Worldwide sports action will head back to South Carolina this week as some of the top golfers in the world will tee it up for the RBC Heritage. The Harbour Town Golf Links will host this week's PGA Tour event in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Despite the absence of last year’s champion, Jim Furyk, the upcoming week of golf will be highlighted by a beautiful golf course and a handful of golf’s greatest competitors.
World Number One Headlines Field
Jason Day will look for his third victory in his last four events this week. The top ranked worldwide golfer will be paired with the 2011 champion, Brandt Snedeker as well as Bill Hass who is a six-time PGA Tour event winner. The RBC Heritage maintains a long list of successful American golfers including Matt Kuchar, Zach Johnson, Kevin Na, Kevin Kisner, Billy Horschel, and Justin Thomas, who are all top contenders for the trophy. The golfers are fresh off play at the Masters where the field lacked consistent low scores, but the Harbour Town Golf Links has seen players go low with the past champions averaging a finish around 270 total strokes.
Course Analysis
The Harbour Town Golf Links boast 18 holes of Bermuda grass terrain with must-see views of landscape and water. The par 71 course asks for accurate drives and precise approach shots as trees, bunkers, and tricky greens are set to challenge the golfers’ creativity and emotions. The players must value placement over power this week, with each hole featuring score-shifting dangers. The course is capped off with an exquisite, challenging 18th hole. The windy final hole is the second most difficult hole on the course which will cause for an interesting finish to the tournament. The view of the Calibogue Sound makes for a refreshing ending to a competitive, grueling round of golf.
Golfers Expected To Be In Contention
The field may lack more than one top 20 player, but the list of players is not anything less than star-studded. Jason Day leads the charge but a handful of players could shoot lower than the Australian. Brandt Snedeker, Matt Kuchar, and Graeme McDowell are the most recent past champions and with their previous memories in Hilton Head puts the expectation on them to perform as they did when they won the trophy. Snedeker already has a win under his belt and five top ten finishes this season, but his driving accuracy must stay above average if he sees himself lifting his second RBC Heritage trophy.
The young Bryson DeChambeau could make some noise in South Carolina. The young American is expected to play his first tournament as a professional and his previous results indicate an expected successful start to his professional career. Last week, DeChambeau finished T21 at the Masters as he shot three rounds at even par in arguably the biggest event in golf. The 22-year-old looks to ride his momentum into this week.
Prediction
I predict a ninth PGA Tour triumph for the world number 15, Brandt Snedeker. The American is coming off back-to-back top ten finishes which will bring belief to Snedeker as he seeks his second win in Hilton Head. Yours truly predicts a Snedeker win by two or more strokes and a sub-275 finish.