Well, there you have it. Rory McIlroy is a back-to-back Masters winner, joining an exclusive club that includes Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods.
It makes sense. Rory should be included in that group. He's the greatest European golfer of all time, and it’s not really close.
He accomplished the feat by the skin of his teeth with a clutch bogey on 18 to beat the chasers behind him, including Scottie Scheffler, who finished one stroke short of Rory at 11-under.
You have to think that if Scottie played the par 5s better, he likely would have been closer to 15-under. That's just the nature of the beast with Augusta.
Big congrats to Rory. Now, we head north of Augusta this week to Hilton Head, SC, for the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links.
Let's take a look at my 2026 RBC Heritage predictions and PGA Tour betting preview for this week's action.
2026 RBC Heritage Stats to Know
Measuring just over 7,200 yards, Harbour Town is a track where hitting fairways is pivotal, given its tight fairways with doglegs and overhanging trees.
Known to be a “less-than-driver” off the tee course, driver usage at Harbour Town has vastly increased over the past two years, moving from 53% to 59% from 2023 to 2024. Last year, it stayed in that 59% range.
Players need a complete game here. Given the green complexes being some of the smallest on tour, hitting greens is difficult.
Although it's easier to scramble around here, the around-the-green game will be very important given the low green-in-regulation percentage.
Last year, the top seven finishers on the leaderboard all ranked top-20 in Strokes Gained: Around the Green.
However, as is the case most weeks, approach play is the stat that sets players apart at Harbour Town. The top three finishers last year all ranked in the top 10 in Strokes Gained: Approach.
We have a stacked field this week, given the elevated nature of this event, with a total purse of $20 million.
2026 RBC Heritage Betting Preview
The top of the odds board showcases Scottie Scheffler at +350, Xander Schauffele at +1475, Cam Young at +1700 and Tommy Fleetwood at +1700.
As of writing, I have already placed three bets on numbers that I thought were simply way too long. Let's get into it.
2026 RBC Heritage Outright Picks
All stats are from BetSperts Golf.
Patrick Cantlay (+2300)
I mean, if you want to talk about Mr. Pete Dye himself, you talk about Patrick Cantlay.
Being a Pete Dye design, Harbour Town usually caters to the same players year after year. And the same players who play well here tend to play well on other Pete Dye designs.
It makes sense. Cantlay’s course history here is insanely good with five T3s or better in his eight starts here. Just laughable.
And now we get Cantlay at a pretty enticing price of +2400 since the slow start to his 2026 season.
However, Patty Ice is rounding into some very nice form. Coming off a Masters where he gained over five strokes on approach and was a complete magician around the greens — plus a T7 at the Valspar before that — there's a lot to be confident about.
If Cantlay doesn't win an event by this August, it will be four years since he has won on tour. You simply have to believe a win is coming for the Long Beach native at a place he’s been so close throughout his entire career.
Viktor Hovland (+3900)
My second pick is Viktor Hovland at +3900. That's an insane price. There’s no reason why he shouldn’t be bunched with players in the low 30-1s.
I absolutely loved what I saw from Hovland off the tee at the Masters, hitting 79% of fairways and gaining just under six strokes via ball striking. His approach numbers were also stellar, gaining just under five strokes in that category.
A T19 finish and a 5-under Sunday round at Augusta has me licking my chops at this number for Hovland.
Aside from the Masters last week, Hovland's approach numbers have been rock solid all year, gaining in that category in six of his seven starts.
I like his course history here too, with his most recent finish being a T13 while gaining strokes across the board in that trip.
I think a win is coming soon for Hovland. His game is rounding into some nice form, and it’s clear he can have spike approach weeks. I love the number, so I'm heavily dialed in on Hovland this week.
Sepp Straka (+5200)
My third bet shouldn't surprise anyone who reads my content: Sepp Straka at +5200.
I get it — he has steamed us this year. But he has been very close. The way I go about this is very consistent. I have a process, and I bet my guys.
Straka is a four-time PGA Tour winner, and he consistently ranks in the top 20 on tour via approach. Outside of a rough final round at Augusta where he finished 4-over, I thought Straka played solid golf, gaining just under four strokes on approach.
It’s hard to ignore his struggles off the tee over the past two weeks, but Straka heads to a place that he absolutely loves. He finished T13 last year, T5 in 2024 and T3 in 2022.
Much like Hovland, Straka is a player who can have spike weeks when it comes to approach. If he can start rolling the rock, I think he’s right there come Sunday afternoon.
Brian Harman (+12000)
My last player here is Brian Harman at +12000. I saw this number on Sunday night and had no choice but to bet it.
From a sheer course history perspective, Harman ranks eighth in the field in total strokes gained at Harbour Town (minimum 16 rounds). The Georgia native has a T3, T12 and T7 in the last three tournaments here.
Now, looking at Harman’s last three starts, I really like the direction in which he's trending. He posted a T33 finish at Augusta last week and has gained strokes on approach in his last three starts.
Harman is also a three-time winner on tour and a major champion.
Given his course history and recent play, this win equity is something I must be all over. Don’t be surprised to see this price move below 100-1. I believe Harman will be playing for a plaid jacket come Sunday.
