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RBC Heritage Power Rankings: Top 10 picks at Harbour Town

By Mike Randleman

UNITED STATES - APRIL 10: A view of the Harbor Town light at Hilton Head during the 2006 Verizon Heritage Monday Pro-Am April 10, 2006, at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
UNITED STATES - APRIL 10: A view of the Harbor Town light at Hilton Head during the 2006 Verizon Heritage Monday Pro-Am April 10, 2006, at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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RBC Heritage Power Rankings
RBC Heritage – Power Rankings (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

The RBC Heritage is here once again, in its traditional post-Masters place on the calendar. While few will mistake Hilton Head for Augusta, this is still one of the PGA TOUR’s most popular destinations. Here are our picks to bring home the tartan jacket this week.

Few courses can challenge Tour players quite like Augusta National. Going most anywhere else on Tour the next week is bound to feel like a reprieve for Masters competitors the week before. Harbour Town, site of this week’s RBC Heritage, is somewhat of a break, but it still has plenty of teeth of its own.

It’s the anti-Augusta, with narrow fairways, small greens and a flat, links style design. Big hitters can win here, but bomb and gouge alone won’t get the job done this week.

Harbour Town Golf Links measures at a “meager” 7,099 yards for a par of 71 . Some holes can play long, especially if the swirling winds are up, but it’s otherwise a track where fairway wood is almost always plenty of club.

This event celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. The past champions list is impressive, listing Arnold Palmer as its inaugural winner followed by the likes of Hale Irwin, Johnny Miller, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Fuzzy Zoeller, Nick Faldo (stops to breathe), Bernhard Langer, Davis Love III, Greg Norman and Payne Stewart.

This event has produced some 72nd hole drama recently. Wesley Bryan won by one in 2017, Branden Grace by two in ’16, Jim Furyk in a playoff in ’15, Matt Kuchar by one in ’14 and Graeme McDowell in a playoff in ’13.

The winning score is usually around low double digits under par. The record score was set at 20-under 264 in 2009 in a truly outstanding 10-shot win by Brian Gay. Any score in the 60s will hold up well at Harbour Town.

Some big hitters shy away from this event, but it’s one of the favorites on the PGA Tour as a relaxing family vacation destination.

The margins were razor thin to round out the top 10 this week, so I apologize to the likes of Tyrrell Hatton, Matt Fitzpatrick and defending champ, Wesley Bryan, who missed my cut this week. That’s what can happen when players make the short trip from Augusta to Hilton Head, though.

Here’s who I’ve got to contend for the infamous plaid jacket this week in South Carolina.

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