Fantasy Golf Picks and Predictions – The 2014 RBC Heritage

Fantasy Golf Picks and Predictions for the 2014 RBC Heritage April 17th – 20th, 2014

Tournament Preview

With another spectacular Masters Tournament behind us, the TOUR now resumes normal play and heads to Hilton Head, SC for the RBC Heritage. Graeme McDowell will try to defend his title this week as he searches for 500 FedExCup points and his first win since last year’s event – McDowell has notched five Top 10s since November 2013. The usual suspects like Kuchar, Spieth, Donald, and Reed will be back on our television screens to take on Harbour Town Golf Links as most of the rest of last week’s Masters field taking a much-needed week off.

The Course

Harbour Town Golf Links measures in at 7,101 yards and plays as a par 71. This track was Jack Nicklaus’ first attempt at course design when he teamed up with Pete Dye to bring this beauty to life. The course is one of the shortest tracks (in yardage) on the PGA TOUR but certainly remains a challenge. The fairways are extremely narrow and small. The greens are also tricky with little margin for error, with only laser-like approach shots leading to those coveted birdies. The now-famous red-and-white lighthouse stands tall behind the 18th green and sits as a landmark for this gem of a course.

Photo via SeaPines.com

Weather Forecast for Hilton Head, SC (from weather.com)

• Round 1: Thursday (April 17) 75 degrees, 0% chance of rain, sunny.
• Round 2: Friday (April 18) 78 degrees, 0% chance of rain, partly cloudy.
• Round 3: Saturday (April 19) 81 degrees, 10% chance of rain, mostly sunny.
• Round 4: Sunday (April 20) 83 degrees, 0% chance of rain, partly cloudy.

2013 Results

Despite swirling winds Graeme McDowell emerged victorious to claim his second PGA TOUR win after beating Webb Simpson in a playoff. McDowell made par on the first playoff hole after coming back from a previous four-shot deficit and finishing with a 2-under-par 69. The Irishman could have won on the 72^nd hole but missed a 13-foot par save which opened the door for Simpson. Shortly after, Simpson had a his own chance to seal the deal but missed his long birdie attempt to close with a 71. Luke Donald tied for third, which marked his fourth top-3 finish at Harbour Town in the last 5 years.  There is no doubt that he’ll be on our radar again this week.

Round 4 Recap: 2013 RBC Heritage

No Description

Fantasy Notes

Masters Week certainly did not disappoint! Our picks for the season’s first major brought in a total of $2,679,660 in fantasy earnings with four out of seven picks finishing in the top ten. Not to mention the fact that one of our picks, Bubba Watson, rode out of Augusta wearing a second Green Jacket. As we said, Bubba’s game has been exactly where he needed it to be, and he certainly validated our speculation that the now two time champ has the ability to “crank up the dial for big events.”

This week be sure to look out for a couple of guys looking for a taste of redemption, specifically Spieth and Kuchar. As everyone knows by now Spieth lost his grip on a two shot lead to finish runner up last week at the Masters. Similarly, Kuch lost his bid to with the Shell Houston Open on the 72nd hole. We’re certain that both will be out to grab a win and get the monkey off their back.

Media

• Television Broadcasts
  • Thursday-Friday, 3:00 – 6:00 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)
  • Saturday 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. (Golf Channel) 3:00 – 6:00 p.m. (CBS) 
• Radio Broadcasts
  • Thursday- Sunday, 2:00 p.m. ET (PGA TOUR Radio on Sirius XM and PGATOUR.com). 
• Mobile Broadcasts
  • Simultaneous coverage on the Golf Live Extra mobile app by Golf Channel.

[membership level=”0″]

Our Top 5 (and Top 2 Sleeper) Fantasy Picks and Odds to Win The 2014 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″]

Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win the 2014 RBC Heritage

• Jordan Spieth(Golficity Odds 14/1): We’re extremely bullish on Spieth this week after his remarkable performance at Augusta in his Masters debut. The 20 year old finished in solo 2nd after charging up the leaderboard on the weekend. He seems to have a knack for tournament debuts and finished 9th at Harbour Town in his first go around here in 2013. He has to be beaming with confidence, and we’re sure he’ll be fighting hard for a win this week as a chance to grab some redemption after the Masters. That is why we have him in the top slot this week.
• Matt Kuchar (Golficity Odds 18/1): Even after giving away the Shell Houston Open on the 72nd hole, we were confident Kuch would still be in contention at the Masters, a tournament he’s always played well in, and he certainly was, finishing T5 on Sunday. He’s still hot and his game is good enough to win this week. Look for “Mr. Consistent” to card some quality scores, after all, we all know that he hasn’t yet forgotten how to win.
• Jim Fuyrk (Golficity Odds 25/1): You normally don’t see Furyk’s name on our Top 5 list, but he has made some quality improvements to his game this season. The 43 year old has five top 20s including three top 10s with a T14 and plenty of TV coverage at Augusta. He easily has what it takes to hoist up the trophy in front of the lighthouse this week, but don’t bet the ranch on him. Regardless, the slightly less crowded field this week should play well into his favor.
• Luke Donald (Golficity Odds 28/1): Although he missed the cut at Augusta with a tough 79 first round, the former World No. 1 bounced back to fire a 70 on a tough, firm Augusta National. He has two 2nd and two 3rd place finishes in the last five editions of this event and ranks seventh in strokes gained-putting and third in scrambling. You certainly can’t argue the fact that he knows Harbour Town well, so don’t hesitate to add him to your team this week.
• Kevin Stadler (Golficity Odds 38/1): Stadler is a new name on our list this week, but our premium members deserve some outside the box thinking…so Stadler made it into the mix this week. What can you say about a guy with a T4 here in 2012, a win this season, and a T8 at Augusta last week? He’s volatile, and you’re not always sure what he’ll bring to the table in late rounds, but he’s sitting in 12th on the FedExCup points list for a reason. Stadler could be the new name you need on your roster this week, but pick him low.

 Sleeper Picks/Odds to Win the 2014 RBC Heritage

• Charlie Hoffman (Golficity Odds 50/1): Hoffman seems to make our sleeper list a lot, and when he does, he tends to earn some quality money. Charlie has Top 10s in his last two stops at Harbour Town and even shared the 36-hole lead here last year, as well as the outright after 54. With seven top 25s on the season, Charlie has a solid chance of make some noise here, but certainly keep him in your sleeper category.
• Graeme McDowell (Golficity Odds 50/1): We normally stay away from defending champs, but McDowell could just win this thing again. He leads TOUR in strokes gained-putting and ninth in adjusted scoring. McDowell missed the cut at the Masters but came into the event with six Top 10s in nine events played. Those stats have “hot hand” written all over them, but his inability to close has us keeping him on the sleepers list. Make note as well that after missing the cut at Augusta, Graeme will be another one of those players chasing redemption this week.

[/membership]

Last Week’s Results:  Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win the 2014 Masters

• Adam Scott (Golficity Odds 8/1): T14 $148,500
• Matt Kuchar (Golficity Odds 12/1): T5 $342,000
• Jason Day (Golficity Odds 18/1): T20 $101,160
• Bubba Watson (Golficity Odds 25/1): Winner $1,620,000
• Rory McIlroy (Golficity Odds 28/1): T8 $234,000

Last Week’s Results: Sleeper Picks/Odds to Win the 2014 Masters

• Phil Mickelson (Golficity Odds 40/1): MC
• Jimmy Walker (Golficity Odds 50/1): T8 $234,000

Fantasy Golf Predictions Stats: Season to Date

• Total Fantasy Dollars: $18,414,135 (Average tournament winnings of $1,227,609).
• Winners picked: 4 winners selected out of 15 tournaments (26.66% winners picked in 2014).
• Top 10s: 40 out of 105 players picked (38.09% of players picked finished in Top 10).
• Top 3s: 12 out of 105 players picked (11.42% players picked finished in the Top 3).
• Missed Cuts: Only 11 out of 105 players (89.523% of the picks made the cut in 2014).
• Major Winners Picked:  1 out of 1 (100%)

What are your fantasy picks and predictions for this week’s 2014 RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links? Let us know by leaving your comments below.

(Cover Photo Credit)