PGA TOUR Golf Power Rankings: Webb Simpson is Back, Patrick Cantlay Drops

The RBC Heritage field will feature five of the top-10 and nine of the top-20 golfers in the world, which is strong after a major. Will this be a letdown spot for some top names with Masters hangover? Or will the laidback nature of this event allow them to play stress-free? Or how about a longshot winning this? Focusing on the top names this week may be a fool’s errand, with four of the last six winners being first-timers on the PGA TOUR and the average winning odds of the previous five champions at +13400.

The top of the rankings reflects what the outright market is telling us, with Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa as the two-best players in this field. Cameron Smith is hitting it a little better than Morikawa, but the No. 2 ranked golfer in the world had the second-lowest round on Sunday at Augusta National last week and is still one of the best iron players on TOUR. Morikawa now has a win or a top-5 in every major, which is unbelievable.

Speaking of Cameron Smith, I like him quite a bit this week, even though no one would be surprised with a letdown. Outside of his debacle on the 12th last Sunday, he struck it well, gaining the second-most shots through approach last week, and ranks sixth with his irons over the previous 24 rounds. His driver hasn’t been great, but that’s never been his strength. On the other hand, his short game is tremendous, ranking 16th in SG: around-the-green and first in putting over the last two dozen rounds.

This season, Webb Simpson has been somewhat of an anomaly with only one top-10 and losing strokes with approach in four-straight tournaments. Still, his record here is impressive, with a top-20, top-15, top-10, top-5, runner-up and a win dating back to 2013. He’s also played well on courses similar to Harbour Town, like Sedgefield CC (Wyndham) and Waialae CC (Sony Open). Joaquin Niemann also belongs inside the top-10, with how well he’s playing this season. A win at The Genesis Invitational and a 3-under opening round at The Masters playing with Tiger Woods the first two days are signs of what we already know; this guy will be one of the best on TOUR if he isn’t already.

The final round at the RBC Heritage always features someone we weren’t thinking about before the event started. One of those golfers could be Adam Svensson this week. Currently ranked 117th in the world, Svensson has a ton of talent just waiting to be unleashed if he can get his putting figured out. A top-10 at the Honda Classic featured some of the best ball-striking in the field, along with a struggling putter. Over the previous 24 rounds, he ranks 21st in approach and 91st in putting. He’s gained strokes on the greens in his last two events, and if he can do the same this week, we could see him sporting the tartan jacket on Sunday evening.

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