PGA Power Rankings: Top 5 Golfers For RBC Heritage
PGA Power Rankings: Top 5 Golfers For RBC Heritage
There's no time to rest for two-time Masters champion, Scottie Scheffler. The World No. 1 golfer is slated to compete at the RBC Heritage this week, one of the Signature Events held on the PGA Tour in 2024.
Matt Fitzpatrick and Jordan Spieth are the two golfers who have won the RBC Heritage event since 2022, relying on their ball-striking and putting prowess to contend at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, South Carolina. With only 69 golfers committed to the field in this Signature Event, there's no added pressure of an enforced cut line, so those who get off to a slow start can gain momentum during the weekend instead.
We've been treated to a playoff for each of the past two years at the RBC Heritage, with Spieth besting Patrick Cantlay in 2022 and Fitzpatrick out-dueling Spieth on the third hole of a 2023 playoff to earn his second career PGA Tour victory. All three of these golfers are available at 28-1 odds or shorter in the outright winner market, so we should be in store for another chaotic finish at Harbour Town in 2024.
PGA handicapper Matt MacKay is back to analyze the course and offer betting insights via his top-five power rankings. Let's find out who to bet on ahead of the 2024 RBC Heritage, which is the fifth Signature Event of the PGA Tour season.
RBC HERITAGE DATE, START TIME, AND WHERE TO WATCH
- Date: April 18-21, 204
- Where: Harbour Town Golf Links, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
- Where to Watch: ESPN+, Golf Channel, CBS
RBC HERITAGE COURSE: HARBOUR TOWN GOLF LINKS
Harbour Town Golf Links is nestled in the Lowcountry of South Carolina, located on the iconic Hilton Head Island. Designed by Pete Dye and Jack Nicklaus, the par 71 track runs just over 7,200 yards in length.
It's mandatory to be a good ball-striker, so golfers who perform well on approach have an upper-hand against the field. The overseeded Bermudagrass greens, however, are some of the smallest on the PGA Tour circuit, measuring under 3,800 square feet. This mean's off-the-tee and approach games have to be dialed in to win.
Fortunately, the rough only stands just over an inch, so errant lies won't be as unforgiving as we've seen at other Signature Events this season. Sand bunkers and coastal winds are another hurdle to overcome, while the fairways are tight and require precision off-the-tee. Previous winning scorecards are 17-under-par, 13-under-par, 19-under-par, and 22-under-par since 2020.
RBC HERITAGE POWER RANKINGS
| GOLFER | ODDS |
|---|---|
| Scottie Scheffler | +400 |
| Xander Schauffele | +1100 |
| Rory McIlroy | +1200 |
| Ludvig Åberg | +1200 |
| Patrick Cantlay | +1400 |
| Tommy Fleetwood | +1800 |
| Collin Morikawa | +1800 |
| Max Homa | +2500 |
| Matt Fitzpatrick | +2500 |
| Will Zalatoris | +2800 |
| Cameron Young | +2800 |
| Si Woo Kim | +3300 |
| Wyndham Clark | +3300 |
| Sahith Theegala | +3500 |
| Jordan Spieth | +3500 |
| Russell Henley | +3500 |
RBC HERITAGE POWER RANKINGS
1. Scottie Scheffler (+400) CLICK HERE TO SEE WHICH SPORTSBOOK HAS THE BEST ODDS
The best ball-striker in the world, who has also won three of his past four events played, including a second green jacket, is justifiably favored at +400 odds. Scottie Scheffler logged a T11 finish at the 2023 RBC Heritage, going 9-under-par in the first two rounds before plateauing with 3-under-par over the weekend.
+400 is three times shorter than the next favorite, Xander Schauffele, who sits at +1100 in FanDuel Sportsbook's outright winner market. Staking a unit on Scheffler is a must, although his sensational win streak is bound to end at some point, plus his wife is approaching her due date with their first child. We don't need to lay multiple units on Scheffler due to these factors, although ignoring him isn't an option based on current form.
2. Ludvig Åberg (+1200) CLICK HERE TO SEE WHICH SPORTSBOOK HAS THE BEST ODDS
The 24-year-old Swede was sensational during his debut at Augusta National, finishing runner-up at 7-under-par. Ludvig Åberg will make his RBC Heritage debut this week, ranking 15th strokes gained: off-the-tee and 26th strokes gained on approach.
There are minimal flaws in his game at the moment, plus, he's recorded two runner-up finishes and four top-ten finishes in 2024. Let's stake half a unit on Åberg to breakthrough in his debut at Harbour Town with the momentum he generated at the Masters.
3. Will Zalatoris (+2800) CLICK HERE TO SEE WHICH SPORTSBOOK HAS THE BEST ODDS
The last time we saw Will Zalatoris compete at the RBC Heritage was back in 2021, finishing with a modest T42 after going 2-over-par in the final two rounds. In 2024, Zalatoris ranks eighth strokes gained on approach, which is an ideal trait to possess competing on a short course with small greens.
His putter hasn't been sharp, but he should be aided by the small green sizes at Harbour Town, which measure 12.5 feet via Stimpmeter, a bit slower and less tiered than we saw at Augusta National. Zalatoris nearly won the Genesis Invitational if not for Hideki Matsuyama scorching the field with his final round performance to claim the outright win, so a half unit wager on the California native to earn his second PGA Tour win makes a lot of sense here.
4. Cameron Young (+2800) CLICK HERE TO SEE WHICH SPORTSBOOK HAS THE BEST ODDS
Cameron Young has played great golf at the RBC Heritage event. Young regressed in 2023 with a T51 finish, disappointing after a T3 finish at 12-under-par in 2022, missing the playoff between Spieth and Cantlay by one stroke.
Ranked 15th strokes gained on approach, plus 17th strokes gained off-the-tee, Young's streaky putting will not be a glaring issue at this particular course. He choked away a potential outright win at Valspar a couple weeks ago on the final hole, but he's still hungry and seeking the first PGA Tour win of his three-year career as a professional.
Seven runner-up finishes show just how good Young can be in tournaments, so based on his skillset that aligns well with the rigors at Harbour Town, we're staking another half unit on Young at a lucrative +2800 odds in the outright betting market.
5. Sahith Theegala (+3500) CLICK HERE TO SEE WHICH SPORTSBOOK HAS THE BEST ODDS
Back when cuts were enforced in 2022, Sahith Theegala advanced at Harbour Town, only to implode in the final round with an 8-over-par finish to wind up T70. In 2023, he has a strong bounce-back effort, logging a T5 finish at 14-under-par, three strokes behind Fitzpatrick and Spieth but ahead of Scheffler.
Theegala notched his first PGA Tour win at the 2023 Fortinet Championship and he's also amassed four top-ten finishes in 10 events played during 2024. This includes a runner-up at The Sentry to start the season. After recording three top-ten finishes in a four-event span from February to mid-March, Theegala has regressed a bit. The California native has turned in a T28 at the Houston Open and T45 at Augusta National last week, which is why we're getting him at +3500 odds in the outright winner market.
Ranked 14th strokes gained: off-the-tee and 13th strokes gained putting, Theegala needs to make sure he can compete with others in the field at RBC Heritage this week with his inconsistent irons. He ranks 49th strokes gained on approach, which is good, but not elite. Fortunately, Theegala does find greens in regulation at over a 69 percent rate, 23rd best on the PGA Tour this year. Plus, he's 36th in birdie or better conversion rate.
We'll stake our final half unit wager on Theegala to wind up making a run at the top of the leaderboard to seal his first outright win in 2024 at Harbour Town this week.
GOLF ODDS
Matt is an avid writer, editor, and researcher. He enjoys analyzing the game within the game which is fantasy sports and sports betting. Music is another constant in his daily life. Matt loves spending time with his wife and three pets. He likes to read, listen to podcasts, and is constantly motivated to create the most accurate and engaging content in the sports betting industry.