they're good. After data from ESPN indicated that viewership numbers from the Par 3 Contest as well as the first and second rounds were excellent (h/t Geoff Shackelford), PGATour.com reported that Saturday and Sunday numbers were up substantially from last year.
Saturday's ratings were up 45 percent and Sunday's rose 26 percent, peaking between 6:30 and 7 p.m. ET as Spieth was putting the finishing touches on his green-jacket-winning campaign.
Amid all the doom and gloom in the golf industry and nearing the end of Woods' career, numbers like these are encouraging for golf fans and suggest the game is in good hands with the likes of Spieth and Rory McIlroy (as last year's strong PGA Championship numbers indicated).
Woods, Mickelson, McIlroy
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When the Masters began last Thursday, the golf world had questions for three of its most high-profile players. Their answers shape perception and expectations as we move forward with this golf season.
For Tiger Woods: Will he suffer any health-related setbacks? Has he really sorted out his short-game ills? Is the rest of his game in any shape to contend at Augusta?
For Rory McIlory: Will he march to the career Grand Slam at Augusta?
For Phil Mickelson: After a lackluster 2013-2014 season and nothing fantastic thus far in 2015, will his game be in order to contend?
The answers to those questions? Woods' health was fine, except for his wrist/hand after he hit a root during the final round. His short game was up to par, and the rest of his game, with a little fine-tuning, will make him a major contender again.
McIlroy did not march to the career Grand Slam and was overshadowed by the dominant Spieth. He did however, nearly miss the cut before battling back over the weekend (firing rounds of 68 and 66) to finish fourth.
And Mickelson? He was stellar at Augusta, finishing tied for second at 14 under.
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Another Tough Test Looms
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A week after the first major test of the season, the PGA Tour's best head to another tricky track. Harbour Town Golf Links is one of the tougher courses on the PGA Tour. The par-71, 7,101-yard Pete Dye track puts a premium on accurate driving and features small, undulating greens.
Consider this information, courtesy of the PGA Tour's 2015 Media Guide.
In 2014, Harbour Town was the ninth most difficult course on the PGA Tour. The field average was 72.038—1.038 strokes above par.
Further, the course was second among "Courses with the Toughest Greens to Hit" last year, with the field finding the putting surface in regulation just 56.2 percent of the time. The course was also second among "Courses with the Lowest Birdie or Better Percentage - Fairway" and third among "Courses with the Shortest Scrambling Proximity to Hole."
In other words, it's difficult to hit Harbour Town's greens, and when players do hit them, whether from the rough or when scrambling, they struggle to get the ball close to the pin.
Several Players Riding Masters Momentum into Harbour Town
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The RBC Heritage features 13 of the top 30 players in the current FedEx Cup standings, as well as 12 of the top 35 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Among these participants, several golfers are coming off strong performances at the Masters and will be looking to keep the momentum going this week. Here are the golfers in question and how they finished at Augusta.
- Jordan Spieth: 1
- Ian Poulter: T6
- Charley Hoffman: T9
- Zach Johnson: T9
- Louis Oosthuizen: T19
- Patrick Reed: T22
Defending Champ Kuchar Stumbling into South Carolina
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Last year's RBC Heritage winner, Matt Kuchar, will be looking to reverse a trend of lackluster finishes as of late.
In mid-March, he tied for 33rd at the Valspar Championship and then had a quality showing at the Valero Texas Open, where he tied for 15th. He finished 70th at the Shell Houston Open earlier this month and wasn't impressive at the Masters last week, where he finished tied for 46th.
On Kuchar's side this week: No defending champion has missed the RBC Heritage cut in 21 years, and Kuchar, for his part, hasn't missed the cut at Harbour Town in his last 10 tries.
All stats via PGATour.com and the PGA Tour media guide.
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