RBC Heritage Betting Picks and Predictions: Can Cameron Young, Si Woo Kim Impress in South Carolina?
RBC Heritage Betting Picks and Predictions: Can Cameron Young, Si Woo Kim Impress in South Carolina?
After a thrilling week at the Masters where Scottie Scheffler picked up his second green jacket in three years, many of the best players in the world now make the short trip to Hilton Head, South Carolina, for the RBC Heritage. Hosted at the iconic Harbor Town, one of Pete Dye’s first designs, the Heritage has been a staple of the PGA Tour since 1969. In the last two years, the event has been given the Signature banner, and the winner will receive 700 FedEx Cup points with a purse that now exceeds 20 million dollars for the 70 participants.
Coming off three wins in his last four starts, Scottie Scheffler will be the man to beat once again, and while this feels like a natural exhale, the two-time Masters winners has elevated himself far above his peers. Hideki Matsuyama and Viktor Hovland will be the only PGA Tour big names not present this week, and storylines are abound as Matt Fitzpatrick looks to defend his title, while Rory McIlory and Jordan Spieth hope to rebound for disappointing Masters finishes. While it will be impossible to top what we saw last week at Augusta, the Heritage is one of the more familiar and captivating events on Tour every season, and Harbor Town continues to provide an honest test.
RBC Heritage DATE, START TIME, AND WHERE TO WATCH
- Date: April 18 - 21, 2024
- Where: Hilton Head Island, SC
- Where to Watch: Golf Channel, NBC, Peacock
RBC Heritage: Course Preview
Harbor Town
Harbour Town Golf Links was one of Pete Dye's very first creations, and it laid the template for positional, strategic architecture Over the last 50 years, Harbour Town has been largely unchanged, and despite measuring just a hair over 7,000 yards, it has held up surprisingly well to the advancements in technology and athleticism that have shaped the modern game. Neither a birdie-fest, nor one of the most challenging courses on Tour, Harbour Town generally plays middle of the pack in terms of difficulty each year, with a little room for leeway in either direction depending on turf conditions and wind.
In terms of minor modifications, Harbor Town was extended in 2022 with the two par fives on the front side getting a bit of added length. The greens were also changed to Poa Trivialis Over-seed in 2016, and it now features the same green surfaces as TPC Sawgrass, Innisbrook, TPC Scottsdale, TPC San Antonio, PGA West, and Austin Country Club. We see this short, positional style of architecture often on the PGA Tour, but Harbour Town is truly the most exaggerated version of. Featuring razor thin fairways that wind their way through Carolina pines, Harbour Town is not a golf course that can be overpowered off the tee. For this reason, it provides a fascinating venue for the best in the world, as elite drivers will be forced to utilize a different roadmap on this track. Harbor Town is one of the few remaining courses on Tour where placement on the correct side of the hole to set up the correct angle on approach is far more important than power.
This week, I will primarily be looking for players that have had prior success on other short, positional golf courses, as this is a much different style of golf than the drive wedge-fests we see so often. There are many other courses (Sedgefield, Waialae, TPC Sawgrass, Sea Island, Colonial, TPC River Highlands, etc.) that follow a similar blueprint, and past performance on these tracks reigns supreme. These golf courses all provide little value in a driver-heavy approach based on their heavily doglegged nature, and they all feature small greens where the emphasis falls squarely on middle-iron play and putting inside 15 feet. Unsurprisingly, the same players seem to pop up at these golf courses consistently, and these are the type of events where players such as Kevin Kisner, Brendon Todd, Matt Kuchar, Corey Conners, and Russell Henley feel that they have just as much of a chance as the most powerful drivers, as the latter's greatest weapon will be mitigated. Finally, do not stay away from those who battled at Augusta, as 12 of the last 16 champions of the Heritage have played in the Masters the prior week.
The Heritage Key Stats
- Proximity 150-200 yards
- Strokes Gained Total: Less than Driver Courses
- Comparative Course History
The Heritage: Outright Picks
Cameron Young CLICK HERE TO SEE WHICH SPORTSBOOK HAS THE BEST ODDS
Cameron Young was a headline selection for us last week at the Masters, and while he ultimately came up short of a green jacket, I was still incredibly impressed by what I saw from the 27-year old. In his third Masters appearance, Young finished ninth, gaining 4.8 strokes off the tee, 2.3 strokes on approach, and three strokes putting. The New York native has now recorded five top-10 finishes in 10 starts this year, and he has gained over three strokes ball-striking in seven straight starts. Young is undeniably close to a victory right now, and he now returns to a golf course that he has already finished third at.
Normally known as a bomber off the tee that thrives on driver heavy courses, Young has a sneaky strong track record on shorter, positional tracks as well. Outside of his success at Harbor Town, Young also has finished runner-up Innisbrook and Austin Country Club. There might be something to be said for Young being forced to show some more restraint off the tee, and allowing his elite iron play to shine. Every aspect of his game is trending in the right direction, and the breakthrough feels inevitable.
Si Woo Kim CLICK HERE TO SEE WHICH SPORTSBOOK HAS THE BEST ODDS
A popular long-shot selection last week at the Masters, Si Woo Kim disappointed with a ho-hum 30th place finish. With that being said, Kim made the cut on the number, and still rose 20 spots up the leaderboard over the weekend. He improved as the week went on, and a two-under par 70 on Sunday showed that four-time PGA Tour winner is still playing some excellent golf. Kim has now made every single one of his 10 cuts this year, with six top-25 finishes.
While his recent form is encouraging, his course fit is even more intriguing. All of Si Woo Kim’s PGA Tour victories have come at either short, positional golf courses, Pete Dye golf courses, or both. While he has never donned the Tartan jacket, Kim also boasts a runner-up finish at Harbor Town, and he has been one of the most consistent performers on these style of golf courses. The success makes sense given his skill-set, as Kim is one of the most accurate drivers on PGA Tour, as well as one of the best middle iron players, and we should not overlook his short game either. I expect Kim to play a major factor on a short, positional Pete Dye golf course once again.
GOLF ODDS
Article Author
Andy Lack is a PGA Tour writer and podcaster from Manhattan, New York. Andy came to OddsChecker in January 2022 after previously writing for Golf Digest, GolfWRX, Rotoballer, and the Score. Andy is also the host of a golf betting and daily fantasy podcast, Inside Golf Podcast, as well as "The Scramble” with Rick Gehman, and a recurring guest on the Pat Mayo Experience. In his free time, Andy is still grinding away at his lifelong dream of qualifying for the U.S. Amateur, and if not writing, can likely be found somewhere on a golf course.