The First Look: RBC Heritage

THE PLAYERS Championship winner Cameron Smith highlights a stout field at the 54th RBC Heritage that includes five of the top 10 players in the world. Stewart Cink returns to defend his 2021 triumph, which marked his second TOUR victory of the season. FIELD NOTES: Plenty of firepower will zip from Augusta to Hilton Head for the RBC Heritage, including Smith, Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay, Dustin Johnson and world No. 3 Collin Morikawa … Jordan Spieth heads to the RBC Heritage off a missed cut at Augusta National, his first career early exit from the Masters … Reigning U.S. Amateur winner James Piot will tee it up … A handful of pros with South Carolina ties are hoping for some home-state love including Aiken’s Kevin Kisner, North Augusta’s Matthew NeSmith, Columbia’s Wesley Bryan and Greenville’s Lucas Glover … Cink, who experienced a career resurgence last season as he moves closer to age 50, is back to defend his title. Including Cink, each of the last nine RBC Heritage winners is set to tee it up … There is no Monday qualifier … Other notables include International Presidents Cup hopefuls Joaquin Niemann, Abraham Ancer and Corey Conners – who finished T4 last year – in addition to Ryder Cuppers Daniel Berger, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood, Ian Poulter and Shane Lowry … Both 2023 Ryder Cup captains will be in the field, as Zach Johnson makes his 17th start at Harbour Town and Henrik Stenson makes his first since 2012. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 FedExCup points. COURSE: Harbour Town Golf Links, par 71, 7,121 yards (yardage subject to change). The Pete Dye/Jack Nicklaus design has hosted the RBC Heritage since the 1960s and continues to challenge the best players in the world with its small and contoured putting surfaces, overhanging mossy oaks, tight fairways and strategically placed bunkers. STORYLINES: Morgan Hoffmann will return to the PGA TOUR for the first time since 2019. Hoffmann suffers from muscular dystrophy and has three starts left on a major medical extension … Webb Simpson will hope that his fine form at Harbour Town continues. Simpson, who won in 2020, has notched seven top-10 finishes in 12 appearances at the RBC Heritage, including his victory … Players who finish inside the top 10 at the Masters and are not otherwise eligible to join the field at Harbour Town will earn their way into the field … Cink’s four-shot win last year was the largest margin of victory at the RBC Heritage in a decade. He’s looking to become the first player to win back-to-back in Hilton Head since Boo Weekley in 2007-08 … Half of the players in the Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 are set to tee it up at Harbour Town, as the race to the FedExCup kicks into high gear through springtime. 72-HOLE RECORD: 262, Webb Simpson (2020) 18-HOLE RECORD: 61, David Frost (Round 2, 1994), Troy Merritt (Round 2, 2015). LAST TIME: 47-year-old Stewart Cink won for the second time in 2020-21, cruising to a four-shot victory after starting the week with back-to-back rounds of 63. Cink, who had won the previous fall’s Fortinet Championship for his first TOUR title in 11 years, celebrated another TOUR victory with son Reagan on his bag (the duo continues to put feet on the fairway together and celebrated an ace at the Masters on Friday – on Reagan’s 24th birthday, no less). It was Cink’s third win at Harbour Town – the others coming in 2000 and 2004. Cink’s 1-under 70 Sunday was enough to hold off a hard-charging Harold Varner III, who shot a closing 5-under 66. Varner finished T2 along with Emiliano Grillo. Maverick McNealy and Matt Fitzpatrick. Corey Conners finished two shots further back at 13 under, rounding out the top five. Defending champion Webb Simpson shot Saturday’s low round of the day, 7-under 64, en route to a T9 finish. HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Friday, 3 p.m.-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (CBS). Radio: Thursday-Friday, 12 p.m.–6 p.m. ET. Saturday-Sunday, 1 p.m.–6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio) For outside of the U.S., click here for GOLFTV powered by the PGA TOUR PGA TOUR LIVE PGA TOUR Live is available exclusively on ESPN+ • Main Feed: primary tournament-coverage featuring the best action from across the course • Marquee Group: new “marquee group” showcasing every shot from each player in the group • Featured Groups: traditional PGA TOUR LIVE coverage of two concurrent featured groups • Featured Holes: a combination of par-3s and iconic or pivotal holes

Click here to read the full article…