Racing Post RBC Heritage predictions & free golf betting tips: Stateside win could come Fleetwood's way

When to bet on the RBC Heritage

By 12.30pm on Thursday

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Where can I watch the RBC Heritage?

Live on Sky Sports Golf from 12.30pm on Thursday

Ian Wilkerson's RBC Heritage predictions

Tommy Fleetwood
2pts each-way 20-1 Betfair, Paddy Power

Cameron Young
1.5pts each-way 28-1 Hills

Will Zalatoris
1pt each-way 28-1 Betfair, Paddy Power

Tom Kim
1pt each-way 50-1 Hills

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Tournament preview

The PGA Tour calendar of designated events virtually dictates that all the big guns will be at Harbour Town Links for this week's RBC Heritage, but just how motivated they will be is open to question.

A week after The Masters, all 69 players will play four rounds at the tight South Carolina venue, but Green Jacket winner Scottie Scheffler will have one ear out for a phone call directing him to a maternity ward while Rory McIlroy will again be taking stock after his latest unsuccessful attempt to join golf's list of Grand Slam winners.

Nevertheless, it is as strong a field as we get on the PGA Tour these days and after Matt Fitzpatrick built on a tenth place at the Masters to win last year, a good Augusta performance is not necessarily a handicap.

Top tip

Tommy Fleetwood 20-1

Fitzpatrick's performance last year will be good news for Tommy Fleetwood, who should have his mind fully on the job as he has a great chance of finally gaining a Stateside victory.

The Southport swinger had his best Augusta showing, finishing tied for third, and that potential prize of a first win in the States should keep him on the ball as this is just the sort of track where it could occur.

This excellent tee-to-green operator, who was unfortunate not to finish closer to Scheffler as many Masters putts just slipped by the wayside, is hardly scared of winning, having celebrated seven DP World Tour titles, the latest of which came at January's Dubai Invitational.

He went into the first Major of the year in strong form after claiming seventh at the Texas Open the week before and has some decent course form at Harbour Town too.

The 64 he posted in the third round was the third best of the week two years ago, when he finished tied for tenth, while his 15th-place finish 12 months ago was no disgrace, so it seems all the ingredients are there for him to have a good tournament.

Next best bet

Cameron Young 28-1

Cameron Young is another player who can build on a good Augusta finish.

His ninth spot at the Masters was his sixth top-ten finish of the year and his strokes-gained statistics are on the upgrade and have been for the last six weeks or so.

Last week's showing was preceded by a runner-up spot behind Peter Malnati at the Valspar Championship and he was one of seven players who finished a shot off a playoff when Jordan Spieth took the Tartan Jacket at Hilton Head two years ago.

Young shot an opening 63 that week and another swift start could see him right up there in the frame again for a long overdue first PGA Tour victory.

Other selections

Will Zalatoris 28-1

Tom Kim 50-1

Will Zalatoris catches the eye this week as he continues his recovery from a back problem that meant he missed a large chunk of the 2023 calendar.

Results over the last couple of months suggest that he is well on the way to getting back to his best and he will have been encouraged by taking second at the Genesis Invitational and fourth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, both of which are designated events that attract strong fields.

He finished ninth at Augusta despite carding a 77 on Friday and his closing 69 was encouraging. His challenge fell away after a decent start on his previous Heritage start three years ago, but he is in the sort of form that suggests he could be a factor.

It is also worth backing Tom Kim, even though he has struggled to live up to his excellent 2023 when he won the Shriners' Children Open, was second at The Open behind Brian Harman, and posted seven other top-tens.

He was 30th last week at the Masters shooting 66 on the Sunday, the best round of the day.

Kim produced his best approach play of the year at the Masters, so he can do a lot better than he did last year when putting woes led to him missing the cut.

Course guide for the RBC Heritage

• Course Harbour Town Links, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina 
• Prize money $20m ($3.6m to the winner)
• Length 7,213  yards
• Par 71 – three par-fives; 11 par-fours; four par-threes 
• Field 69 The cut No cut
• Highest-ranked players in field (world ranking in brackets) Scottie Scheffler (1), Rory McIlroy (2), Xander Schauffele (3), Wyndham Clark (5), Ludvig Aberg (7)
• Course records - 72 holes 262 Webb Simpson (2020) 18 holes 61 David Frost (1994), Troy Merritt (2015) 
• Course winners taking part Matt Fitzpatrick, Jordan Spieth and Webb Simpson
• When to bet By 12.30pm on Thursday
• When to watch Live on Sky Sports Golf from 12.30pm on Thursday
• Time difference South Carolina is five hours behind the UK and Ireland
• Last week – The Masters 1 S Scheffler (9-2), 2 L Aberg (28-1), T3 T Fleetwood (45-1), T3 M Homa (60-1), T3 C Morikawa (50-1)
• Course type Links
• Course overview The course was created in 1969 and used as a PGA Tour venue for the first time that year, undergoing a redesign in 2000. It is a much tighter track than Augusta so players have to plot their way round accurately. The tournament is the fifth PGA Tour designated event of 2024 and there will be no 36-hole cut for the first time.
• The story of last year A playoff was required for the second successive year with Matt Fitzpatrick beating defending champion Jordan Spieth with a birdie on the third extra hole
• Weather forecast Thursday and Friday should be dry but overnight rain is expected on Saturday and that may linger for the final day. Temperatures are expected around 26C
• Type of player suited to the challenge Strong course management and straight hitting is required to some of the smallest greens on Tour
• Key attribute Accuracy

RBC Heritage key stat

Just two of the last 11 tournaments at Harbour Links have been settled by a margin greater than one shot

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