Steve Palmer's RBC Heritage preview, best bets, free golf tips and course guide

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

Where to watch

Live on Sky Sports Golf from 11.45am Thursday

Best bets

Kevin Kisner
2pts each-way 55-1 Hills
Webb Simpson
2pts each-way 30-1 Hills
Ian Poulter
1pt each-way 80-1 Hills
JT Poston
1pt each-way 70-1 Betfair, Paddy Power
Matt Kuchar
1pt each-way 45-1 Hills
Bud Cauley
0.5pt each-way 125-1 Sky Bet

RBC Heritage analysis

For the second consecutive week, the top five players in the world go to post on the PGA Tour, with a hugely entertaining Charles Schwab Challenge being followed by an equally impressive line-up for the RBC Heritage.

Rory McIlroy bids to bounce back from the disappointment of his final-round 74 at Colonial, which saw him fade quickly out of contention, and the Northern Irishman is making his first Heritage appearance since 2009.

Brooks Koepka, who tied for 32nd place with McIlroy on Sunday, is a Harbour Town Links debutant. Jon Rahm, who missed the cut at Colonial, is also seeing the Hilton Head layout for the first time this week.

Justin Thomas has not competed at Harbour Town since finishing last of the Sunday qualifiers in 2016 and signing off with a round of 82, while Dustin Johnson blew a golden winning chance in this event last year when closing with a 77.

Steve Palmer's top tip

Kevin Kisner 55-1

Course-form students will be quick to draw a line through the world's top five at short prices this week and focus on Heritage hopefuls deeper in the betting.

Colonial Country Club was set up easier than usual, with greenkeepers having to soak their dancefloors to combat the extreme temperatures and traditional Texas breezes failing to appear until round four, meaning debutants could quickly adjust.

Colonial first-timer Collin Morikawa almost won, while powerhouses like Bryson DeChambeau could be dismissive of the ancient venue on many holes, hammering drives towards greens on short par fours and cutting off the corners of doglegs as balls soared through the warm air.

Such disrespect will surely be punished more severely at the Harbour Town Links. The trees are too tall for the doglegs to be ignored, it will be colder and balls will not fly as far, and the greens are smaller. There are troublespots everywhere on this Pete Dye design.

Harbour Town is made for players such as Kevin Kisner, who is precise from tee to green, and scrambles well. He was born in South Carolina, still lives there, and always licks his lips at this home-state assignment. The 36-year-old has described Harbour Town as one of his favourite courses on the PGA Tour and a venue where he feels he can win multiple times.

Five years ago, Kisner fired a final-round 64 to force a Heritage playoff with Jim Furyk. He was denied a maiden PGA Tour title by a Furyk birdie on the second extra hole. Seven months later, Kisner got off the mark with a six-shot RSM Classic success on a course which bears similarities to Harbour Town, and he followed up with a 2017 Colonial triumph before bravely winning the WGC-Match Play last year.

As well as the 2015 Heritage near-miss, he was 11th in 2017 and seventh in 2018. Four rounds in the 60s for 29th place at Colonial was a solid post-lockdown spin.

Next best bet

Webb Simpson 30-1

The family men of the PGA Tour probably needed the Colonial run more than most – lockdown with children put more limits on practice time – and father-of-five Webb Simpson appeared to be carrying plenty of rust when he missed the cut at Colonial. He carded 73, 69, taking time to get his game-face back on, but an eagle and three birdies on Friday was an encouraging haul, and better should be expected at a Harbour Town layout he adores.

Simpson was born in North Carolina and still lives there, and he is an RBC ambassador who is always fully switched-on for this event. He has become a masterful scrambler and ace putter, perfectly suited to Harbour Town, where his lack of length is not a handicap. He lost a Heritage playoff in 2013, was fifth in 2017, and has posted six top-20s.

The 2012 US Open champion and 2018 runaway Sawgrass victor got off the mark for 2020 with a gutsy Phoenix Open playoff victory over Tony Finau in February, and he can be fancied to contend for a seventh PGA Tour title on Sunday.

Other selections

Ian Poulter 80-1

JT Poston 70-1

Matt Kuchar 45-1

Bud Cauley 125-1

Like Simpson, Ian Poulter used most of lockdown to spend bonus time with his children. The Englishman has four kids, including a promising golfer in the making, his 16-year-old son Luke. Poulter senior did not play many practice rounds during the coronavirus suspension, but sharpened his swing on the range and freshened himself mentally, and he produced some decent stuff at Colonial last week.

Four rounds of par or better for a share of 29th place suggested Poulter could be a factor a week later at a venue where he has form figures of 18-54-11-7-10 since he restored Heritage to his schedule in 2015. An ever-sharp short game stands him in great stead at Harbour Town and the lack of galleries may also be helpful. The European Ryder Cup legend has got used to suffering some heckling from boozed-up Americans in regulation events, so the peace and quiet of the current spectator-free venues is probably welcome.

Poulter and JT Poston are both nicknamed The Postman, for different reasons. Well, take it from this Post man that both can be serious title contenders for Harbour Town. Poston, who was born in North Carolina and starred at university there, tied for sixth place in a superb Heritage debut last year.

He opened slowly with a pair of 71s, but was brilliant over the weekend, closing 67, 66. Four months later, he went bogey-free for 72 holes to make the Wyndham Championship his PGA Tour breakthrough.

Poston, who has just turned 27 and carded four under-par rounds for tenth place at Colonial last week, should go well, while Matt Kuchar could easily put missing the Colonial cut by a shot behind him by contending again at Harbour Town.

Kuchar can boast six Heritage top-ten finishes, including victory in 2014 and second place last year, when he was beaten by just a shot. The nine-time PGA Tour champion won the Singapore Open on the Asian Tour in January and can be a factor in South Carolina if he shed enough rust in Texas.

A Jupiter man won at Colonial – Daniel Berger was sharp as a tack – and another Jupiter-based pro who was putting in the hours during lockdown could follow the lead. Bud Cauley was slow out of the gates last week with a 71, but finished 67, 67, 68 for a share of 29th spot, going bogey-free for the weekend.

Injuries have hampered the career of this fine talent, but he looks ready for a breakthrough at the age of 30. Cauley has a steady record at Harbour Town, where he made his PGA Tour debut in 2010 as one of the most promising youngsters in the sport.

Players to note

Shane Lowry
The Open champion spent lockdown in Florida and missed the cut at Colonial on his return to competition. He was third at Harbour Town last year and is well suited to the assignment.

Matthew Fitzpatrick
The Sheffield lad loves Harbour Town and should build on his 32nd place from Colonial, but the continued absence of caddie Billy Foster is a negative.

Sungjae Im
The ever-improving Korean workhorse produced a typically efficient performance at Colonial, sharing tenth place, and must be feared wherever he tees up these days.

Abraham Ancer
The Presidents Cup star finished 14th at Colonial and is a hungry, talented PGA Tour maiden who must be respected.

Harbour Town Links course guide

Course Harbour Town Links, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Prize money $7.1m ($1.242m to the winner)
Length 7,099 yards
Par 71
Field 153
Course records - 72 holes 264 Brian Gay (2009) 18 holes 61 David Frost (1994), Troy Merritt (2015)

Course winners taking part Bernhard Langer, Davis Love (five times), Glen Day, Stewart Cink (twice), Aaron Baddeley, Brian Gay, Jim Furyk (twice), Brandt Snedeker, Graeme McDowell, Matt Kuchar, Branden Grace, Wesley Bryan, CT Pan

When to bet By 11.45am Thursday

When to watch Live on Sky Sports Golf from 11.45am Thursday

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

Last week - Charles Schwab Challenge 1 D Berger (66-1), 2 C Morikawa (45-1), T3 J Kokrak (150-1), B DeChambeau (25-1), J Rose (50-1), X Schauffele (28-1), T7 B Watson (125-1), P Reed (28-1), 9 G Woodland (55-1)

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 540-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 has a revised June slot in the wake of the coronavirus suspension

The story of last year CT Pan fended off Matt Kuchar to triumph by a shot, the Taiwanese winning his maiden PGA Tour title

Weather forecast A mixture of cloud, sunshine, and light showers, with the threat of short thunderstorms throughout. Hardly any wind

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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