Fantasy Golf Predictions
Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions – 2021 RBC Heritage
Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions for the 2021 RBC Heritage
The 2021 RBC Heritage Fantasy Preview
It’s one thing trying to win a first major for you, your caddie, your family and your friends, and it’s quite another triumph with the weight of an entire nation on your shoulders.
It was breakfast time in Japan when Hideki Matsuyama secured his first ever Masters win – the first time a male player from Asia has won a major, and they would have been crunching Lucky Charms into the carpet as they celebrated a famous victory. Sports fans in Asia are some of the most ardent around, and Matsuyama can look forward to being a hero on his home continent for the rest of his life.
The Japanese ace did it in decent fashion too, at one point he had opened up a gap of five strokes to Xander Schauffele, who was pressing hard, and Will Zalatoris, who looks to be an absolute star in the making.
Maybe Matsuyama benefited from the fact that few media were allowed onto the site, and so the normal ‘circus’ that follows him around on the PGA TOUR was not present. That would give him more breathing space, and boy did he make it count.
He played a nerve-less final round, only showing the expected pressure towards the end of his assault on the trophy as his green jacket was being pressed and ironed. Happily for Matsuyama, he had built up such a lead that three late bogeys were of an inconsequence.
The pride he showed once Dustin Johnson had wrapped the famous green around his shoulders was evident for all to see, and for a player with undoubted talent – albeit without a strong putting stroke – it just goes to show the difference that even a slight improvement on the greens can make. Food for thought for DFS gamers and bettors alike!
There may be a Masters headache for some this week at the RBC Heritage, but for others it’s a chance to get right back in the saddle after a disappointing week at Augusta.
Last Week’s Fantasy Results
We finished the week with our best being Spieth (T3) and Marc Leishman (T5), with our guy Cantlay missing the cut line. Overall we had 3 picks make the top 25 but nothing to gloat about last week.
Spieth almost pulled it out for us again!
The 2021 RBC Heritage Field
Credit to the tournament officials this week, who have been able to assemble a strong field despite the event falling just days after the quest for the green jacket.
Dustin Johnson is the undoubted heavyweight headliner in a field that also contains major winner Collin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay, Tyrrell Hatton and defending champion Webb Simpson.
Recent WGC-Dell Match Play winner Billy Horschel joins a supporting cast that boasts plenty of class – Paul Casey, Matt Fitzpatrick, Daniel Berger and Sungjae Im may just fancy the job after disappointing weeks, for various reasons, at Augusta.
Lee Westwood will tee it up at his seventh event in just eight weeks, while perennially strong performers at Harbour Town Links – Matt Kuchar, Kevin Na, Kevin Kisner and co – will be looking to make it a tournament to remember for the veterans.
This Week’s Course Preview
Fans of golf architecture draw a lick of the lips on Pete Dye weeks, and that’s exactly what we have here at the Harbour Town Links on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
Dye is known for his devilish designs, be it the tiny ‘saucer’ greens and deep bunkers that have become his specialty, and those are in abundance at Harbour Town along with other demons that include thin fairways and 17 different water hazards.
Webb Simpson won here in -22 last year, but make no mistake that was an anomaly – the switch to June, and a benign wind, made the layout far more playable. Back in its April slot, a score around -12 is the norm to win this event, and so we might expect something similar this time around.
Harbour Town is a unique layout in that it combines Links-style holes, played on the coast and often with a howling lateral wind, with heavily tree-lined holes that offer some respite from the breeze.
There are just three Par 5s on this Par 71 that measures around 7,100 yards, and the Bermuda greens run at a pretty standard 11.5 on the stimp.
Weather Forecast for Hilton Head, SC
The thing with the weather on the east coast is that it is changeable at the drop of a hat.
But according to the early forecast, it shouldn’t be too shabby a week for the players in South Carolina.
The lead-in days are warm and bright, and Thursday looks set to dawn in similar fashion – sunny spells and a wind of around 11 mph will feed into a temperature of 75˚F.
Friday and Saturday are rather more circumspect, with rain possible on both and temperatures stalling at around 69˚F.
At least the week should round out nicely on Sunday, because although the wind is back up to 12 mph it should hopefully be warm and sunny too.
Last Year’s Results from the RBC Heritage
It was a record-breaking effort from Webb Simpson back in June as he posted the lowest winning score in the tournament’s history.
That -22 was aided by benign conditions and the fact that the event didn’t fall a week after The Masters, but even so it was an astonishing achievement from a player who fired a final round of 64 to win by one from Abraham Ancer.
The Mexican was bested despite firing a 65 of his own in a birdie-laden Sunday, with a 62 from Dylan Frittelli and 63 from Justin Thomas propelling them into the top-10.
There were eleven scores of 64 or better at the RBC Heritage in June, but we don’t expect similarly generous numbers this time around.
Webb Simpson shoots 7-under 64 | Round 4 | RBC Heritage
In the final round of the 2020 RBC Heritage, Webb Simpson carded a 7-under 64, good enough to get to 22-under for the tournament on his way to a one-stroke win over the field for his seventh-career PGA TOUR victory. SUBSCRIBE to PGA TOUR now: http://pgat.us/vBxcZSh Welcome to the official YouTube channel of the PGA TOUR.
Where to Play Fantasy Golf for the RBC Hertitage this Week
After the lord major’s show is where we find ourselves after the excitement of The Masters, but opportunity knocks this week if we can work out which players in the field are motivated to do well.
- PGA $800k Flop Shot: For $15 entry, you get a shot at the $200k top prize here plus the chance to rebuild your bankroll post-Augusta with some excellent consolation prizes.
- PGA $300k Drive the Green: To give you a sense of how DFS golf is growing, this contest had a prize pool of $150k last year, and so in 2021 you can battle it out for the enhanced $50k top prize with an entry fee of just $5 per team.
This Week’s Fantasy Notes for the 2021 RBC Heritage
While profiling the kind of player who can thrive at Harbour Town is straightforward enough, finding those who are motivated to succeed is another matter altogether.
Take Dustin Johnson. These are perfect conditions for him, but knowing he’s slightly out of form and, given his RBC sponsorship, that he’s here as an obligation as much as anything else, shows the difficulty of the task.
Who will have a Masters hangover? And who is simply tired – some of these guys have played six or seven events in the past two months or so?
Add into the mix that Pete Dye golf course reward those who grind out a score, and you can see how coming up with a winning line-up this week is a tough task.
But we will put in the hard work as ever, and straight off the bat the thing that stands out at Harbour Town is those small greens – not helped by hurtful cross winds. As such, anyone you draft this week has to be a comfortable scrambler (the fairways are narrow in places too) and happy with a wedge in hand bumping little chips onto these quirky Bermuda greens.
The switch to Bermuda will be pertinent to many, and when you factor in the wind it’s clear that control and strategy are key this week – the likes of Webb Simpson, Kevin Na, Kevin Kisner, Matt Kuchar and Ian Poulter have stacks of good performances under their belts at Harbour Town, and that gives you an idea of what to look for this week.
[membership level=”0″]
Our Top 5 (and Top 2 Sleeper) Fantasy Picks and Odds to Win the 2021 RBC Heritage
You must be a Premium Member to view our exclusive fantasy golf picks.
Already a member? Sign in Here.
[/membership]
[membership level=”1,2,3″]
Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win The 2021 RBC Heritage
Top Tier Pick #1:
Webb Simpson (Odds: 12/1, FPPG: 82.1, GPFP: 95.28 Salary: $10,700)
There are concerns about a Masters hangover for many of the major players in this field, but Webb Simpson at least has more incentive than most.
Being the defending champion always seems to add an element of motivation to proceedings, and the good news is that Simpson – despite recording a sneaky good T12 at Augusta with three rounds under par – didn’t really exert any mental energy hunting the green jacket.
Harbour Town is the Webb Simpson-est of all Webb Simpson golf courses. Played on his preferred Bermuda greens, the former U.S. Open champion always seems more comfortable in the east in the vicinity of his North Carolina home, and at a layout where his short, accurate hitting is not only accepted but rewarded he has to come onto the radar.
A multiple winner on Pete Dye courses, Harbour Town has to be a venue that Simpson looks forward to visiting every year – expect him to make that energy count this week.
Key Stats:
- Driving Accuracy – 5th
- Scoring Average – 9th
- SG: Tee-to-Green – 34th
Top Tier Pick #2:
Paul Casey (Odds: 28/1, FPPG: 78.5, GPFP: 97.39 Salary: $9,200)
There are plenty who expected a more concerted assault on the green jacket from Paul Casey last week.
That’s not to say he played badly – T26 at Augusta in tough conditions is always welcome, but the Englishman was never in the frame for glory.
Perhaps that will be a motivational factor for Casey this week, and hopefully so because he is playing the equal of anyone in this field right now.
T5 at the Dye designed TPC Sawgrass followed a trio of top-10s at the American Express, AT&T Pebble Beach and Arnold Palmer, so Casey is exactly where we need him to be.
Key Stats:
- SG: Approach – 17th
- SG: Around-the-Green – 40th
- Scoring Average – 43rd
Mid-Tier Pick #1:
Chris Kirk (Odds: 66/1, FPPG: 73.5, GPFP: 84.49 Salary: $7,500)
Not burdened by having to rally himself after a Masters run-out, Chris Kirk can instead focus on the job in hand.
And that will be performing at a layout which should suit his revived form – he has served up four top-10s and 11/13 cuts made this term.
T6 last time out in Texas, Kirk has a bank of strong form at Dye courses and has a trio of top-20s this season in events of similar character – Sony Open, RSM Classic and AT&T Pebble Beach.
Key Stats:
- Scoring Average – 15th
- SG: Around-the-Green – 17th
- SG: Approach – 38th
Mid-Tier Pick #2:
Lucas Glover (Odds: 140/1, FPPG: 57.7, GPFP: 60.47 Salary: $7,100)
Something of a home game for Lucas Glover, he’s heading back to South Carolina in excellent spirits.
Solo fourth at the Texas Open, the veteran topped the charts for GIR there and franked the qualities he had shown in his T19 effort at the Honda Classic.
Brilliant through the bag, until the putter is drawn anyway, we can only hope that a shift back to Bermuda will suit a player who is no stranger to Harbour Town.
Key Stats:
- SG: Off-the-Tee – 38th
- SG: Around-the-Green – 66th
- Scoring Average – 68th
Low-Tier Pick:
MacKenzie Hughes (Odds: 175/1, FPPG: 60.7, GPFP: 48.54 Salary: $7,000)
These small green events always bring to mind classy chippers like MacKenzie Hughes, and he has shown just about enough lately to warrant interest this week.
A run to the last-16 of the WGC Match Play seemed to spark something, as the Canadian found himself on the first page of the leaderboard at Augusta on Thursday having played the opening eight holes in -1 in challenging conditions.
He fell away to T40 from there, but three rounds of par at Augusta indicate a player completely in control of their game.
Key Stats:
- SG: Putting – 12th
- Par 5 Scoring Average – 17th
- Birdie Average – 71st
Sleeper Pick for the 2021 RBC Heritage
Doug Ghim (Odds: 140/1, FPPG: 61.7, GPFP: 52.75 Salary: $7,600)
We’re not giving up on a player that the sportsbooks have surprisingly kicked to the curb.
In his first ‘proper’ season as a professional, Ghim has made the cut in 11/15 starts and six top-25s within those – notably in wind-affected coastal tests at the Bermuda Championship, RSM Classic and AT&T Pebble Beach.
Ghim also got a nice look at a Dye layout in THE PLAYERS Championship, where he finished T29, and he ahs the skill throughout the bag to go well once more.
Key Stats:
- SG: Approach – 19th
- Birdie Average – 37th
- SG: Around-the-Green – 45th
Alternative Sleeper Pick for the 2021 RBC Heritage
Brandt Snedeker (Odds: 175/1, FPPG: 65.7, GPFP: 44.91 Salary: $7,200)
Watching The Masters at home on TV like the rest of us must have hurt Brandt Snedeker.
Look, it’s not all that long ago he was considered one of the best players in the world, and while his form has fallen off a cliff since there have been enough signs of a recovery to suggest this salary is a mockery.
Chiefly, his ball striking has improved – he was top-five for that category at the Texas Open – and for a player with a majestic short game that is eye catching.
A winner here in 2011, Snedeker also has three other top-25s at Harbour Town as well – could that course and current form marriage end in happiness this week?
Key Stats:
- Par 5 Scoring Average – 34th
- Driving Accuracy – 66th
- SG: Putting – 71st
This Week’s Sample Fantasy Lineup
Note: Sample lineups provided as examples only. Be sure to mix-and-match players to best fit individual contests.
[/membership]
Fantasy Golf Predictions This Season (2020-2021)
Remember to visit our private Facebook group to discuss this week’s picks for the 2021 RBC Heritage with other Premium Members.
Cover Photo via Instagram
What’s Really Going on with LIV Golf?
Blind Ranking The Most Iconic Masters Moments
FIRST LOOK: Titleist Unveils New Vokey WedgeWorks Grind Lineup
New Shot Scope LM1: The Best Budget Launch Monitor Under $200?
Did LIV Golf Finally Get its Big Breakthrough?
FIRST LOOK: Titleist’s New GTS Driver Lineup Spotted on Tour
New Shot Scope LM1: The Best Budget Launch Monitor Under $200?
FIRST LOOK: Titleist Unveils New Vokey WedgeWorks Grind Lineup
Did LIV Golf Finally Get its Big Breakthrough?
Blind Ranking The Most Iconic Masters Moments
We Played This Old Golf Course Where Thomas Edison Was A Member
Are You MEASURING Your Golf Swing Correctly? (This Can Help)
Zach Johnson Explains Why He Didn’t Pick Bryson DeChambeau for the Ryder Cup
Justin Thomas FIRES Coach before Ryder Cup…Who’s Next?
