– Let’s start at the beginning and with the most obvious: now, after the Masters, we have the RBC Heritage at the Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head (South Carolina), one of the so-called Signature Events of the PGA Tour. And one keeps wondering if it’s not a bad idea to place these big tournaments right after a Major, right after the Masters. In this case, not even the geographical proximity of both events (it’s less than a three-hour drive from Augusta to Hilton Head) really justifies it.
It will happen again the week immediately following the US Open (the Travelers, another Signature, is played), but not the week after the PGA or the OPEN.
Wouldn’t it be more reasonable to let the intense emotions caused by the triple somersault with a twist (the Masters) settle and go in crescendo, with a drum roll, towards the next figure, say a double somersault (a Signature Event)? Calendars are not improvised and sometimes become a headache, it’s true, but the fact of leaving at least a week in between would suit us all better: players, sponsors, and fans.
– Some things don’t change: Scottie Scheffler is once again the defending champion this week, as he was last week in Augusta. Precisely the World Number One disproved last year with his victory at Harbour Town that a green jacket winner couldn’t perform at full capacity just a few days later… But Scheffler, in 2024, was quite something.
– Let’s not get carried away: things aren’t going too badly for the 2025 Scheffler either. Things can’t be too bad when 40% of the PGA Tour calendar has already passed this season and you’re in fourth place in the FedEx Cup ranking…
Is it surprising that he hasn’t won yet, being such a dominant and tyrannical Number One? It’s possible, but these kinds of surprises are what make golf unique. On the contrary, it wouldn’t be too surprising if within a month or so he already had two wins, one of them being a Major (PGA). This week, at the RBC Heritage, just in case, we better give him the label of favourite for the win.
– Patrick Cantlay didn’t have a disastrous Masters, although his performance was rather discreet (36th, with only one round under par (71), on Sunday, already out of contention). The problem, or what draws more attention, is that he hasn’t won in two years and eight months. Too long. However, if anyone can and should be expected to claim victory at Harbour Town, it’s him. It suits him perfectly, and he already played and lost a playoff there three years ago to Jordan Spieth. This year he hasn’t missed a cut yet, which indicates that his game is much sharper than what was seen, for example, in Augusta. It’s been a while since he took a decisive step forward. It’s his turn.
– Nothing causes more frustration to a GREAT player than going unnoticed in a GREAT. We won’t see Tyrrell Hatton and Joaquín Niemann, LIV players, at the RBC Heritage, where they would probably be contenders. Every time a Major arrives, they are also names to watch, but they still can’t find a way to deliver their best version in the most important events of the year. Not even at the Masters, although the Englishman, at times, seemed to earn the status of a contender (finished 14th). Be that as it may, it’s a real mystery with these two excellent players because they certainly don’t seem like the type of golfer who gets intimidated by the size of the event. Something is happening, and it would be a mistake on their part to attribute it all to mere chance. The Chilean’s numbers, in fact, are astonishing: in the last nine years, he has played 23 Majors and still hasn’t achieved a single top ten.
– Last week, once again that situation… The second round is being played at Augusta National and Sergio García is walking the tightrope of the cut. It’s not something that surprises him, not even arriving at the event in great form, as was the case this year, as he has found himself in the same position many times, starting as a favourite and then suffering immensely on Friday until the last stroke of the last hole. The numbers in this regard are astonishing: the Spaniard has missed the cut eleven times in his career at Augusta, and on seven occasions, he missed it by just one stroke. Not only that: in four of those seven occasions, he only needed to make par on the 18th to be there for the weekend, and he made a bogey; and in two others, he only needed to make a bogey and made a double bogey. The height of frustration. This year he missed it by two strokes, once again reaching the final stretch of the second round with the noose around his neck.
There is no other course in the world that takes this player to such extremes. That’s probably why his 2017 victory is even more commendable. It’s as curious as it is unheard of: as the player has confirmed to us, last Thursday he felt he was playing the course much better than in his best stretches of the edition he won, the 2017 one. Let’s admit it’s enough to drive you crazy.
– The Masters has also left some interesting Ryder Cup implications. Bryson DeChambeau, for example, has solidified his position among the six players who automatically earn a spot. And Justin Rose has surged into those six spots, in this case on the European side, climbing 24 places in the Ryder ranking after his second place in Augusta. The Englishman warned at the time that he wanted to earn the right to play at Bethpage by any means, and there he is. He suspected it might be his last chance, although anyone would say so seeing him this year at Augusta National, especially on Thursday and Sunday. Be that as it may, mark his name as a strong candidate for the captaincy for the 2027 edition.
