2018 RBC Heritage Open Betting Preview

Now that the 2018 Masters has come and gone, the PGA Tour moves next to Hilton Head Island for the RBC Heritage, from Harbour Town Golf Links. Wesley Bryan, a native of South Carolina, will return to defend his 2017 title, outdueling Brit Luke Donald, who has made Harbour Town one of his favorite courses, with five runner-up finishes, two third-place finishes and another in the top 15 — but with no wins to date. Take a look at our golf betting preview of the PGA’s 2018 visit to the Palmetto State.

2018 RBC Heritage Open Betting Preview

Tee times for the opening round of the #RBCHeritage can be found below. Which group will you be following?https://t.co/IzBDQ8kdLw

— 50th RBC Heritage (@RBC_Heritage) April 11, 2018

The field for this week is strong. Top-ranked Dustin Johnson is the biggest name in the field, coming in off a top-10 finish at the Masters. Paul Casey, who put up a 65 in the final round at Augusta, will be on hand. 2014 champ Matt Kuchar, Cameron Finish (who finished in the top five at Augusta), Ian Poulter (who almost won the RBC Heritage Open a year ago), Tyrrell Hatton and Marc Leishman round out the top favorites for this tournament. The design of this course makes it one of the shorter courses on the schedule, measuring just over 7,000 yards. It has a Scottish “links” feel, which means that despite the lack of length on the course, there are plenty of challenges out there on the course for those who can’t place shots accurately. This is the 49th edition of the RBC Heritage Open, and such golf titans as Arnold Palmer (who won the first one), Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, Tom Watson and Johnny Miller all have the plaid winner’s jacket in their closets. Before you dump a bunch of money on Johnson to breeze, remember that one of his strengths is length off the tee. He’ll bring an iron to the tee box on just about every hole, which removes that advantage for him. Yes, he did tie for 10th at the Masters, but he didn’t look dominant — and that was on a course that rewards his strengths. So even though you can get 8/1 odds on him, I’m not sure I would drop much, if any, on him. Paul Casey (20/1) is a different story. He did mention a bum hip last week, but then he put up a 65 on Sunday, so that hip seems to be a lot better. Casey has a good record at Harbour Town, and the course where he won last month has a lot of similarities. Given the value on that bet, it’s definitely worth an investment.

Looking Back at Past Winners

If we look at the past winners of this tournament, particularly in recent years, we see that shotmakers who can put the ball on the right dime can make hay here. There are times when being in the rough is better than being on the wrong side of the fairway. One reason Wes Bryan won last year is that he didn’t need big drives. Even though his accuracy isn’t all that great, the strength of his approach game bailed him out hole after hole. Can Luke Donald finally come out on top? Well, like Bryan, his drives are neither all that long nor all that straight, but his approach play is also terrific. He has finished in the top five for strokes gained, tee to green, thanks to iron play and his short game, on five different occasions here. Two years ago, Branden Grace won the RBC Heritage Open, and he ranked second in strokes gained, tee to green, and the top five tournament finishers were in the top six of that metric. Iron shots have to be spot-on, and if your irons don’t quite find the green, you need up-and-down play to stay competitive. This is why you should consider Adam Hadwin (40/1) in your betting. His putting hasn’t been strong this year, but the rest of his game looks like a good fit. He is fairly short off the tee, but his approach game is hard to beat. In each of his three appearances here, he has improved, finishing 22nd a year ago.