Welcome to our brand-new golf section which aims to preview the biggest and best events of the PGA and European tours, offering expert betting tips and predictions on a host of interesting markets. Following the example of other sections our site, we don’t just want to pick the obvious, our crew will put in the work and research needed to find you value, advising players that can be backed at a nice price. As regular visitors to our site will confess, we are lovers of the value. Here are our top RBC Heritage betting tips.
Well, where else could we start than the incredible news surrounding Tiger Woods’ win last week at the Masters. In what is a simply stunning comeback for the American – a story that wouldn’t look out of place on a Hollywood film script – Woods defied critics to win his fifth Masters, and first major in 11 years. Slipping into the famous green jacket, it was an emotional day for the player, his family and fans who have stuck by his side through thick and thin over the years.
When landing his first Masters, Woods strolled to the side of the green and hugged his father, the man who had been so important in his rise to the top of the game. When returning to the summit on Sunday, he made his way to the same spot where he wrapped his arms around his son. It’s a beautiful story and we hope it’s just the start of Woods recovery. As sports fans and neutrals, we’d dearly love to see him dominate again, just to prove it can be done.
Accuracy Over Power
In the meantime, we move on to this week’s action and although it doesn’t hold the glamour of what we saw a week ago, there is plenty designed to hold the interest of golf fans and punters will find value thick on the ground. Many of the big names have taken a break following their efforts at the Masters, and that has resulted in a competitive field, with the outright betting left wide-open.
We focus on the RBC Heritage where the Harbour Town Golf Links plays host to four days of play shown live on Sky Sports from Thursday afternoon. Satoshi Kodaira won the title last year by handing in a winning score of 12-under, which would’ve been enough to see him over the line in two of the previous four years.
A tricky course to play, distance off the tee isn’t the all-important here, so there’s not much point going for the players who can bomb it off the starting block. To win this tournament you’ll need a more tactical approach, calling on accuracy and putting. That is evident when looking at a list of the most recent winners, with Matt Kuchar 2014, Jim Furyk 2015, Branden Grace 2016 and Wesley Bryan 2017 scoring before Kodaira made a name for himself.
G-Mac Hitting Form
So, who is the player worth sticking close to this week? Bookmakers have had their say and pin Dustin Johnson at the head of the betting market, with backers of the favourite able to get their hands on no more than the 8/1 offered by Bet365. That may just be a little too tight, given what we’ve seen recently, and we wouldn’t blame players for looking further down the pecking order.
That’s exactly what we intent to do and will bypass the shortest prices, including Francesco Molinari at 14/1, Bryson DeChambeau 18/1, Xander Schauffele 18/1, Patrick Cantlay 20/1 and Matt Kuchar at 22/1. The latter does make appeal, given the price and the fact he boasts winning course experience, which counts for something around here.
We mulled over this one for a while, but the player who looks worth our support and is available at a price that’ll hold our interest and can be backed each-way is old favourite Graeme McDowell. G-Mac claimed glory here six years ago, so carries that all-important course form, but his chances are also backed by recent form, claiming the prize money at Punta Cana. That was his first victory in a while, but he also showed flashes of his best when going around the Texas Open earlier this month, which tells us he’s in the right frame of mind and can capitalise on a weaker field here.
Fast Start Expected
When winning this tournament back in 2013, McDowell did so on the back of missing the cut at the Masters, so those who underperformed last week shouldn’t be automatically written off. The highest finishers may be enjoying a break, while those who fared well and are out again here may begin to feel the pace as we get into the thick of the tournament. That’s worth keeping in mind if you are planning on placing an in-play punt.
We’ll need our fair share of luck to get our McDowell bet paid out as a winner, that’s fair to say, but his price makes him an eye-catcher, with winning course form who can be backed each-way, and that’s enough to win us over. Follow our thinking at Bet365 and you’ll get a market best price of 55/1. He deserves better than that this week and, if he starts as well as he did in Texas, his price will plummet, and you may be able to cash out for a profit.
Each-way backers will get 1/4 the odds a place 1-2-3-4. Please be aware, some firms offer enhanced place terms of anything up to eight slots, but their prices are considerably shorter. There are other ways to back the Northern Irishman, of course. He’s 5/1 with Bet365 for a top-10 finish, or 5/2 with the same firm to end amongst the best 20 players. The latter looks a safe bet and may be one you can get stuck into for bigger stakes. There’s a cracking 15/2 available at Bet365 on our man ending as the top-ranking UK and Irish player in the field, a market headed by Tommy Fleetwood at 7/2.