RBC Heritage preview: What to know for the week at Harbour Town
The PGA Tour continues to chug along as it heads to Hilton Head Island for the RBC Heritage.
Last week's Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club was a huge success for the PGA Tour coming out of its three-month break. Daniel Berger triumphed over a loaded leaderboard, but more importantly, there were no positive cases of coronavirus among players, caddies, and those associated with the tournament.
The RBC Heritage has big shoes to fill if it wants to live up to last week's event. But with a star-studded field and a sensational venue, chances are it will.
Here is everything you need to know:
When: June 18-21
Where: Harbour Town Golf Links, Hilton Head, South Carolina
How to watch
| Date | Channel | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|
| Thurs. June 18 | Golf Channel | 1-3 p.m. (Featured groups) 3-6 p.m. |
| Fri. June 19 | Golf Channel | 3-6 p.m. |
| Sat. June 20 | Golf Channel CBS |
1-3 p.m. 3-6 p.m. |
| Sun. June 21 | Golf Channel CBS |
1-3 p.m. 3-6 p.m. |
The RBC Heritage can be streamed online wherever PGA Tour Live is available in your area.
The field
The majority of last week's field from the Charles Schwab Challenge is making the trip to Hilton Head for the PGA Tour's second tournament on the restart schedule. It'll be Rory McIlroy's first appearance at Harbour Town since 2009. Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka, and Dustin Johnson will join the world's No. 1, with 18 of the top 25 ranked players in action.
Hideki Matsuyama and Tyrrell Hatton will make their first start after the break at Harbour Town. Notables Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth, and Sergio Garcia are also part of the 152-man field.
Assuming there are no changes, the RBC Heritage has a strength-of-field rating of 720 - which is slightly higher than last week at Colonial - with 72 world-ranking points awarded to the winner. Once again, the PGA Tour is gifted with a FedEx Cup-type field during the month of June.
Featured groups' tee times (ET)
Group: Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed, Daniel Berger
Thursday - 7:29 a.m.
Friday - 12:54 p.m.
Group: Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler, C.T. Pan
Thursday - 7:40 a.m.
Friday - 1:05 p.m.
Group: Dustin Johnson, Hideki Matsuyama, Gary Woodland
Thursday - 12:54 p.m.
Friday - 7:29 a.m.
Group: Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, Justin Rose
Thursday - 1:05 p.m.
Friday - 7:40 a.m.
The course
Harbour Town Golf Links is a 7,099-yard, par-71 course designed by Pete Dye. It is the prototypical target-golf track where getting into a position to attack the green is far more important than distance. Players will not be able to bomb it and hope to overpower the course; rather, they need to play very strategically. Past winners demonstrate the style of golfers that typically do well at Harbour Town, many of whom are some of the shortest hitters on Tour.
Past winners
2019: C.T. Pan (-12) over Matt Kuchar
2018: Satoshi Kodaira (-12) over Si Woo Kim
2017: Wesley Bryan (-13) over Luke Donald
2016: Branden Grace (-9) over Luke Donald, Russell Knox
2015: Jim Furyk (-18) over Kevin Kisner
2014: Matt Kuchar (-11) over Luke Donald
2013: Graeme McDowell (-9) over Webb Simpson
Betting corner
Here are the odds to win for the top portion of the betting board:
Rory McIlroy +1000
Justin Thomas +1000
Bryson DeChambeau +1200
Jon Rahm +1300
Xander Schauffele +1800
Collin Morikawa +2200
Justin Rose +2500
Gary Woodland +2800
Brooks Koepka +3000
Daniel Berger +3000
Jordan Spieth +3000
Patrick Reed +3000
Sungjae Im +3000
Webb Simpson +3000
Dustin Johnson +3500
Hideki Matsuyama +4000
Tony Finau +4000
A full betting preview with picks can be found here.
(Odds source: theScore Bet)