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RBC Heritage Picks, Predictions: 2026 Best Bets for Harbour Town Golf Links

RBC Heritage Picks, Predictions: 2026 Best Bets for Harbour Town Golf Links article feature image
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Taya Gray/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images. Pictured: Patrick Cantlay.

I'm sad that we have to wait another year to see Augusta National Golf Club, but what an incredible Masters.

At one point on Sunday, there were 6 golfers who had a realistic chance of winning the green jacket.

Rory McIlroy had 2 of the most tumultuous days a golfer could possibly have. He had a 6-shot lead heading into Saturday, and that entire lead disappeared. His struggles continued on the first 6 holes on Sunday, and he found himself 3 shots behind the lead.

In typical Rory fashion, all it took was one birdie on No. 7 to get the bounce back in his step. He followed it up with a birdie on No. 8 and then put together an excellent back nine.

He tried to make it interesting on the final 2 holes, but he found a way to get up and down on the 17th hole and get himself out of trouble after a wayward drive on No. 18.

McIlroy became the fourth golfer to win back-to-back Masters,  joining Tiger Woods, Nick Faldo and Jack Nicklaus.

We often have a weak field the week after the majors, but the RBC Heritage is a Signature Event. Most of the world's best are set to tee it up this week at Harbour Town Golf Links.

With a lot of big names on the board, let's take a look at my RBC Heritage picks and PGA Tour predictions for this week's Signature Event.


RBC Heritage Course Preview for Harbour Town Golf Links

There are very few similarities between Harbour Town Golf Links and Augusta National.

This week's course is a par-71 that measures 7,243 yards. It features narrow fairways and tiny greens.

We've seen golfers be more aggressive off the tee here in the last two years, but the driver usage rate was still below 60% in both of those events. This is a classic less-than-driver course where the shorter hitters have a real chance to contend.

The difficulty of the course grades out as average. The winning score has been between 17-under and 19-under in four of the last five years.

With such small greens, there's a major emphasis on approach play and scrambling. The recent list of winners (Justin Thomas, Scottie Scheffler, Matt Fitzpatrick and Jordan Spieth) certainly suggests that those two skills are needed to contend here.

The greens themselves feature Bermudagrass overseeded with Poa trivialis and should measure around 11.5 on the Stimpmeter.

RBC Heritage Picks, Predictions

We're still in search of our first win of the season. Once we get it (hopefully this week), the floodgates will open.

This is the first event in a while where I'm actually scared of a Scottie Scheffler fade in the outright market. He has struggled with his iron this year, but he gained over six strokes on approach last week. He also won this event in 2024.

The good news is that Scheffler's second-place finish last week is good for everyone else's odds in this week's field.

2026 RBC Heritage Predictions, Betting Preview: Patrick Cantlay, Viktor Hovland Lead Course Fits Image

2026 RBC Heritage Outright Picks

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Patrick Cantlay (+2450)

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It's been a while since Cantlay has contended at a PGA TOUR event and even longer since he has won a PGA TOUR event (2022 BMW Championship).

His game hasn't been in bad shape; he just hasn't been able to string four solid rounds together.

His T12 finish at the Masters last week was encouraging, especially when you look at his statistics. He gained over five strokes on approach and over five strokes around the green.

Those are the two skills that are most needed at Harbour Town.

Cantlay seems to love it here, as he's finished T13, T3, T3 and T2 at this event over the last five years.


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Si Woo Kim (+3300)

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There are few courses on the PGA TOUR better suited for Kim's game than Harbour Town.

He's extremely accurate off the tee, he's one of the best iron players in the field, and he's an excellent scrambler.

Kim already has five top-11 finishes this year, so he's been knocking on the door all season. He's one good putting week away from securing his fifth win on tour.

While he didn't have a great week at the Masters, that can often be a positive at this event. Kim has played well here in each of the last two years, posting finishes of T8 and T18.


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Jordan Spieth (+3300)

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I'm on record that Spieth is going to win this year. I will continue to bet him on courses that suit his game.

His approach play, around-the-green play and putting have all been better this year than they have been in the last few years.

After finishing T12 at the Masters last week, he said that's the best he has ever hit the ball at Augusta National.

A quick look at the stats show that he gained six strokes on approach and three strokes around the green. That bodes well for his chances at Harbour Town, where he won in 2022.

rbc heritage-picks-predictions-best bets-harbour town golf links-2026
Via Stuart Kerr/Getty Images. Pictured: Jordan Spieth of the United States plays a shot from a bunker during a practice round prior to The 152nd Open championship at Royal Troon on July 14, 2024, in Troon, Scotland.

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Maverick McNealy (+3700)

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Many will argue that McNealy is a better top-10 or top-20 bet than an outright bet. His 2026 season is littered with solid finishes, but he doesn't have a single finish better than T10.

While I usually like to bet golfers who have flashed more upside recently, I love that McNealy has been positive in all four of the Strokes Gained categories this year.

It's only a matter of time before he avoids the one blowup round that keeps holding him back. He seems to like it here, as he has two top-four finishes in his last four starts at Harbour Town.


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Sepp Straka (+5000)

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Last but not least, we have Mr. Straka.

He's the opposite of McNealy because what he lacks in consistency, he makes up for in high-end finishes. He can get red-hot with his irons and with his putter at any time.

That's a lethal combination on the PGA TOUR.

His long-term stat profile doesn't necessarily line up great with this week's course, but he has actually gotten much better around the green this season.

Couple that with his iron play and his spike putting, and he stands out as an excellent bet at +5000.


When is the 2026 RBC Heritage?

The 2026 RBC Heritage tees off on Thursday, April 16, 2026.

  • What: 2026 RBC Heritage
  • When: April 16-19, 2026
  • Where: Harbour Town Golf Links, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
  • Par: 71
  • Length: 7,213
  • Purse: $20 million

How to Watch RBC Heritage

Round 1: Thursday, April 16

  • Live stream: ESPN+ (7 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET)
  • TV coverage: Golf Channel (2 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET)

Round 2: Friday, April 17

  • Live stream: ESPN+ (7 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET)
  • TV coverage: Golf Channel (2 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET)

Round 3: Saturday, April 18

  • Live stream: ESPN+ (7 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET)
  • TV coverage: Golf Channel (1 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET) · CBS/Paramount+ (3 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET)

Round 4: Sunday, April 19

  • Live stream: ESPN+ (7 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET)
  • TV coverage: Golf Channel (1 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET) · CBS/Paramount+ (3 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET)

2026 RBC Heritage Odds

via bet365 as of Monday

GolferOdds
Scottie Scheffler+400
Matt Fitzpatrick+1500
Xander Schauffele+1500
Cameron Young+1900
Russell Henley+1900
Tommy Fleetwood+1900
Patrick Cantlay+2200
Ludvig Aberg+2400
Collin Morikawa+2700
Robert MacIntyre+3000
Jake Knapp+3200
Jordan Spieth+3200
Justin Thomas+3200
Sam Burns+3200
Si Woo Kim+3200
Maverick McNealy+3500
Shane Lowry+3700
Viktor Hovland+3700
Chris Gotterup+4500
Jacob Bridgeman+4500
Jason Day+4500
Sepp Straka+4500
Ben Griffin+5000
Harris English+5500
Justin Rose+5500
J.T. Poston+6000
Rickie Fowler+6000
Ryo Hisatsune+6500
Akshay Bhatia+6600
J.J. Spaun+6600
Min Woo Lee+6600
Alex Noren+7500
Daniel Berger+7500
Harry Hall+7500
Ryan Gerard+7500
Sahith Theegala+7500
Sam Stevens+7500
Wyndham Clark+7500
Nicolai Hojgaard+8000
Brian Harman+9000
Kurt Kitayama+9000
Max Homa+9000
Nick Taylor+9000
Sudarshan Yellamaraju+9000
Corey Conners+10000
Keegan Bradley+10000
Marco Penge+10000
Gary Woodland+11000
Matt McCarty+12000
Sungjae Im+12000
Taylor Pendrith+12000
Andrew Novak+14000
Jordan Smith+14000
Matt Wallace+14000
Michael Brennan+14000
Nico Echavarria+14000
Pierceson Coody+14000
Billy Horschel+16500
Bud Cauley+17500
Ricky Castillo+17500
Tony Finau+17500
Denny McCarthy+20000
Michael Kim+20000
Austin Smotherman+22500
Chandler Blanchet+25000
Patrick Rodgers+25000
Ryan Fox+25000
Andrew Putnam+30000
Johnny Keefer+35000
Sami Valimaki+40000
William Mouw+40000
Karl Vilips+45000
Lucas Glover+45000
Steven Fisk+45000
David Lipsky+50000
Tom Hoge+50000
Garrick Higgo+60000
Jhonattan Vegas+60000
Aldrich Potgieter+75000
Brian Campbell+75000
Adam Schenk+200000
Joe Highsmith+200000

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