Power Rankings: RBC Heritage

Other than the soft landing of Harbour Town Golf Links, the site of the annual destination post-Masters, there’s another promise for the field of 69 at this week’s RBC Heritage – no cut.

It’s the fifth of eight Signature Events this season. Of the commits, 54 competed at the first major last week, so they’ll leave some of that sweat in the rearview mirror.

Scroll or swipe past the golfers projected to contend for details of the tournament, the host course and more.

No time for the proverbial hangover after the Masters this time around as there are four rounds to be played on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. In addition to the usual spoils, the field is chasing 700 FedExCup points and $3.6 million for victory.

Although Harbour Town trails the Masters in the migration, it’s fair to wonder how fitting it’d be as a tune-up in advance of the major. Augusta National Golf Club requires the full bag and skill set with its unique combination of other prerequisites to be considered a force pre-tournament, but a primary objective there is to be properly positioned on approach. This is not dissimilar to the strategy to find the best angles at Harbour Town.

The par 71 in the Lowcountry stretches to a modest 7,213 yards, but because of routing, overhanging trees and some of the smallest greens on the PGA TOUR (at just 3,700 square feet on average), drivers will be holstered often. There are ball-strikers’ paradises, and then there’s a shot-maker’s track like this one.

Fields have understood that downshifting is required. Harbour Town annually ranks among the shortest in distance off the tee, while also typically among the easiest in splitting fairways. With targets yielding an average of about 11 greens in regulation per round, the small ball plays up. The only rough is just 1¼ inches high this year.

To that end, it’s a good week to be a bad putter on the overseeded Bermudagrass greens prepped to touch a familiar 12½ feet on the Stimpmeter. Tee-to-green tacticians always have an edge with small greens, and there’s a reason why Harbour Town led all courses in each of the last two seasons in total hole-outs. With a field about half the size from last year, it won’t be in the aggregate this week, but its conversion percentage from off the green will align with history.

Favorable conditions are expected until a risk of rain enters the equation on the weekend. Daytime highs right around 80 degrees will be accompanied by southeasterly winds off the Atlantic Ocean. They could kick up late Thursday and linger into Friday, but they shouldn’t be as challenging as what was faced by those who competed in the Masters.

ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE

MONDAY: Power Rankings (RBC Heritage)
TUESDAY: Power Rankings (Corales Puntacana); Sleepers (Heritage)
WEDNESDAY: Golfbet Insider
SUNDAY: Points and Payouts (Heritage); Points and Payouts (Corales); Medical Extensions; Qualifiers; Reshuffle

* Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, which also publishes on Tuesday.