By: @Ryan_Humphries on Twitter & LineStar Chat

Must be 18+ (some states may require 21+) and be present in an eligible state; if you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER.

Tournament & Field 🏆

Rory McIlroy is your back-to-back Masters champion. After the biggest week in golf, the PGA Tour makes the short trip over to Hilton Head, South Carolina for the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links. This event has traditionally suffered from a bit of a post-Masters hangover, often featuring a weaker field with only a handful of top names making the trip. However, that’s no longer the case.

The RBC Heritage once again carries “Signature Event” status, bringing with it a smaller but extremely strong field. This week’s field will consist of 82 players, including 39 of the top 50 golfers in the world according to DataGolf rankings. Only 23 players in the field rank outside the top 100, so there is plenty of talent throughout.

As is the case with some other Signature Events, there will be no cut this week. Every golfer is guaranteed four rounds unless they withdraw or are disqualified, which shifts the DFS approach a bit compared to a standard full-field event.

Harbour Town Golf Links is one of the more unique stops on TOUR and always seems to produce entertaining finishes. Coming off the heels of Augusta, this should be another great week of golf. Best of luck!

The Course Preview ⛳

Harbour Town Golf Links

Par 71 | 7,099 Yards

Greens: TifEagle Bermuda (poa overseed)

Course Difficulty Rank Last 5 Years: 34th, 35th, 29th, 19th, 26th

Harbour Town GL has hosted this event every year since its inception in 1969. It is a classic Pete Dye-designed Par 71 that now checks in right around 7,100 yards. The fairways are narrow and tree-lined, and the Bermuda greens are among the smallest on the PGA Tour, averaging roughly 3,700 square feet. There are over 50 bunkers and numerous water hazards scattered throughout the course, all of which demand precision and discipline from tee to green.

Most golfers will keep the driver in the bag for much of the round, as positioning off the tee is far more important than distance. The average driving distance here tends to fall around 275 yards, well below the TOUR average. That said, strong off-the-tee play still matters. Golfers who can combine accuracy with controlled distance can set themselves up with cleaner looks into these small greens and take some of the course’s defenses out of play.

As with most Pete Dye designs, Harbour Town places a premium on strategy, creativity, and mental discipline. Tight sightlines off the tee force players to find specific landing areas in order to open up proper angles into the greens. Missing in the wrong spots can quickly lead to blocked approach shots or extremely difficult scrambling situations.

With such small putting surfaces, Harbour Town consistently produces one of the lowest greens-in-regulation rates on TOUR. While precise iron play is critical, strong around-the-green play becomes just as important, as every player is going to miss their share of greens. Approach shots will come from a variety of distances, though mid-to-long irons remain common, especially on the Par 3s and longer Par 4s.

The course features a balanced mix of scoring opportunities and demanding holes. The Par 5s are generally gettable and will need to be taken advantage of, while several of the Par 4s, particularly those stretching into the 450–500 yard range, can be quite challenging. The closing hole is one of the most iconic on TOUR, playing directly along the water with wind often playing a major factor.

As expected for a coastal course, wind can have a significant impact on scoring. In calmer conditions, Harbour Town can play relatively easy, but when the wind picks up, it becomes far more difficult to navigate. Early forecasts suggest mostly manageable conditions this week, though we could see winds increase slightly into Sunday’s final round.

Weather & Tee Times ⛅

Click the images above to view the most up-to-date forecasts.

⚖️Weather Verdict: Overall, pretty solid scoring conditions this week. Thursday is the only day to monitor, with winds around 10–15 mph and gusts around 20 mph at times, especially in the afternoon. Friday calms down nicely with lighter winds around 5–10 mph. With no cut, wave splits aren’t overly important, but there is a slight lean toward the AM/PM wave since they should avoid the peak sustained winds on Thursday afternoon. The weekend could feature an interesting Sunday finish with that setting up as overall the windiest round of the week.

RBC Heritage Tee Times

Key Stats to Consider 📊

Each key stat is paired with a weighted percentage (based on stat importance) for DFS model purposes.

1. Strokes Gained: Approach – 30%

2. Strokes Gained: Around the Green – 20%

3. Par 4 Scoring Average – 20%

4. Strokes Gained: Putting – 10%

5. Fairway Accuracy – 10%

6. Par 5 Birdie or Better % – 5%

7. Bogey Avoidance – 5%

PGA Tour Stats Page

RBC Heritage DFS Model Standouts 🏅

Below are the top 25 ranked golfers in both my overall model and my key stats model. Below that are the top 25 leaders in average finishing position over the last five and last ten starts. The players ranked on these lists do not necessarily mean they are the top golfers I’m targeting for this week's event, but many of these guys should no doubt be favorable DFS options.

Overall Model Rank: A golfer’s ranking (within the current field) in my personal DFS model, which weighs all of the key stats listed above in this newsletter, as well as factors like course history, recent form, recent average fantasy scoring results, and odds to win.

Course Fit / Key Stats Rank: Provides a golfer’s overall rank (within the current field) in my "key stats only" model, which considers only the key stats listed in the section above with the specified percentage weights allocated towards each statistic.

RBC Heritage DFS Cheat Sheet 📑

Click the Cheat Sheet above for the higher-quality direct image link

Alternative Cheat Sheet Direct Image Link

That will do it for our PGA preview! Best of luck this week and, once again, feel free to hit me up in the LineStar chat or on Twitter/X @Ryan_Humphries with any questions.