The PGA Tour heads southeast a couple of hours up the road toward the Atlantic coast for its traditional post-Masters event, the RBC Heritage. With a reputation as one of the most beloved events by players, Harbour Town Golf Links presents a relaxed vibe compared to the pressure cooker that is the Masters. For a fourth consecutive year, and the third without a cut, the pressure will be taken up a notch as one of the best fields ever gathered here will participate in one of the tour’s signature events.
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Situated at the Sea Pines Resort on the southwest corner of Hilton Head Island, Harbour Town has hosted the annual RBC Heritage each April following the Masters Tournament. From the pervasive palmetto trees and Spanish moss-draped oaks to the beautiful island scenery that Hilton Head provides, Sea Pines is one of the most popular golf resorts in the nation.
With tight fairways, numerous doglegs, sharp angles and flat terrain, this Pete Dye design presents a stark contrast for players coming over from Augusta National and its broad undulating wide open expanses. Harbour Town is a course where finesse and shot-making are prioritized over length and power. Few other courses on tour require such a premium on positional accuracy off the tee, precise iron shots into minuscule greens, and a competent short game around the green. The list of past winners and contenders is filled with elite short-to-mid iron players with stellar short games including Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, Matt Fitzpatrick, Jordan Spieth, Webb Simpson, Jim Furyk and Matt Kuchar.
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Another elite field will assemble this week in Hilton Head. Every eligible player inside the world top 30 except for Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose and Hideki Matsuyama will be in attendance. It will be a limited-field, no-cut event, smaller than even the Masters with only 82 players scheduled to compete. Justin Thomas returns to defend his title after edging Andrew Novak in a playoff last year.
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$9,000+ range Play: Xander Schauffele, $10,500 
J.D. Cuban
At last week’s Masters, Xander Schauffele delivered another signature performance, quietly working his way into a top-10 finish in a major. He now has nine top-10s in his past 13 major appearances, an incredibly consistent run on golf’s biggest stages. That result builds on a solo third at the Players Championship and a T-4 at the Valspar. Since the start of 2026, Schauffele has been the second-best ball-striker in the world, gaining 1.36 strokes per round. With Harbour Town featuring the second-smallest greens on tour, his elite iron play should give him a strong edge and a clear opportunity to separate from the field.
Play: Russell Henley, $9,600
Russell Henley delivered a phenomenal performance at the Masters, finishing T-3 while gaining an eye-popping 9.6 strokes on approach. He now heads back to Harbour Town, one of his favorite venues, where he’s posted three top-12 finishes in his past five appearances. His form on shorter, “less than driver” courses similar to Harbour Town has been nothing short of elite. Across his last nine starts on these layouts, Henley has rattled off nine straight top-20 finishes, including six top-10s—a remarkable blend of consistency and high-end upside that makes him especially dangerous this week.
Russell Henley’s last nine starts on “short” or “very short” courses similar to Harbour Town.
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Augusta National
After an emotionally draining T-3 finish at the Masters, it would be no surprise to see Cameron Young take a step back at this week’s RBC Heritage. Beyond the potential letdown, Harbour Town is far from an ideal fit for his skill set. His biggest advantage, power off the tee, is largely neutralized on the course’s tight, claustrophobic fairways where precision and positional play take priority over distance. That course fit concern is reinforced by his track record here, with finishes of 54th, 62nd, and 51st in his last three appearances.
$8,000+ range Play: Jordan Spieth, $8,800 
J.D. Cuban
With his recent comments about how sharp his ball-striking has been, along with the data to support it, Jordan Spieth is likely to be a popular play this week. When compared to others in this range, his approach play more than justifies the expected ownership. Across his last six starts, Spieth has recorded four top-12 finishes while gaining 0.84 strokes per round on approach. He has also consistently thrived at Harbour Town, highlighted by a win in 2022 and a runner-up finish in 2023.
Fade: Robert MacIntyre, $8,700
The feisty Scot opened the Masters with an abysmal 80 in round one and never recovered. Reports came out after he missed the cut that he suffered a neck injury in the gym before his round on Thursday and was close to pulling out of the tournament. From a data standpoint, MacIntyre has struggled this season, ranking among the worst in the field in strokes gained/ approach. He also sits 54th on shorter, “less than driver” courses over the last three years, a concerning profile for a venue like Harbour Town. His course history does little to inspire confidence either, with finishes of T-66 last year and T-59 in 2021.
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$7,000+ range Play: Sepp Straka, $7,900 
J.D. Cuban
Sepp Straka brings plenty of win equity with four career PGA Tour victories, most recently last year’s Truist Championship, another signature event. He thrives on shorter, precision-based ball-striking tests and has a strong track record at Harbour Town, including two top-five finishes and a T-13 last year. He is also one of the most consistent iron players on tour, gaining at least one stroke on approach in 48 percent of his rounds this year, a mark that ranks third-best in this stacked field.
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$6,000+ range Play: Sungjae Im, $6,700 
Jared C. Tilton
After missing the opening stretch of the season due to a wrist injury, Sungjae Im has begun to show flashes of form since returning. He finished T-4 at the Valspar and made the cut at last week’s Masters Tournament. With no cut this week, Im offers plenty of scoring upside at a venue where he has a strong track record, including three consecutive finishes inside the top 12.
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Ron Klos (@PGASplits101 on X) is a PGA Tour data analyst for Betsperts Golf.
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
