RBC Heritage Preview
With another green jacket handed out, attention immediately goes to the RBC Heritage. The Heritage has become a popular event in recent years following the enormous increase in the prize purse. Who will win big this weekend with a kitty of $20 million on the line?
The RBC Heritage begins on Thursday, April 18th, one week after the Masters. Although many players experienced disappointment this year at Augusta, they must dust themselves off and go again in South Carolina. This year, 69 players will compete at Harbour Town Golf Links on a challenging par 71 course. With a length of 7,213 yards, it will be a unique challenge compared to the picturesque holes at the Masters.
RBC Heritage Key Stats
The RBC Heritage has a rich history and some big names on the winner list. Last year’s champion Matt Fitzpatrick will fancy his chances of defending his title even with a mediocre showing at the Masters last week. Despite making the cut and competing in all four rounds, Fitzpatrick’s best performance occurred on the opening day. He finished tied for 22nd place with a score of +4. He was not the only major winner to struggle at Augusta, as Rory McIlroy also finished four over par after the four rounds.
Jordan Spieth was the 2022 RCH Heritage winner and runner-up in the 2023 competition. He is another player who will be eager to put the pain of the Masters behind him after failing to make the cut last weekend. Spieth won the Masters in 2015 but has struggled to find form lately. He began his first round in Georgia with a double bogey, finishing the day on 79. He marginally improved to 74 on the second day but finished alongside Brian Harman and Sam Burns with nine over par after two rounds.
With the two previous winners out of sorts for this competition, it opens the door for the rest of the field. One player we will monitor is Ludvig Åberg. The major debutant looked cool, calm, and collected throughout one of the most exciting events in world golf. You will struggle to scour the golf history books and find a player who did better on their Masters debut than the young Sweed. Åberg might have fallen four shots short of Scottie Sheffler, who won his second green jacket, but he finished three shots clear of the chasing pack. When vastly more experienced players, Homa and Morikawa, choked on the last day at Augusta, Åberg cruised into a comfortable solo second. Watch out for another stellar performance from this young man.
Not only do we have the runner-up of the 2024 Masters at the RBC Heritage this year, but the winner of the coveted green jacket is also in attendance. If you watched any coverage, you would have seen a master at work. The way Scottie Scheffler moved around the golf course was by no accident. The game plan was straightforward and calculated. Keep the ball in play and attack the greens from the right angles. Betting on Scheffler to win the RBC Heritage feels like the best move, but anything can happen in golf. While he made the major look easy, it is not unusual for players to chase down the leader.
Looking at the previous round, there were 24 players with a score of -10 or better. The top ten were only four shots of the leader. Fitzpatrick won the day after beating Spieth in a playoff. This event will be a lot tighter than the Masters and with much lower scores on the cards. The conditions played a significant factor in the scoring in Georgia, especially on days two and three of the competition. The forecast at Harbour Town Golf Links is in the high twenties and low 30s, but there is a possibility of rain on the weekend. Day one and two of the RBC Heritage could be fierce as the players aim to go as low as possible before the weather interferes.
RBC Heritage Predictions
Prediction: Scheffler to win by two strokes
We predict Scottie Scheffler will win the RBC Heritage by two strokes. However, we expect Ludvig Åberg to contest the American, and grab second place. When predicting the top five, Tommy Fleetwood, Colin Morikawa, and Max Homa have a great chance of impressing.
Scottie Scheffler will be full of confidence with a freshly pressed green jacket in his suitcase. Even with the pressure and expectation, nothing seemed to faze Scheffler even under the intense scrutiny that comes with a major. We see the rest of the field being much closer this time. But with a clear advantage over the challenging pack, we back the two-time winner at Augusta to continue dominating from the front.
While Scottie deserves recognition for his incredible performance, there is one man we predict has what it takes to dethrone the king. Ludvig Åberg was one of the few players on the golf course on Sunday with a level head. He started Round Four with three birdies on the front nine before a costly error on the par four 11th. Åberg’s approach to the green caught the hill on the side of the green and tumbled into the water. More experienced players would have crumbled after a devastating mistake like that, but not Åberg. He smiled for the rest of the round, securing two more birdies to recover from his double.
Scheffler and Åberg are our top two golf predictions for the weekend, but keep an eye out for other big names. Xander Schauffele, Colin Morikawa, and Max Homa will undoubtedly have a part to play this weekend. You can also never rule out players like Wyndham Clark, Tommy Fleetwood, and Rory McIlroy when the pressure is on. Our sports betting site offers betting each way for at least the top five players at the RBC Heritage. We predict the top ten will feature several players who also finished strongly at the Masters.
Even with the undeniable quality spread amongst the field, and the surprise package that is Ludvig Åberg, we can’t help but back the favourite. Scottie Scheffler put in a performance few could replicate at Augusta. His tee shots were never in danger, his putting was much improved, and his approach shots from the 100-yard line were second to none. He attacked every green and got the ball to stop mere inches from the hole. If he turns up in South Carolina playing half as well as he did in Georgia, the rest of the field does not stand a chance.
RBC Heritage Betting Tips
Betting on golf events is tricky. If you are not going for the outright winner of the tournament, it might feel like there is little to bet on. This week, we predict Scottie Scheffler will win the RBC Heritage. However, most online sports betting sites will agree with this decision. That means you can take a punt on someone who is not the favourite or bet each way.
Making a wager on the top five or ten places might not sound rewarding, but it can be very lucrative. The top ten finishers at the masters contained players like Morikawa, Smith, and Dechambeau. Before the event, most of these players were at odds of 25/1 or higher to win the Masters. Betting on a player like this to finish in the top ten will return around 1/5 of the original odds. Betting €10 each way on Bryson before the Masters at 35/1 would return as much as €80 if he finished in the top ten. These returns were more profitable than an outright wager on Scottie to win.
Other bets to consider this week include the number of birdies and eagles on a certain hole. If you look at last year’s results, two players finished 17 under par and most of the top ten were not far away. That means there are birdies and eagle opportunities all over the golf course. Betting on a particular hole to see a lot of action could return more than a top-five finish. Even if you wait until the event begins on Thursday and place a live bet on the fifth hole, you could still secure a great profit.
If you decide to bet on the golf this weekend, why not do it at Novibet? Any new player can claim an exciting welcome bonus. Using your bonus this week will open up your options. With your bonus, you can take more risk on an outsider to win the tournament or to finish in the top positions. Betting on a player who underperformed at the Masters to bounce back this weekend could be a winning move.
Anyone looking to bet on any golfing event needs to consider the format of this tournament. Previously, 132 players have competed across four days with almost half the field being cut after two days. This year, a much smaller field competes and no cut after 36 holes. That means even if players begin with a few bogeys, they can still compete in the final stages. Some insane shots will come into play, and they could throw the field wide open. Golf betting this weekend will be difficult, as anyone could walk away with a chunk of the $20 million prize purse.
RBC Heritage Players
With a field of 69 players confirmed for the RBC Heritage, choosing your bet will be troublesome. Check out the official PGA website for a complete list of RBC Heritage players. Instead of listing every player, we have highlighted some of the biggest names competing this year and organised them from the most likely to win to the least. If you place a golf bet this week, look at this list first.
- Scottie Scheffler
- Ludvig Åberg
- Max Homa
- Colin Morikawa
- Tommy Fleetwood
- Xander Schauffele
- Wyndham Clark
- Matt Fitzpatrick
- Rory McIlroy
- Shane Lowry
- Jordan Spieth
- Séamus Power
