Steve Palmer's RBC Heritage predictions & free golf betting tips

Golf tips, best bets and player analysis for the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Links on the PGA Tour.

Where to watch

Live on Sky Sports Golf from noon on Thursday

Best bets

Matthew Fitzpatrick
3pts each-way 30-1 Hills

Abraham Ancer
2.5pts each-way 30-1 Betfair, Hills, Paddy Power

Si Woo Kim
2pts each-way 45-1 Sporting Index

Branden Grace
1pt each-way 70-1 bet365

Bryson Nimmer
0.5pt each-way 500-1 general

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Dustin Johnson has a poor record at Harbour Town for a player of his stature and is an unattractive favourite for the RBC Heritage. A missed cut at Augusta added to the world number one's woes and confidence must be low for a visit to the state of his birth.

Will Zalatoris will be hogging plenty of attention after his Masters runner-up finish, but the mental rigours of contending for the Green Jacket may result in a lacklustre performance in South Carolina.

Steve Palmer's top tip

Matthew Fitzpatrick 30-1

A first PGA Tour title could be coming for Matt Fitzpatrick on Sunday. The Sheffield man adores the Harbour Town Links and the course sets up perfectly for his game. Given how consistently well he has been performing this year, it is difficult to imagine him failing to contend for the title.

Fitzpatrick got back to winning ways in the DP World Tour Championship just before Christmas and he has carried that form into 2021, finishing fifth at Riviera, 11th at The Concession, tenth at Bay Hill and ninth at Sawgrass.

A group-stage elimination in the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play does not tell the full story - Fitzpatrick thrashed Corey Conners and Matt Wolff, but lost to an in-form and unbeaten Jordan Spieth. And a cold putter was the main reason why Fitzpatrick finished 34th in the Masters last week. It was a disappointing result, but nothing to fret about - the 26-year-old Englishman seems at the peak of his powers and is up to 17th in the world rankings.

Fitzpatrick has finished 14th in two of his last three Heritage starts and he has never arrived in better form than he does for this edition.

Next best bet

Abraham Ancer 30-1

Fitzpatrick is hungry for a PGA Tour breakthrough - and the same can be said of Abraham Ancer. Some players in this field seem sure to arrive with a Masters hangover and lacking full focus, but Fitzpatrick and Ancer should be fully switched-on throughout.

Ancer was magnificent in the last Heritage - he closed with rounds of 64, 65 and 65 but was pipped by Webb Simpson. That unlucky runner-up effort showed how well suited Ancer is to the track and he has been playing well enough this year to suggest he could be the Hilton Head hero this time.

Ancer suffered a huge mental setback at Augusta last Thursday when handed a two-shot penalty after his round - he had grazed some sand before a bunker shot and was caught on camera - and finishing 26th in the Masters was a decent result in the circumstances.

Other selections

Si Woo Kim 45-1

Branden Grace 70-1

Bryson Nimmer 500-1

Si Woo Kim made headlines for the wrong reasons last week - he broke his putter on the Friday with a tantrum beside the 15th green and had to putt with his three-wood for the rest of the round - and he did well to finish 12th on Sunday. Kim is swinging superbly again and could easily threaten Heritage glory if he can control his temper and hole some putts.

Seeing fellow Asian Hideki Matsuyama win the Masters could act as a spur for the former Sawgrass champion. Kim knows he is good enough to contend for the highest honours in the sport. He had the Heritage title at his mercy in 2018, but missed four putts of seven feet or shorter over the closing four holes and ended up losing a playoff.

Harbour Town suits Kim well and his victory in The American Express in January showed how good he is. A switch back to the conventional putting stroke he used to win the AmEx could be all that is required for another success.

Branden Grace, the 2016 Heritage champion, loves a tricky seaside track such as this one. He won the Puerto Rico Open - a similar assignment - in February. The South African had a little break prior to his last outing in the Texas Open and he seemed rusty at the outset. Grace improved his score each day, though, recording rounds of 75, 71, 70 and 68 for 23rd place. He did not qualify for the Masters, so is as fresh as a daisy for the Heritage.

Complete your staking plan with a general 500-1 chance. Bryson Nimmer has been impressing in low-grade events over the last year and he got an invite to the Puerto Rico Open which was won by Grace. Nimmer finished 39th, a commendable result given his lack of experience, and a bright professional career seems in the offing.

Nimmer can employ lots of local knowledge this week. He grew up only 20 minutes down the road from Harbour Town and has enjoyed much success in Hilton Head competitions. In his last tournament - a 36-hole pairs event in Texas last week - his team carded a betterball 21-under-par total to claim the $100,000 first prize. Given that form and his comfort on the course, there is every reason to target healthy each-way gains at such enormous odds.

Players to note

Matthew NeSmith
The local man is well suited to the track and well capable of running into the places. He has not looked comfortable in contention, but is an appealing each-way option.

Christiaan Bezuidenhout
The South African, blessed with accurate iron-play and a razor-sharp short game, is well suited to the Heritage assignment.

Collin Morikawa
The Californian should thrive from tee to green at Harbour Town and must be respected, but his short-game inconsistencies mean his cramped odds can be left alone.

Cameron Smith
The Aussie finished tenth in the Masters and is well equipped to handle the Heritage gig.

Harbour Town course guide

Course Harbour Town Links, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Prize money $7.1m ($1.278m to the winner)
Length 7,121 yards
Par 71
Field 135
Course records- 72 holes 262 Webb Simpson (2020) 18 holes 61 David Frost (1994), Troy Merritt (2015)

Course winners taking part Davis Love (five times), Stewart Cink (twice), Brian Gay, Jim Furyk (twice), Brandt Snedeker, Graeme McDowell, Matt Kuchar, Branden Grace, Wesley Bryan, Satoshi Kodaira, CT Pan, Webb Simpson

When to bet By noon on Thursday

When to watch Live on Sky Sports Golf from noon on Thursday

Time difference South Carolina is five hours behind the UK and Ireland

Last week - The Masters 1 H Matsuyama (45-1), 2 W Zalatoris (80-1), T3 J Spieth (11-1), X Schauffele (22-1), T5 J Rahm (12-1), M Leishman (100-1), 7 J Rose (80-1), T8 P Reed (33-1), C Conners (80-1), T10 C Smith (35-1), T Finau (35-1)

Spectators 6,750 per day (20 per cent of capacity)

Course type Links

Course overview The Harbour Town Links is a classic Pete Dye-designed track, which was created in 1969 and revised in 2000, and has a history of producing great champions. Arnold Palmer, Hale Irwin, Johnny Miller, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer, Greg Norman, Payne Stewart and Nick Price have all triumphed on this tricky, seaside track. Despite its lack of yardage, the Links is a difficult assignment, with tall trees, 49 bunkers and 12 water hazards. There are only three par-five holes (the 502-yard second, the 549-yard fifth and the 588-yard 15th) and they are the easiest holes on the course. The 332-yard par-four ninth is another pick-up hole, but players will only score well with straight hitting to tight targets and good scrambling around some of the smallest greens on the circuit. Strategically placed bunkers demand precision hitting and the 472-yard 18th is one of the toughest finishing holes in the business. The fourth and eighth holes are historically the most difficult of all. This event has traditionally been played the week following the Masters in April, but had a revised June slot last year in the wake of the Covid-19 suspension.

The story of last year Webb Simpson set a new 72-hole scoring record, firing a glorious Sunday 64 to edge Abraham Ancer by a shot

Weather forecast Cloudy for the most part, with temperatures peaking at 24C on Sunday, and a thunderstorm threat for Thursday afternoon. Light to moderate breezes throughout

Type of player suited to the challenge Straight hitting from the tee to thin fairways and then on to the tiny greens is essential for success at Harbour Town. Sharp scramblers also prosper

Key attribute Accuracy

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