Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions – 2024 RBC Heritage

Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions for the 2024 RBC Heritage  

RBC Heritage Fantasy Preview

In the end, only one player was within seven shots of Scottie Scheffler, who played with the swagger of a 4/1 favorite to win his second Masters title in the space of three years.

Indeed, for much of the tournament it appeared as if only one person could stop Scheffler from slipping into the Green Jacket for a second time: his wife, Meredith, is due to give birth to their first child any day now.

Scheffler himself claimed he would walk away from Augusta if Meredith went into labor, but thankfully for him she had yet to feel any motion – enabling Scheffler to chip and putt his way to glory.

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He experienced a relatively average week with his irons and wedges, but chipped like a champion – including two big par saves early in his round on Sunday, putted solidly, and ensured that Ludvig Aberg, the spirited debutant, was kept at arm’s length.

As Jon Rahm handed the Green Jacket to Scheffler, with Rory McIlroy watching on enviously, there was little doubt as to who the best golfer on the planet right now is – if other players don’t step up to his level soon, it’s impossible to say how many titles Scheffler will hoover up in the next 12 months.

One of them, depending on whether he withdraws from the field or not, could well be the RBC Heritage this week.

Last Event’s Fantasy Results

Last week we had four top 9 finishes with Fleetwood being our shining star at T3.   

Overall, eight of our 12 picks made it to the weekend at Augusta.

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2024 RBC Heritage Field

The RBC Heritage has been bumped up to Signature Event status, boasting a prize pool of a cool $20 million.

Unsurprisingly then, there’s a stacked field heading to Hilton Head Island in South Carolina, with Scheffler scheduled to lead the way – at the time of writing, he was yet to withdraw from the field, although he is currently in Dallas awaiting the birth of his child.

A clutch of top-10 finishers at Augusta – including Aberg, Collin Morikawa, Max Homa, Xander Schauffele, and Cameron Young – will make the short trip, as will Rory McIlroy, who continues to seek the answers to his currently below-par game.

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Defending champion Matt Fitzpatrick will look to defend his Tartan Jacket, while the likes of Patrick Cantlay, Jordan Spieth, and Brian Harman – each with an excellent record at this Harbour Town Links venue – will be looking to wrestle it from him.

The limited nature of this event means that just 65 players are scheduled to tee it up.

This Week’s Course Preview

Pete Dye and a seaside breeze goes together like eggs and bacon.

The iconic golf course architect brought Jack Nicklaus on board to help design the Harbour Town Links, with the resulting layout featuring a number of classic Dye features.

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Tight fairways that reward those who find the right angles into the greens are the first obstacle, while the tiny greens themselves – some of which feature the ‘upward saucer’ shaping – take some holding.

Sand isn’t really a problem, but water is – unsurprisingly for a course built on a small island, water hazards are on play on every hole at Harbour Town.

Playing to around 7,191 yards for its Par 71, there’s just three Par 5 holes on the real estate. The second and the fifth are, historically, the easiest holes at Harbour Town, while the drivable Par 4 ninth – which plays to around 330 yards – ensures that the front nine is the easier side of the layout.

Winning scores at Harbour Town are linked to the weather, by all accounts, but there’s plenty of birdies to be had – although he players need to mind their work on the closing stretch; both 17 and 18 averaged over par last year.

Weather Forecast for Hilton Head, SC

If the early forecast is anything to go by, it could be a tournament of two halves on Hilton Head Island.

Thursday and Friday look set to be excellent: sunny spells, top temperatures of around 82 degrees, minimal chance of rain, and wind speeds of single digits mph.

But then at the weekend, well, all hell could break loose. The temperatures could dip to 75 degrees by Sunday, wind speeds could be 15mph or higher, and rain and thunderstorms are distinct possibilities – keep your eyes on the forecast right up until the start for an updated take.

HILTON HEAD ISLAND WEATHER

Last Year’s Results from the RBC Heritage

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With the likes of Scheffler, Spieth, Cantlay, and Fitzpatrick all within three shots of the lead heading into the final round, patrons at the RBC Heritage were assured a blockbuster conclusion to the tournament.

After a Saturday 63, it was Fitzpatrick who led the way into Sunday, but it was Spieth who would draw first blood with four birdies in his opening six holes.

As Scheffler surprisingly drifted down the leaderboard, while Cantlay managed to birdie just one of his opening eight holes, it was down to Spieth and Fitzpatrick to fight it out for the title.

Back and forth they went, but back nines where every par save was welcome eventually meant they shared the 72-hole lead on -17 – it was playoff time.

They tied on the replayed eighteenth and seventeenth, before a return to 18 finally saw the dup split – Fitzpatrick’s nerveless birdie securing him the title, trophy, and natty Tartan Jacket.

Where to Play Fantasy Golf for this Week’s RBC Heritage

It’s small field golf this week – regular readers know our thoughts on that from a DFS perspective, but with a stacked top end of the field we at least know that ownership percentages for the players will be feasible. 

Even so, single entry contests are the way to go this week…

• PGA $50k Albatross: The first of the single-entry contests to play this week is this $12 entry game, which pays out $5,000 to the winner. Less than 5,000 teams stand between you and the jackpot.

• PGA $30k Caddie: For a smaller outlay of $5, you can enter this contest with its $30k prize pool – $3k of which goes to the winner.

This Week’s Fantasy Notes

Historically, the winner’s circle at the RBC Heritage has been crammed with fairway finders and those with quality on the greens, but since the event’s rise to Signature Event status, the goalposts have shifted somewhat.

Harbour Town is a layout where finding fairways is vital, but it’s also a less-than-driver course typically – so longer types, who can hit their 3 and 4-irons around 250 yards, are very much in business.

The first four players home last year ranked second, fourth, seventh, and 16th for SG: Approach, and that too isn’t surprising – there’s plenty of birdie chances to be found at Harbour Town, so without quality in the short iron and wedge range, you’re not going to be setting up the looks you need to post a winning score.

Of course, those who are solid around the greens tend to thrive at Pete Dye layouts, while the presence of many a fine putter on this honors board at Harbour Town also can’t be overlooked.

As for correlating courses, there’s an absolute stack to consider. Visually, the likes of the Sony Open, Sentry Tournament of Champions, and RSM Classic are noteworthy, while Dye’s TPC Sawgrass – home of the PLAYERS Championship – is another consideration.

The wind-affected Florida Swing also brings to mind the Valspar Championship and Arnold Palmer Invitational, while historically the Charles Schwab Challenge, Memorial Tournament, and St Jude have all seen similar types of players thrive there and at the RBC Heritage.

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Our Top 5 (and Top 2 Sleeper) Fantasy Picks and Odds to Win the RBC Heritage   

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Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win the RBC Heritage  

Top Tier Pick # 1

Xander Schauffele (Odds: 11/1, FPPG: 95.7, Salary: $10,800)

Having opened with a round of 72 at The Masters, any hopes Xander Schauffele had of slipping into the Green Jacket were over.

So credit for him to sticking to his task, playing his four rounds in no worse than +1 in tough conditions.

But for a few missed putts on Sunday, Schauffele might have improved upon his solo eighth finish, so he heads into the RBC Heritage feeling much better about his game than he might have done on Thursday.

His approach play was on point at Augusta – those short to mid irons will be crucial at Harbour Town, and Schauffele also bested the field average at The Masters both around and on the greens too.

Sat T2 here after round two 12 months ago, and finishing within two shots of Fitzpatrick and Spieth, Schauffele has plenty of reasons to be optimistic about his chances this week.

Key Stats:

• SG: Around-the-Green – 8th
• Birdie Average – 12th
• Approaches from 100+ yards – 16th

Top Tier Pick #2

Corey Conners (Odds: 40/1, FPPG: 75.0, Salary: $8,300)

One of the interesting things about Corey Conners’ sustained form at Harbour Town – 31-12-4-21 – is that this is a layout that doesn’t necessarily aid his below-par short game.

But the Canadian seems to make it work here, and that’s an excellent sign because it’s his ball-striking that gets the job done at Harbour Town….any short game gains come as a bonus.

Conners banked top-20s in windy, less-than-driver outings at the PLAYERS Championship and Arnold Palmer Invitational a few weeks ago, and has fared well at the Sentry and Sony Open, so these are conditions that work for him.

Key Stats:

• SG: Approach – 4th
• Total Birdies – 18th
• Total Driving – 25th

Mid-Tier Pick #1

Russell Henley (Odds: 35/1, FPPG: 70.2, Salary: $8,100)

T4 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, solo fourth at the Texas Open, a cut made at a long Augusta track outside of his comfort zone.

Russell Henley is therefore in a good place ahead of a return to a layout that will be more to his liking – he’s banked T9 and T19 efforts here in the past three years.

An excellent wedge player, Henley’s short game is solid and his putting, while not as strong as it used to be, is at least positive with strokes gained on the field in each of his last four starts.

Outstanding in the wind, you can tick off all of the correlating courses that Henley has performed at – Waialae, Kapalua, TPC Sawgrass and Southwind, Bay Hill, and more besides.

Key Stats:

• SG: Putting – 29th
• SG: Around-the-Green – 40th
• Total Birdies – 59th

Mid-Tier Pick #2

Brian Harman (Odds: 40/1, FPPG: 69.0, Salary: $7,800)

Although it would have hurt, perhaps missing the cut at The Masters is no bad thing with regards to how the players will shape up after a gruelling few days at Augusta.

Brian Harman missed out on the weekend there, but his game has been in rude health for the best part of a year now, so we can shake off concerns about his meanderings at a rain softened, and thus incredibly long, Augusta.

The test at Harbour Town is more to his liking – short and wind-affected, Harman will be in his element; evidenced by quality showings at Bay Hill, TPC Sawgrass, Kapalua and Waialae in the past. You also don’t win the British Open unless you’re comfortable in the breeze.

With three top-10s and a T13 finish to his name at Harbour Town, Brian Harman loves it here – but he’s never headed to Hilton Head Island striping his irons quite like he is right now before.

Key Stats:

• SG: Putting – 16th
• Birdie Average – 36th
• Proximity to Hole – 39th

Low-Tier Pick

Christiaan Bezuidenhout (Odds: 66/1, FPPG: 74.0, Salary: $7,600)

In three visits to Harbour Town, Christiaan Bezuidenhout has finished 19-33-28. Playing the best golf of his life right now, we can expect the South African to improve on that yet further.

In ten PGA TOUR outings in 2024, Bezuidenhout has compiled two top-10 finishes and four more top-25s, with his consistency built around exceptional approach play, a reliable chipping action, and solid putting – he’s gained strokes on the field with the flat stick in 8/10.

Outstanding through the bag, Bezuidenhout has a low ball-flight off the tee that has helped him to high finishes at the Sony Open, PLAYERS Championship, Arnold Palmer Invitational and more. He looks the right man at the right time for the RBC Heritage.

Key Stats:

• Scrambling – 14th
• SG: Putting – 17th
• SG: Approach – 24th

Sleeper Pick for the RBC Heritage

Taylor Moore (Odds: 80/1, FPPG: 71.9, Salary: $7,400)

Taylor Moore once again showed his class at Augusta, where he finished T20 despite finishing -0.04 to the field with putter in hand.

T2 at the Houston Open, and T12 at the Valspar, Moore is evidently knocking on the door of a second PGA TOUR title – Harbour Town looks a good venue for him to get that over the line.

T11 here on debut 12 months ago, Moore’s approach play has improved in recent months to the point that he can set up plenty of birdie opportunities, while his reliable game around the green will also help when GIR is missed.

Decent showings elsewhere in the wind and by the coast suggest that the conditions at Harbour Town won’t be a problem, either.

Key Stats:

• Greens in Regulation – 16th
• Total Birdies – 25th
• SG: Around-the-Green – 31st

Alternative Sleeper Pick for the RBC Heritage

Lucas Glover (Odds: 100/1, FPPG: 61.3, Salary: $6,800)

With strokes gained on the field putting in two of his last three starts, Lucas Glover comes onto the radar once more.

He’s a player with perhaps only two weaknesses in his game – a lack of length off the tee, and a mediocre (at best) putting stroke. But the former won’t be punished at Harbour Town, while the latter seems to have been, evidentially, remedied for the time being.

T20 at The Masters, Glover followed solo eleventh at the Valspar Championship with T25 at the Texas Open, so his game is trending in the right direction at the moment.

Key Stats:

• SG: Around-the-Green – 7th
• SG: Approach – 9th
• Total Birdies – 46th

This Week’s Sample Fantasy Lineup

Note: Sample lineups provided as examples only.  Be sure to mix-and-match to best fit individual contests.

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Fantasy Golf Predictions – This Season 

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