Preview

Starts: 18th April 2024
Course: Harbour Town Golf Links, South Carolina
Par: 71 (36-35)
Length: 7,121 yards
2023 Champion: Matt Fitzpatrick

PGA Tour RBC Heritage Picks 2024

2024 RBC Heritage Course Info

Designer: Dye/Nicklaus
Used Since: 1969
Fairways: Narrow
Rough: Bermuda (0.75 inch)
Greens: TifEagle Bermuda (12.5 stimp)
Water Hazards: On 7 holes
Par 5's: 2nd, 5th and 15th
Premium on: Accurate approach play

2024 RBC Heritage Trends

Winning Score
In 2020, we saw a tournament record of -22 with the event played under easier conditions in the month of June.  However, the other events played between 2017-2023 were won with scores between -13 and -19.  We should epect a similar score again this year.

Course Form
Only two players in the last 16 years have won on their debut in this event.  Of the 14 players who had competed here prior to winning in the past 16 years, only one did so without having previously recorded a top-25 finish. That was Graeme McDowell, who obviously has significant pedigree on narrow, wind exposed courses.

We should treat Graeme as the exception to the rule as previous experience here counts for a lot. To emphasise that point, Luke Donald recorded an incredible SEVEN top-3 finishes in NINE years between 2009 and 2017, while Davis Love III is a FIVE time winner here.

Recent Form
Only three of the last eight champions had posted a top 60 finish in their last start prior to winning.  Recent form isn't essential.

World Ranking
The world ranking of the past eight champions has been 16-20-115-9-111-46-73-14.  Winners are generally inside the top 125.

Played the Masters
Four of the last five winners played in The Masters the week before winning this event.  Note - this does not include the 2020 RBC Heritage due to Covid altering the schedule.

Nationality
Between 2000 and 2011, American golfers dominated, winning nine of the twelve tournaments. However, since 2012 only six Americans have prevailed.

Correlating Courses
There are trends with another Pete Dye designed course, TPC Sawgrass. Home of The Players Championship, Sawgrass also demands accuracy off the tee and challenges players visually, as Dye likes to do.

Certain players have excellent records at both venues. A few notables include:

Davis Love III is a multiple winner of both tournaments
Jim Furyk has won the Heritage twice and been runner up twice at Sawgrass
Matt Kuchar has won at both venues
Webb Simpson has won both
Si Woo Kim has won The Players Championship and has a runner up finish at Hilton Head.

2024 RBC Heritage Stats Analysis

SG: Off The Tee
The last seven winners have ranked 39-5-20-54-79-10-107

Driving Distance
The last eight winners have ranked 15-3-7-46-87-98-89-59.  

Driving Accuracy
The last eight winners have ranked 56-50-104-54-99-11-85-83.  Surprisingly, accuracy off the tee isn't essential despite the tree lined fairways.

SG: Approach
The last seven winners have ranked 10-13-2-8-23-10-3.  Approach play is key.

SG: Around The Green
The last seven winners have ranked 11-7-5-60-11-96-18.

SG: Putting
The last eight winners have ranked 20-93-25-4-5-22-14-11. Although Spieth putted terribly in 2022, a hot putter is usually essential.

2024 RBC Heritage In Play Advice

Tough Holes
The 3rd and 4th holes have ranked inside the top four hardest holes in each of the past two years.  The par 3 14th hole is also traditionally a hole ranked amongst the three hardest on the course.

Birdie Holes
The par 5's (2nd, 5th and 15th) play as the easiest holes.  The easiest hole outside of those is the short par 4 9th.

Closing Stretch
Given the last couple of holes are exposed to the water, the severity of the wind often determines how difficult these holes play.  The 18th hole played as the hardest hole on the course in 2019 but was only 6th hardest last year.  The par 3 17th plays over par more often than not.

Fast or Slow Start
Winners in 2021 and 2020, Stewart Cink and Webb Simpson, were never outside the top 3 after each round.  However, it is possible to get off to a slow start here and still win.  In 2019 C.T. Pan opened with a level par 71 and found himself 6 shots behind first round leader Shane Lowry. Last year, Jordan Spieth was also six behind the leader after the opening round.

In 2018, Satoshi Kodaira was a full 9 strokes behind the first round lead after he opened with a 2 over par 73.  Similarly, in 2017, Wesley Bryan was in 35th position after round one.  In fact, in the last twelve runnings of the Heritage the winner has started with a score in the 70s five times.

Round 3 leaders have a very poor record here in recent years and there have been some stunning wins from players off the pace.  Eight of the last ten winners have come from at least two shots back and in seven of those years the winner came from three shots back. 

Even more impressively, in 2018 and 2011 Kodaira and Brand Snedeker came from six shots back, while in 2004 Stewart Cink overturned a NINE shot deficit.

 

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Will The Weather Be A Factor at the RBC Heritage 2024?

There may be a rain shower on Sunday but otherwise conditions look to be perfect.

Previous RBC Heritage Previews

You can access our historical RBC Heritage tips, previews and in-play blogs using the links below:

2023 RBC Heritage picks

2022 RBC Heritage picks

2021 RBC Heritage picks

 

2024 PGA Tour Heritage Picks