Tour heads to Hilton Head
By Sportsbook.ag
Tournament: RBC Heritage
Date: Apr. 16 - Apr. 19
Venue: Harbour Town GL
Location: Hilton Head, SC
After a mind-blowing performance by Jordan Spieth last week at the Masters, the PGA sets its sights on South Carolina where they are going for the RBC Heritage. It has been played one or two weeks after the first major of the year since 1974 and was first established on the tour back in 1969.
The par-71, 7,101-yard course has been host to some tremendous champions in the past as Davis Love III has the most wins (5) here and Boo Weekley (2007, 2008) is the last golfer to win both twice and back-to-back in the tourney. Last year, the heroics of Matt Kuchar stole the show, as he followed a horrible three-putt from close range on the 17th-hole with a hole out from the sand on 18 to secure the win behind a score of 11-under par.
The field will be led by world No. 2 and Masters champion Jordan Spieth but will have just one other player (Jim Furyk) from the top-10 and another six golfers from the top-25. The RBC Heritage is one of just a few tournaments that is invite only, and hence has fewer players (132) teeing off, so let’s look through those guys and find some who can slow down the wrecking ball that is Spieth.
Golfers to Bet:
Jim Furyk (23/1): Furyk has not had the great season that many expect out of him so far and has seen his standing decrease in the past three weeks, leading to a missed cut in Augusta. He will have those extra days to prepare for Harbour Town GL, a spot where he has won before (2010) and has since had three top-21 finishes with an eighth (2012) and seventh (2014) mixed in. Despite his less than stellar performances this year, the 16-time PGA winner has hit 72.3% of fairways (5th on tour) and ranks second in proximity to hole (33’0”). It is more his short game which has been lacking, but that has never been his strength and shouldn’t hurt his overall chances going into this event.
Brandt Snedeker (35/1): Snedeker is a former champion here when he took the win in 2011 behind a score of 12-under, defeating Luke Donald on the third playoff hole. Since then he has struggled slightly, making all three cuts, but hasn’t done better than 59th in the last two years. He’s had a bounce-back year in 2015, eclipsing his earnings over 25 events last year through his first 12 outings this season in which he has seven top-25s and a win. He has not excelled in any one area on the year, but ranks in the top-50 in strokes gained putting (0.467, 28th on tour), sand save percentage (57.3%, 38th on tour) and scrambling (64.9%, 15th on tour). His solid short game allows him to be a threat every week and he should always be someone to watch.
Luke Donald (30/1): The trophy at this event has eluded Donald in the past and despite dominating with three runner-ups and two third place finishes in the last six seasons, he has been unable to actually get the win. Last year he held the lead going into the final round and despite shooting a solid 69, could not stay with winner Matt Kuchar. He is a combined 50-under par on this course in the last six years and has hit double-digits under par in all but two of his visits. He hasn’t had the greatest season coming in, making just 5-of-9 cuts with one top-25, but should be able to come around at a course where he obviously feels very comfortable.
Ben Martin (80/1): Martin’s early win this year has him in the top-15 of the FedEx Cup standings and he proved at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, his last event that wasn’t the Masters, that the victory wasn’t a fluke with a top-five finish behind a score of 14-under par. It was his fourth top-25 on the year and he has been able to have a career-best start to the year as he hits 70.8% of GIR (9th on tour) and is accurate off the tee (66.2%, 38th on tour). Martin also knows how to navigate this venue and put it together last year with three rounds of 69 or better, finishing just two shots off the lead with a third-place as he hit better than 64% of GIR and fairways. Martin knows what it takes to win on the tour and is worth a look in this one.
Alex Cejka (200/1): Cejka is another winner from this season that doesn’t quite get the respect that he should due to the tournament being the Puerto Rico Open. Still, he has since made the cut in each of the two events since and is coming off an 11th at the Shell Houston Open. He is a very hit-or-miss type of player and has made the cut in just 8-of-14 outings, but has been in the top-25 in five of the eight made cuts. His best showing here came in 2009 when he tied for 13th, but he has not played at the course in the last two years and withdrew in 2012. Cejka could heat up and strike gold this week, but also has a chance at falling deep into the pack and miss the cut, so only go with him if you are looking to take a chance.
RBC Heritage Betting Odds - Provided by Sportsbook.ag
Jordan Spieth 6/1
Zach Johnson 18/1
Jim Furyk 23/1
Patrick Reed 23/1
Ian Poulter 25/1
Matt Kuchar 25/1
Bill Haas 30/1
Louis Oosthuizen 30/1
Luke Donald 30/1
Billy Horschel 35/1
Brandt Snedeker 35/1
Charley Hoffman 35/1
Russell Henley 35/1
Webb Simpson 35/1
Charl Schwartzel 45/1
Graeme McDowell 45/1
Jason Kokrak 50/1
Kevin Streelman 50/1
Chris Kirk 60/1
Charles Howell III 65/1
Daniel Summerhays 65/1
Russell Knox 65/1
Jason Dufner 70/1
Brendon Todd 75/1
Daniel Berger 75/1
Ben Martin 80/1
Brendon de Jonge 80/1
Graham Delaet 80/1
Pat Perez 80/1
Sean O'Hair 80/1
Cameron Tringale 85/1
Ernie Els 85/1
Matt Every 90/1
John Huh 95/1
Justin Thomas 95/1
Martin Laird 95/1
Camilo Villegas 100/1
Rory Sabbatini 100/1
Morgan Hoffmann 110/1
Sang Moon Bae 110/1
Boo Weekley 120/1
Chesson Hadley 120/1
Jonas Blixt 120/1
Aaron Baddeley 130/1
Branden Grace 140/1
Johnson Wagner 140/1
K.J. Choi 140/1
Seung-Yul Noh 140/1
Vijay Singh 140/1
William McGirt 140/1
Brian Harman 150/1
Freddie Jacobson 150/1
George McNeill 150/1
Joost Luiten 150/1
Kevin Stadler 150/1
Marcel Siem 150/1
Carl Pettersson 160/1
Hudson Swafford 160/1
Brian Davis 170/1
James Hahn 170/1
Jason Bohn 170/1
Jerry Kelly 170/1
Tony Finau 170/1
Zac Blair 180/1
Brian Stuard 190/1
Chad Campbell 190/1
Chris Stroud 190/1
Robert Streb 190/1
Scott Brown 190/1
Alex Cejka 200/1
Danny Lee 200/1
Luke Guthrie 200/1
Michael Putnam 200/1
Jeff Overton 210/1
Robert Garrigus 210/1
Billy Hurley III 230/1
Thongchai Jaidee 230/1
Ryo Ishikawa 240/1
Scott Langley 240/1
Adam Hadwin 250/1
Anirban Lahiri 250/1
Cameron Smith 250/1
David Hearn 250/1
Jonathan Byrd 250/1
Lucas Glover 250/1
Mark Wilson 250/1
Martin Flores 250/1
Michael Thompson 250/1
Sam Saunders 250/1
Spencer Levin 250/1
Stewart Cink 250/1
Ben Crane 300/1
Bo Van Pelt 300/1
David Toms 300/1
Jhonattan Vegas 300/1
Kevin Kisner 300/1
Nicholas Thompson 300/1
Nick Taylor 300/1
Richard Sterne 300/1
Ricky Barnes 300/1
Troy Merritt 300/1
Brice Garnett 350/1
Bryce Molder 350/1
D.A. Points 350/1
Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano 350/1
John Merrick 350/1
Ken Duke 350/1
Andres Romero 400/1
Andrew Svoboda 400/1
Charlie Beljan 400/1
Justin Leonard 450/1
Andres Gonzales 500/1
Blake Adams 500/1
Chez Reavie 500/1
Corey Conners 500/1
Derek Ernst 500/1
Derek Fathauer 500/1
Dudley Hart 500/1
Glen Day 500/1
Gunn Yang 500/1
Jeff Maggert 500/1
Jim Renner 500/1
John Faidley 500/1
Kenny Perry 500/1
Mike Weir 500/1
Robert Allenby 500/1
Scott Verplank 500/1
Scott Vincent 500/1
Steven Bowditch 500/1
Tim Wilkinson 500/1
Tom Watson 500/1
Woody Austin 500/1