– Tomorrow, Thursday, the RBC Heritage gets under way, one of the most prestigious events on the PGA Tour, as it has been played every year since 1969 on the same course, the Harbour Town Golf Links (Hilton Head, South Carolina), and was also elevated a few seasons ago to Signature Event status, with a purse of US$20 million. It is therefore no surprise that Hilton Head hosts 41 players from the world top 50 and eight from the world top ten, including the World No. 1, Scottie Scheffler
– And it is here, with Scottie Scheffler, that we must stop and ask which version of this player we will see. The Texan, let us not forget, has already won this event in 2024 and his worst finish at Harbour Town is eleventh place. He comes off a runner-up finish at the Masters, a result achieved by very few, but paradoxically it did not completely dispel the doubts that have followed him since he won the American Express a few months ago. It is unfair, but that is the toll we sometimes make mega stars pay: until they win again they are not considered ‘rehabilitated’…
At Augusta he produced a very well-worked first round in difficult conditions; a very disappointing second round, again hurried, perhaps thinking the tournament was slipping away that Friday morning at an Augusta National where many birdies and good scores were being made; an excellent third round in line with the best Scheffler; and a very efficient fourth in which he once again showed himself to be the kind of player capable of posting a 68 without apparently doing anything very special
– Given what we saw of the World No. 1 at the first Major of the year, it is also fair to say that the good impressions carry more weight, especially because of those last two bogey-free rounds at Augusta (no one had managed that at the Masters since 1942)
– Neither the World No. 2, Rory McIlroy, nor the World No. 4, Justin Rose, who preferred to take a break after yet another disappointment at Augusta, are playing. But the World No. 3, Cameron Young, is. The New Yorker has already shown he can play very well at Harbour Town (he was third in 2022), although the course has recently been a challenge for him, as his best result in the last three seasons was 51st in 2023
– Justin Thomas is defending his title and Matthew Fitzpatrick, the 2023 winner, will play on Thursday and Friday alongside Scheffler and will see first-hand whether the World No. 1 is heading straight for his second victory of the year…
– A relatively calm week is expected weather-wise, although the wind may tangle things up a bit more on Sunday to add a little extra spice to the finish
