Preview and Predictions for the 2016 RBC Heritage
From Rae's Creek to the Calibogue Sound: With Danny Willett's three-stroke major triumph at Augusta National behind us (and thankfully behind Jordan Spieth as well), the PGA Tour heads to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, this week for the RBC Heritage.
Nine of golf’s top 30 players in the Official World Golf Ranking highlight the 132-man field. And world No. 1 Jason Day will be teeing it up at Harbour Town Golf Links.
Any mention of this Pete Dye-designed track seems to include the fact the pros love playing here, as indicated in Geoff Shackelford's survey for Golf Digest. Therein, the pros surveyed placed the course second behind Augusta National. High praise.
So the tour talent spending the week at the South Carolina shore will be happy. With the requisite tournament background, storylines, favorites and dark horses, you'll be happy, too.
Click through for happiness.
Where to Watch
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Defending Champion
Jim Furyk
Where
Harbour Town Golf Links: 7,101 yards; par 71
What
Total Purse: $5,900,000
Winning Share: $1,062,000
FedEx Points to Winner: 500
When
Thursday-Friday (ET): 3-6 p.m. (Golf Channel)
Saturday-Sunday (ET): 1-2:30 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (CBS)
Biggest Storylines
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There have been some changes to the coastal Carolina track since last year's tournament. In his RBC Heritage power rankings for PGATour.com, Rob Bolton wrote:
"Since last year’s edition of the RBC Heritage, Harbour Town has undergone a renovation. It’s been the recent buzzphrase since the Valspar Championship. In fact, Harbour Town joins Copperhead, Bay Hill and Austin Country Club as having been fitted with new TifEagle Bermudagrass on its greens. You’ll note that the last two stops included in the update are Pete Dye designs. Harbour Town has also been equipped with freshly laid Celebration Bermuda on the tee boxes, fairways and rough. New irrigation was also installed to increase sustainability.
In terms of its design, the most notable changes occurred at holes 2, 5, 16 and 17. The par-5 fifth has an elevated fairway that has been shifted left about 15 yards. The hole can now play up to 549 yards, nine longer than its previous maximum. The par-4 16th remains 434 yards, but the bunker on the left of the target off the tee now has areas of grass in it to increase the premium of finding the fairway. And for the record, the par-3 17th is down 11 yards to its current measurement of 174 yards. Overall, at 7,099 yards, Harbour Town is two yards shorter than it played in the last four years.
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With RBC as the tournament sponsor, it's no surprise that RBC-sponsored golfers, such as Jason Day, Luke Donald, Graeme McDowell, Brandt Snedeker and Matt Kuchar, will be in the field. And the RBC sponsorship is a fortuitous one for golf fans. Without the Team RBC element, the field would likely be vastly weaker and less interesting the week after a major championship.
South Carolinian Kevin Kisner, who finished second at Harbour Town last year, will receive a lot of attention this week (especially if he plays well), as will Jason Bohn, who is making his return to the tour after a heart attack at the Honda Classic.
The Favorites
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Jason Day: No surprise here. The No. 1 golfer in the Official World Golf Ranking is coming off a tied-for-10th finish at the Masters. He's finished first, first and T-10th in his last three starts, respectively. Day is 14th in strokes gained total, 12th in birdie average and fourth in strokes gained putting. He tied for ninth at Harbour Town in 2011.
Paul Casey: After a strong showing at the Masters, which included a final-round five-under 67 en route to a tie for fourth, Paul Casey returns to a venue where he hasn't finished outside the top 25. The steady Englishman is 17th on tour in strokes gained total and 12th in scoring average.
Brandt Snedeker: Team RBC member Brandt Snedeker turned in a solid backdoor top 10 at Augusta National, closing with a final-round 72. He's 20th on tour in strokes gained total, 14th in birdie average and 14th in scoring average. Snedeker won at Harbour Town in 2011.
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The Dark Horses
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Luke Donald: The Englishman tied for 15th at Harbour Town last year, and he has a solid record at the course. He tied for 26th at the Puerto Rico Open his last time out, so his form is decent as he returns to a venue where he's comfortable. Donald hasn't stood out in any arena statistically this season, but his veteran prowess and course history make him worth a look.
Bryson DeChambeau: With this, his first tournament as a professional, and the assumption he's signed with Cobra Puma Golf, DeChambeau could be putting a new set of irons in play this week. Look out for that, as doing so would require an adjustment period after transitioning from the Edel blades the 22-year-old gamed at the Masters last week. Still, if you're looking for an extreme dark-horse pick, consider the guy who just finished tied for 21st at the Masters as an amateur.
Prediction
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Winner: Zach Johnson
The Drake University alum would have made the cut at the Masters were it not for a bizarre penalty assessed after his second round. While Zach Johnson hasn't been the sharpest this season, he finished fifth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational—his most recent stroke-play start ahead of the Masters.
Johnson's track record isn't the greatest at Harbour Town, with a missed cut in his most recent appearance. He finished second in 2012, however, so his game isn't totally unsuited for the South Carolina track.
And at any course that favors accuracy and aptitude on/around greens (as Harbour Town does), Johnson is a solid bet.
Look for a rebound this week.
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