2022 RBC Heritage: Breakdown and Picks for Friday’s Second Round

Cameron Young takes the lead into Friday after a magnificent 63 but the big names are lining up behind him going into the second round.

Cameron Young got off to an electric start on Thursday at the 2022 RBC Heritage and he will take a two-shot lead into Friday’s second round. Pre-tournament favorites Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa got off to slow starts on Thursday but are still very much in the mix.

It was a rough Thursday for Australian Cameron Smith however as he looked to carry a post-Masters hangover into this week at Harbour Town. The Players Champion looked sluggish and struggled out of the gate on his way to an opening-round 73.

2022 Genesis Invitational Champion, Joaquin Niemann recorded the second-best round on Thursday as the Chilean opened with a 65 and sits just two shots off the lead after day one. Meanwhile, fellow countryman Mito Pereira sits just one shot further back after an opening 66.

A host of others sit at five-under-par going into Friday on a list that includes, Shane Lowry, Patrick Cantlay, and Corey Conners to name a few. Some notable names that sit four shots adrift include, Tyrrell Hatton, Harold Varner III, and 2021 RBC Heritage winner Stewart Cink.

Here is how the top of the leaderboard is shaping up going into the second round at Harbour Town.

RBC Heritage Leaders After Round One

Cameron Young ( -8 )

Joaquin Niemann ( -6 )

Mito Pereira ( -5 )

Graeme McDowell ( -5 )

Corey Conners ( -5 )

Shane Lowry ( -5 )

Patrick Cantlay ( -5 )

Sepp Straka ( -5 )

Adam Svensson ( -5 )

The Oddsmakers list Cameron Young, Patrick Cantlay, and Joaquin Niemann as joint favorites going into the second round on Friday. Here is a look at the top ten favorites going into round two.

RBC Heritage Favorites After Round One

(Odds Courtesy Of WynnBet)

• Joaquin Niemann ( +800 )
• Cameron Young ( +800 )
• Patrick Cantlay ( +800 )
• Shane Lowry ( +900 )
• Corey Conners ( +1200 )
• Tyrrell Hatton ( +2250 )
• Mito Pereira ( +2500 )
• Collin Morikawa ( +3000 )
• Harold Varner III ( +3000 )

3 Buys going into Friday at the RBC Heritage

Adam Svensson  +4000

Canadian Adam Svensson sits just three shots back of Cameron Young, and yet, isn’t priced like the other guys around him. Svensson has missed his last two cuts but looks like he may be returning to a bit of form this week, the same type of form that saw him contend at the Honda Classic just a couple of starts ago.

The 28-year-old gained strokes across the board during his opening round and most notably was excellent from both tee to green (+3.53) and with his approach play (+2.77), two areas that you need to excel in to have success at Harbour Town.

I like the fact that Adam got a taste of being in contention just a couple of starts ago, and this seems like a great value on someone who is just three shots back and who is playing well.

Matthias Schwab +5000

The Austrian was a late addition to this week’s field after getting into the tournament as an alternate. Schwab is another player who got off to a terrific start during round one at the RBC Heritage as he opened with a 67 and will begin the second round just four shots off the pace.

The Vanderbilt alum has had a nice year so far and he picked up an 8th place finish at the Valero Texas Open in his last start prior to this week. He also posted a 7th at the aforementioned Honda Classic and was 7th at the Puerto Rico Open a few starts ago.

Matthias does the two things well that are a prerequisite for success here as he excels with his approach play and can get hot with the putter. Schwab comes into this week ranked 39th in approach and 18th in putting.

He has gained strokes with his iron play in five consecutive starts now and so far this week has continued to have success in that area as he gained +2.77 strokes on approach during the first round at the RBC Heritage. The Austrian also gained nearly two and a half strokes from tee to green on Thursday. This is another nice value on someone who is playing well thus far and is just a handful of shots back after the first round.

C.T. Pan +25000

I’ll take a chance with a longshot and someone who is a past champion of the RBC Heritage. C.T. Pan won here in 2019 when he outlasted Kuchar, Cantlay, and Dustin Johnson.

He also picked up the bronze medal at the Olympics last year when he beat out the likes of Collin Morikawa, Corey Conners, and Cameron Smith to that prestigious honor. Clearly, Pan is someone who won’t shy away from the big moment and that alone gives me the confidence to take him in this spot at such long odds.

The 30-year-old has had a mixed bag of results so far in 2022 but he did record a 9th place finish at the Genesis Invitational in February and was also T16 at the Honda Classic. Pan has now gained strokes with his approach play in four consecutive events. He continued to excel with his irons on Thursday as he gained +2.53 strokes with his approaches, he also played well from tee to green as he gained over three strokes in that department.

C.T. opened with a 1-under 70 on Thursday and will go into Friday seven shots behind leader Young, but if he can get the putter to cooperate as the week moves on he could certainly find himself climbing the leaderboard, and at these odds, he is well worth taking a chance with.