Weekly Fantasy Golf Preview: RBC Heritage

RBC Heritage

Harbour Town Golf Links
Hilton Head Island, SC

The PGA Tour heads to Hilton Head Island, SC this week as the RBC Heritage gets underway. 

I mentioned this past week that if Rory McIlroy were to win his second Masters, the discussion would shift away from "what might have been" to "where will he end up among the greats of the game", but after what happened this past weekend, most golf fans are left with just one question – what the heck happened to Haotong Li on the 13th hole? No, really, we didn't get to see it live, we want to know what he was doing in the forest for 20 minutes. Why won't you show us CBS?

Seriously, it's amazing how much the conversation has shifted on McIlroy over the past 12 months. Leading up to last year's Masters we were still talking about his major drought and to be honest, most of us, including myself, were wondering if he could ever get over the mental hurdle. It wasn't easy, but he broke through that barrier this past year and that undoubtedly helped him this year as he struggled again in the final round, yet found a way to win.  

Speaking of struggling in the final round. Have we ever had more proof that these golfers don't like being in the lead on Sunday? Sure, most of them would take a sizable lead, but a one or two-stroke lead on Sunday afternoon? I'm not so sure. Just look at how Justin Rose played this year vs. this past year. When he was stalking Rory at the 2025 Masters, he was locked-in, no second thoughts, grip it an rip it. This time around, he gets a two-stroke lead and suddenly he's second guessing his decisions, which usually leads to poor results and this case was no exception. The 2026 Justin Rose in no way resembled the 2025 version, at least on back nine on Sunday and positioning on the leaderboard is almost entirely responsible for that.

Back to Rory and what this means historically. For now, he's put himself in a new category, but I doubt this is where it ends. While he's still Rory and drama is always right around the corner, the difference between this year's version of Rory and previous years is that he didn't spiral after a mistake. Though the scorecard doesn't show it, he made a few mistakes on the back nine on Sunday, but each time he was able to right the ship before it actually affected his score. That's something we didn't see much of during his decade with no majors. However, though I think he's in a much better spot mentally and just overall with his game, I wouldn't be too optimistic about where he ends up. It seems like we always project way more majors than these guys produce, remember when Brooks Koepka was destined for double-digits and when Tiger was going to surpass Jack? It's just not that easy, there are too many variables in play for it to be that easy. This isn't tennis where they have to beat one guy at a time, and you only face a small fraction of the field, in golf, you're up against the best guy in the field every week, it doesn't matter who that golfer is, whoever is playing the best, you have to beat him.

Beyond all the variables to overcome for every major, there's also the fact that the best golfer in the world isn't going away anytime soon. I know it gets old talking about Scottie Scheffler each week, but there isn't a golfer out there that can bring his C game to a major and miss out on a playoff by an inch. Okay, so he had more than his C game on the weekend, but overall, when you factor in that 74 on Friday, I don't think you can say that he had his A game over the course of the week.

The next Masters isn't for another 51 weeks, and who knows what happens between here and there, all I know is that 50 weeks from now, all the talk will be around McIlroy's quest for three straight Green Jackets and that's going to be a blast to watch play out. 

Back to the grind this week, sort of. It's always tough to follow up the Masters, but at least we have a signature event his week, so most of the big names are back at it. 

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LAST YEAR

Justin Thomas shot a final round 68 on his way to a playoff victory over Andrew Novak.

FAVORITES

All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook as of 3:00 PM ET Tuesday.

Scottie Scheffler (+440) 

I just mentioned that Scheffler almost found himself in a playoff after not having his best, at least, not early in the week. The early week troubles is still a thing apparently, though this time, it wasn't the opening round. Still, it would be nice for Scheffler to just start strong and not have a setback before the weekend for once. This could be that week though as he was locked-in on the weekend at Augusta and he's played well here before. In fact, Scheffler worst showing here was a T11 in 2023. He's played this event three times and has two top-10s, including a win in 2024. It sounds strange, but this might be the last time you'll see odds at or above 4-1 on Scheffler this season if he wins this week.

Xander Schauffele (15-1)

Schauffele has worked his way back into the top-2 on the odds chart, but he had a little help as Rory McIlroy withdrew after winning the Masters. As for Schauffele, he's definitely trending in the right direction. He finished 3rd at The PLAYERS and has backed that up with top-10s in his two most recent starts. He wasn't really a factor this past week at Augusta, but he played a solid four rounds, eventually landing in 9th-place. His track record here is okay. He struggled here initially, but he's been better over his past three starts at this event. Schauffele's best finish here came in 2023 when he finished solo-4th.

Cameron Young (16-1)/Matt Fitzpatrick (16-1)/Russell Henley (18-1)

A trio of golfers coming in at 14-1 this week and all for different reasons. Young does not have a great track record here, but he's got a lot of momentum after winning The PLAYERS and contending at the Masters. Henley has a strong yet inconsistent track record here with six top-25s in 12 starts, but four missed cuts as well. Interestingly, Henley has never finished worse than T26 here when making the cut, so if he's playing on the weekend, he's probably in contention. Lastly there's Fitzpatrick, who won this event in 2023 and finished T4 in 2021. All strong options, but Young might be the best one this week. There could be some scar tissue from getting close this past week, but I think he'll be able to get past that.

Visit our golf betting section for the latest PGA odds and finishing props from multiple sportsbooks.

THE NEXT TIER

Patrick Cantlay (22-1)

Cantlay has a fascinating track record at this event. He has five top-3s in eight starts, yet he's never won this event. Much like Henley, if Cantlay makes the cut, he's going to be a factor. He's missed the cut just once, and in those seven trips to the weekend, his worst finish was T13 this past year. This goes beyond just having a feel for this course, Cantlay can play this course blindfolded. The only question is, why hasn't he won here? I don't have that answer, but if you want someone who is going to give a shot at winning, Cantlay is your guy. He just might figure out a way this time.

Viktor Hovland (35-1)

Hovland has played okay this season, but his performance on Sunday at the Masters was much better than okay. Hovland started the week with a 75, which left him near the cut line, but he followed that with a couple solid rounds, then a great round on Sunday, which propelled him into the top-20. He's certainly got the momentum heading into this week, now it's a question if he can carry that through to a new venue. His track record here is just okay. He's made the cut in all three starts, but hasn't done much on the weekend. That could change this week if he carries that Sunday form over.  

Jake Knapp (40-1)

Knapp got off to a great start this season, then injuries and illness slowed his momentum heading into March. After a couple solid starts though, it looks like he's back to where he was in January/February of this year, which means he's close to winning again. The problem for Knapp this week is his lack of history here. He's only played this event once and while that's not usually a problem, this week is a bit different because there are so many golfers in the field with a solid history here. I still think he's worth a flyer however as his game is trending the right way.  

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LONG SHOTS

Justin Thomas (45-1)   

It's not often you'll see the defending champ, who is also a big name, with odds this high. The reason of course is that Thomas is still making his way back from injury, but honestly, he looks ready to contend and possibly win again. He didn't fare that well this past week at the Masters, but he was in the top-10 at The PLAYERS, so perhaps a return to a site where he had a lot of success will be what he needs to find the winner's circle again. He's probably not ready to win quite yet, but that's why we're getting such long odds on him. You aren't going to see odds like this on Thomas for much longer.    

Daniel Berger (60-1)     

Consider this the bounce-back pick of the week. Berger did not fare well at Augusta this past week, missing the cut by a mile, but I never put too much stock into a poor performance at a major because most majors don't resemble what these guys see on a weekly basis, so it's not always a good comparison. Berger has a solid track record here, with six cuts in six starts and two top-3s. The good thing about missing the cut this past week is that he had an extra two days to prepare for this event.  

ONE-AND-DONE LEAGUES

Highly-Chosen Pick: Patrick Cantlay – There are certain spots where certain golfers get used every year, and this is the spot for Cantlay. He's yet to win here, but that's not always what you are looking for in a OAD pick. More than anything, you want someone who is going to be in contention. If he wins, great, if not, you're still picking up a big number for a top-3. Cantlay got off to a slow start this season, but his game has picked up lately. He finished in the top-10 at the Valspar and he was T12 this past week at the Masters. He looks ready to contend again this week.

Moderately-Chosen Pick: Russell Henley – Henley isn't a lock for someone that you would take at a signature event, but this sure looks like a good spot to use him. Much like Cantlay, he's almost certain to be in contention at some point this week, it's just a matter of where his ceiling is. This is a safe pick, with some nice upside.      

Lightly-Chosen Pick: Justin Thomas – If you want upside, with low ownership, then Thomas might be your guy this week. He's not the safest pick, only because he's still working his way back from injury, but he's a proven winner, who has won here. As the defending champ, his ownership is bound to be lower, throw in his injury concerns and it will get even lower. It's a bit of a risk, but the payout would be huge if you were to get a win from a 45-1 longshot.    

Buyer Beware: Collin Morikawa– Again, another tough week to find a high-end guy that's a bad play, but I think Morikawa fits the bill this week only because of his injury concerns. He played very well this past week at the Masters, but if you watched him, he didn't look 100% healthy. I'm worried that he gutted his way through four rounds at Augusta because it was a major and this week he might not have the same resolve. Beyond that, his track record here is just okay, with two top-10s in six starts, but nothing better than a T7.

My Pick: Scottie Scheffler – I'm doing it. I think this is the week to deploy Scheffler. Sure, there are going to be a number of places to use him down the road, but as I always say, it's harder to win a major than a signature event, so why not use him in a spot like this with a comparable purse? Scheffler had what looked like his best stuff on the weekend at Augusta and I'm expecting that to carry over to this week. He won this event in 2024 and he's never finished worse than T11 here, so the floor is high and we all know where the ceiling is. Another potential bonus is that with so many good options at the top this week, I might be able to get Scheffler with some low ownership overall.

Previous Results

View the PGA earnings report to find total winnings and winnings per entry via our fantasy golf stats pages.

FANDUEL PICKS

Upper Range: Patrick Cantlay ($10,800)
Middle Range: Jake Knapp ($10,100)
Lower Range: Daniel Berger ($8,600)

SURVIVOR LEAGUES

My Pick: Wyndham Clark – A lot of good options this week, just not for me. I already used Cantlay and Spieth earlier in the year, so the two best options are gone, but Clark is a sneaky good play this week. Clark has never missed a cut here, he's a perfect 7-7 and his form coming into this week looks pretty good as he finished just outside the top-20 this past week at Augusta. 

Previous Results