Featured Groups: RBC HeritageFeatured Groups: RBC Heritage
The iconic lighthouse is wrapped in plaid as this week’s RBC Heritage celebrates its 50th year on the PGA TOUR. The field includes 14 of the top 30 in the FedExCup, highlighted by No. 2 Patton Kizzire; No. 7 Dustin Johnson, who returns to Harbour Town for the first time since 2009; and No. 13 Paul Casey. Although the relatively relaxed RBC is a welcome reprieve after the Masters, low stress can turn into high stakes in a hurry. Jim Furyk won at Harbour Town and went on to win the entire FedExCup in 2010. (Furyk also won the RBC in 2015.) Dustin Johnson (T10), Marc Leishman (9) and Cameron Smith (5) are among the hot players in the field after posting top-10s at the Masters. Dru Love is playing on a sponsor’s exemption, while his dad, Davis, is a five-time winner here. Luke Donald, meanwhile, has done just about everything but wear the plaid jacket, with five runner-up finishes, two thirds and a T15 since 2009. John Senden makes his first TOUR start since his son started cancer treatments last year, while Wesley Bryan is the defending champ, having edged Donald by a shot. Patrick Cantlay, Ollie Schniederjans and William McGirt tied for third, two back. Harbour Town Golf Links is a 7,099-yard, par-71 Pete Dye design that rewards pinpoint accuracy. Its relatively modest length, small greens, and low-key vibe give the tournament its identity. The RBC Heritage is also the largest professional sporting event in South Carolina. PGA TOUR LIVE Thursday-Friday broadcasts will begin at 7:30 a.m. and end at 6 p.m., with a Twitter window of 7:30-approximately 8:30 a.m. each day. We will move to featured hole coverage at 3 p.m. Featured holes will consist of the 192-yard, par-3 14th, which plays over water and to a green guarded in part by overhanging trees and a pot bunker; and the 174-yard, par-3 17th, where the wind can blow tee shots into the 90-yard bunker on the left, or into the lagoon left of it. Here are the Featured Groups: (Note: All times Eastern; FedExCup ranking in parentheses.) THURSDAY Kevin Kisner (30), Graeme McDowell (121), Jim Furyk (151) Kisner made his Presidents Cup debut last fall, and in his last two starts he’s been T28 at the Masters and runner-up at the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play. That makes him the hottest player in the group, especially given that McDowell and Furyk play at Augusta National last week. Be that as it may, they have something he doesn’t; McDowell (2013) and Furyk (2015, 2010) are past champions at Harbour Town. Tee time: 8 a.m. off 10. Dustin Johnson (7), Wesley Bryan (150), Matt Kuchar (60) Bryan is looking to recapture the form that saw him capture his first victory a year ago. Kuchar, meanwhile, has been a model of consistency with 10 made cuts in 10 starts, his best a T5 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and a T8 at the Houston Open two weeks ago. Johnson has yet to distinguish himself at Harbour Town, where he hasn’t played since 2009 (MC), but the world No. 1 seems to be rounding into form after a top-10 finish at the Masters. Tee time: 8:10 a.m. off 10. FRIDAY Ian Poulter (25), Paul Casey (10), Davis Love III (192) Love says he’s “got a lot of new partsâ€� after hip-replacement surgery last year and injuring his neck snowboarding before that. He is 30 years removed from his first victory at the RBC Heritage, but his institutional knowledge is off the charts after four additional victories at Harbour Town, giving him five total. Casey picked up his first TOUR victory since 2009 at the Valspar Championship, and is coming off a T15 at the Masters in which he threatened the course record. Poulter, meanwhile, is also hot after capturing the Houston Open in a playoff two week ago. Tee time: 8 a.m. off 10. Xander Schauffele (46), Cameron Smith (22), Brandt Snedeker (132) Reigning Rookie of the Year Schauffele has had an uneven sophomore season, while Smith seems to be knocking on the door for his first individual TOUR win after T5 finishes at the Masters and WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play. Both players are just 24 years old. The veteran of the group is Snedeker, 37, who is coming off an injury-plagued season but proved he has what it takes at Harbour Town with a victory in 2011. He’s also a former FedExCup champion (2012). Tee time: 8:10 a.m. off 10. Â
