Before we get started talking about this week's RBC Heritage, what a Masters week that was. Rory McIlroy clearly knows his dramatic arts, because he can't do anything but be extremely compelling when winning at Augusta.
It didn't have the same sort of zenith as last year's win, but another historic win for the man dubbed his generation's Tiger Woods since he was 20 is extremely satisfying to watch. On top of that, almost all of the LIV players had bad weeks (couldn't care less about Tyrrell Hatton finishing T3), and it just continues to show the gap between that tour and the PGA Tour is immense and ever-expanding.
Anyways, on to Hilton Head. The RBC Heritage serves as the next Signature Event on the PGA Tour schedule, meaning many of the big names seen around Augusta will be making the short trip down to the South Carolina coast for this week's event.
Harbour Town is a short course, especially in comparison to the behemoth that is Augusta National. Even though it's a short course, it can still play tricky for these pros, especially when the wind gets turned up. We're now 2-for-2 on picking Rory McIlroy to win The Masters, so we've earned a pat on the back once again. Let's get another win and get a streak going.
Honorable Mentions: Akshay Bhatia, Sam Burns, Tommy Fleetwood, Maverick McNealy, Sepp Straka
9. Jordan Spieth
I am more and more convinced every year that the only major Jordan Spieth could conceivably win going forward is The Masters, but his T12 finish last weekend feels like a good sign moving forward. A former Heritage champion, we’ve been getting closer to having Spieth return to a consistent level of playing this year, with five top-25s this year so far.
Does Jordan Spieth kind of need everything to go right for him to win again, with how the game has developed since his great 2015? He does, but maybe we get lucky this week.
8. Matt Fitzpatrick
I know it’s not a bad finish, but I think Matt Fitzpatrick has to be a little disappointed in his T18 finish at The Masters. He really should’ve been in contention last week, but at least it wasn’t a total failure of a week like it was for Bryson. The putter failed Fitz, but returning to a course where he is a former champion should allow him to find his groove this week.
7. Chris Gotterup
Look, Chris Gotterup did not have a good weekend in Augusta, but I think a lot of that can get chalked up to it being his Masters debut. He’s still performing at a very high level this season, and there’s no reason to think that he’ll stop. I do worry about the need to be accurate off the tee this week for Gotterup, but if he can keep his ball in the ballpark, then we should be in a great spot come Sunday.
6. Collin Morikawa
I fully expect Collin Morikawa to withdraw this week, but his T7 while playing at maybe 70% with his back issues is possibly the best non-winning performance of The Masters. Morikawa's record at the RBC Heritage isn't as strong as one would expect, considering you don't need to be super long off the tee to contend around Harbour Town. However, if he trusts the back this week after getting through Augusta, then he can put on the tartan jacket come Sunday.
5. Jake Knapp
Another week, another top-11 finish for Jake Knapp at The Masters, by far his best career major finish. His entire game has jumped multiple levels this season, and he needs to be a mainstay in these rankings until it all goes away.
At this point last year, Knapp's 50-round moving average of strokes gained: total was at 0.0. Right now, that average is +1.9 strokes gained per round. While he hasn't found a win in 2026 to back up this strong play yet, I think this week could finally be the moment for the 31-year-old to find win number two.
4. Cameron Young
Cameron Young is going to win a major at some point in his career. While he couldn't get it done on Sunday, playing with Rory in the final group, there's been a clear elevation of Young's floor on a week-to-week basis, and he has earned every bit of his current world ranking of No. 3.
I don't have him up in the top two because he's probably exhausted from the emotional turmoil (let alone the physicality needed) of playing in the last group on Sunday at The Masters. If this week is a disappointment from Cam Young, that's completely understandable, but I expect good things from the new golf superstar.
3. Russell Henley
We were extremely close to having the words "Masters champion Russell Henley" uttered on Sunday afternoon; he just couldn't quite keep things going on the second nine. Regardless, it continues Henley's strong form, which he has shown since last season, and he is still firmly established as a borderline top-five player in the world.
The Georgian has had three straight top-20 finishes at the RBC Heritage, with a T8 finish last season. The five-time Tour winner feels so close to another win, don't be surprised if it comes this weekend.
2. Xander Schauffele
Xander Schauffele is truly back. I know he won the Baycurrent in the fall, but seeing him pull off a top-10 finish last week really feels like he is back to world beater Xander Schauffele. His track record at Harbour Town hasn't been the best throughout his career, but a lot of those poor performances come down to him not being as accurate in his early days compared to now.
Current Xander Schauffele is much more suited for this golf course, and we could see him reannounce himself to the golf world this week.
1. Scottie Scheffler
Genuinely, Scottie Scheffler should have won The Masters by like four shots. I could count on both hands the number of putts Scottie either burned the edge on or fully lipped out that would've changed the whole look of the leaderboard.
As much as I love Haotong Li, the insanity that was his number at the 13th hole iced Scottie and cost him this major. He didn't make a bogey all weekend! The first time since the 1940s! Reports of Scottie's demise have been greatly exaggerated, and I think he could win easily this weekend.
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