Matchup Minute: Back Tom Kim against recent winner at RBC Heritage

Another week of the top golfers playing at one of my favorite stops on the PGA TOUR? Sign me up.

Harbor Town Golf Links, located on Hilton Head, S.C., will host the RBC Heritage—a Pete Dye design diabolical in nature but delicious to the eyes of every fan. The pros will find this short but tricky track rewarding when hitting it in the right spots off the tee, and detrimental if they don’t. Some of the smallest greens on TOUR (average green size is 3,700 square feet) will put a premium on elite iron play.

The forecast shows high winds on Thursday, making tournament head-to-head bets interesting. Here’s a look at some of the 72-hole matchups that have caught my eye, with odds via BetMGM Sportsbook unless otherwise noted:

Tom Kim (-110) over Sam Burns

The young South Korean stud finished 16th in his first appearance at the Masters and should feel confident heading into a course well-suited for his game. His irons have been a touch off, but he has a sixth at this year’s American Express (another Pete Dye design), a top-5 at the Sentry Tournament of Champions and a win at the Wyndham Championship last season, which is a comparable course to Harbour Town. It all puts him firmly in the ‘like’ category this week, even against a player who won last month on TOUR.

Matt Kuchar (-125) over Corey Conners

Things didn’t go well for Conners (or anyone like me who backed him last week), but coming into a tough test at Augusta National after grinding out a win the week previous at the Valero Texas Open allows him a ‘free pass.’ Conners hasn’t missed a weekend at Harbor Town for three starts, all of which have been inside the top 25, with recent finishes of 12th last season and fourth in 2021. Even though Conners is one of the best wind players on TOUR, he has an afternoon tee time Thursday right when the winds are expected to pick up. Kuchar is on fire this season, with a third at the Valero Texas Open, eighth at the Genesis Invitational and a seventh at the Sony Open. He also finished third last season and won this event back in 2014. I’m backing the veteran and his strong track record here at Harbour Town.

Sepp Straka (-110) over Adam Scott

This matchup is via FanDuel, and you probably felt as weird reading this as I did writing it out. Neither has been playing particularly well this season; Scott’s best finish was a 21st at the Sony Open in January. At a place where approach is paramount to success, the Australian is tough to trust, losing nearly 11 strokes total with his irons in his previous three measured tournaments. Straka’s top-5 finish at the Honda Classic was on the back of solid iron play, and he’s gained 6.5 strokes through approach over his last two starts. Straka also finished in a tie for third here last season, and I give him the edge this week over the more decorated major winner.

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