RBC Heritage 36 Hole Recap and Weekend Preview

Jason Day is looking to win his 3rd event in 4 starts at the RBC Heritage

RBC Heritage Classic goes into the weekend with a very familiar face on the top of the leaderboard. Another week on the PGA TOUR and another week that Jason Day is in serious contention to win. The number one ranked player in the world shot an very solid 2-under par 69 on Friday in difficult conditions. That leaves Day tied for the lead at 6-under par for the championship at the RBC Heritage.

I’ll be quite honest with you: I didn’t really know what to expect from Day this week. I questioned if he could come out and play his best golf after such a pressure packed event like the Masters. It was a frustrating week at Augusta for Day. He kept taking two steps forward and three steps back. He had so much pressure on him because he was the favorite going into Augusta after having won in his previous two starts.

At Hilton Head this week Day has shown no ill effects of an emotional or physical hangover from the Masters. What makes his performance more impressive is that this is a course where distance isn’t really as big an advantage as some other courses on the PGA TOUR. Day has shown the ability to throttle back and show off how solid his total game is.

Apr 15, 2016; Hilton Head, SC, USA; Jason Day hits his second shot out of a bunker on the 9th hole during the second round of the RBC Heritage golf tournament at Harbour Town Golf Links. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /

The key really is the putter for Day. When he is making putts nobody, and I mean nobody, can beat him. We all witnessed this at the end of 2015 when he was so dominant. The scary thing for everyone this year is that he has yet to play his best golf, and he still has two wins and may be closing in on his third this week at the RBC Heritage.

Tied with Day for the lead are Kevin Chappell and Charley Hoffman. Chappell has had an inconsistent year, but did finish 2nd to Day at the Arnold Palmer Invitational a few weeks ago. This weekend watch Chappell’s swing to see how short it gets. That is what he fights occasionally, and that leads to inconsistencies with his ball striking. He is still looking for his first win on the PGA TOUR, but he will have some stiff competition.

One of the players he will have to contend with is Charley Hoffman. The veteran has played solid golf this year but not really what some might expect from Hoffman. Over the years he has become somewhat notorious for starting really fast and somewhat falling apart on the weekends. Because of those strong starts Hoffman has made 8 consecutive cuts, but does not have a top-10 finish in that span.

Apr 15, 2016; Hilton Head, SC, USA; Charley Hoffman hits his second shot on the 17th hole during the second round of the RBC Heritage golf tournament at Harbour Town Golf Links. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /

Hoffman is too good of a talent to have only won three times on the PGA TOUR. I want to see him be able to close things out on the weekend when the pressure is really on. The putter is always the key for Hoffman. He just doesn’t seem to be able to make those crucial 6 footers to keep the momentum going at times.

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Luke Donald, who always plays fantastically at Hilton Head, is one back of the lead. It’s been a bit of a downward spiral for the former world number one. It would really be nice to see if he can win again to pick up some much needed OWGR and FedEx Cup points. Donald is still one of the best bunker players on tour and a solid putter as well.

The 2014 RBC Heritage champion, Matt Kuchar, is two shots back in a very crowded leaderboard. Kuchar is one of the most solid and consistent players on tour. He is always lurking around the lead on the weekend. A win this week could really elevate him and get his season off to a flying start.

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Saturday is going to be another challenging day. Winds are going to be in the 20 mph range again. Staying patient and knocking in those 5 footers for par are going to be key. It’s going to be fun to watch how some of the world’s best navigate this challenging course with ever changing winds.

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