The PGA TOUR finished the first major championship of the season on Sunday, and this week, the top names in golf head to the coast for the RBC Heritage. Traditionally, the RBC Heritage follows the first major of the year, and the tournament takes place at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. This year’s event will tee off on Thursday, April 16, and will conclude on Sunday, April 19, barring any weather issues.
Let’s start the week with a look at the format, history and course for the RBC Heritage Tournament.
The Format of the RBC Heritage
The RBC Heritage is the fourth of the eight Signature Events on the PGA TOUR calendar this year. The Signature Events draw the top names in golf to some of the most famous courses to compete for elevated purses.
The purse for the RBC Heritage is a total of $20 million, with the winner of the RBC Heritage claiming $3.6 million. The winner also gets a plaid jacket that has become iconic with the event. The course design and historic tartan plaid are meant to pay homage to the origins of golf in Scotland.
Since this is a Signature Event, there will be no cut this week, so all players in the field will play all four rounds, barring withdrawal or disqualification.
The history of the tournament
The RBC Heritage dates back to 1969, when Arnold Palmer claimed the inaugural Heritage Golf Classic by three strokes. The Heritage Classic has had several different title sponsors over the years, with RBC adding its name in 2012.
It began in November before moving to September for a year then switching to the spring. In 1983, it landed in April and has typically been played the week after the major at Augusta ever since. It has always been played at Harbour Town Golf Links at Hilton Head Island (more below).
Last year, Justin Thomas claimed the plaid jacket by beating Andrew Novak in a playoff. That was the third playoff in the last four years, and in 10 of the 13 years, the tournament has either been a one-stroke win or a playoff.
It should be another epic finish this week with so many top names in the field. Rory McIlroy, Hideki Matsuyama, Justin Rose and Adam Scott are the only eligible players passing up this event, meaning Thomas is back to defend his title from 2024 winner Scottie Scheffler, 2023 winner Matt Fitzpatrick and 2022 winner Jordan Spieth.
Check out the full field and odds on DraftKings Sportsbook to see all the players teeing it up this year.
A Closer Look at the Course
Since last year, Harbour Town Golf Links has undergone a major restoration project. Davis Love III and his design company rebuilt all the greens and bunkers to try and refurbish the course to secure championship-level conditions and preserve the classic shot values and design. The original Pete Dye and Jack Nicklaus design is one of Nicklaus’ first designs and is usually on the list of the best courses in the USA.
The course is a favorite for many PGA TOUR pros who reside in the area, and while it is definitely a difficult track, some pros consider it to be a bit of a “break” after grinding all week at the Masters.
The course is built around plenty of waste areas, marshes and difficult bunkers to navigate. Here are a few great links to check out to remind yourself of how hard and exciting the course can be. Here are the all-time greatest shots from the RBC Heritage, the highlights from last year’s event, and an all-time edition of “Golf is Hard” based on shots from the tournament over the years.
The course layout is very different than last week’s venue in many ways, including length. This week’s course is a par-71 layout that only stretches 7,213 yards. It’s a shorter course that demands players drive it accurately, knock mid-iron shots in close, and scramble out of trouble without getting unlucky in the bunkers or waste areas.
The course is a very positional course that typically takes length out of the equation and rewards excellent work on approach and around the greens. Experience and patience usually pay off at the RBC Heritage. It isn’t usually a place to rely on young guns since veteran players have had more success.
Some of the top stat factors to consider when filling out your fantasy golf lineups and betting cards are Strokes Gained: Approach, Strokes Gained: Around the Green, Scrambling and experience at Harbour Town and other Pete Dye designs.
Be sure to get your DFS fantasy golf lineups and betting cards filled out with the help of DK Network throughout this week!
