Writing a preview for a regular PGA Tour event three days after the Masters ended is an awkward transition. I know I’m not giving it my best this week and am sure others aren’t either. Each week leading up to the Masters we were so hyped for the next tournament. Now that we’ve experienced the first and undoubtedly best major of the year, it’s easy to tune out the regular season events. And that sucks. Especially when the Tour event is the RBC Heritage in Hilton Head, South Carolina.
I’ve only been to a handful of PGA events in my life, this being one of them. The tournament put on at the Heritage is incredibly fun, and it’s a shame that it’s piled on immediately after the Masters. I went with my girlfriend and her family who usually go each year. We walked the course in the morning then bounced in and out of their friends’ houses along the course and back and forth to the hospitality tent on 18. I don’t remember a lot about the tournament because I drank a million cocktails. If you get the chance to go, try to get in with some people from Hilton Head or Savannah who can show you the full experience. My girlfriend even met Jim Nantz.
Harbour Town Golf Links is a Pete Dye course, which I’ve heard so many times now but have no clue what exactly that means for the course design. Smarter people than I am says that’s some sort of a deal so I’ll throw it out there. Just like the Masters, the winner each year gets a special jacket. Instead of a green jacket, the winner gets a plaid jacket.
Last year Wesley Bryan (of trick shot YouTube fame) had the honor of donning the plaid jacket with his highlighter pink pants.
Usually the big names take this week off, but with a fresh RBC sponsorship Dustin Johnson returns to his home state in hopes of beating up the second tier golfers. DJ grew up near Myrtle Beach, SC, which is like the baseball player redneck cousin to Hilton Head. Myrtle Beach is the home of lifted trucks, dudes with chain necklaces who want to fight you, and families that get portraits of themselves on the beach wearing white button downs and khakis.
In the field this week is three of the four Baylor boys, with Keith sneaking in the side door like he always do. Harris and Keith are paired up together for Thursday and Friday, which to my knowledge is the first time the Baylor boys have played a PGA event in the same pairing. Our boy Hoge is in the field, along with fellow blogger and all-around good dude Peter Malnati. Also DL3 and DL4 will be playing their first PGA Tour event alongside each other this week.
For my picks this week, it’s going to be hard to go against DJ. Even though this will be his first time playing the Heritage, he knows this golf course well and talent-wise is head and shoulders above everyone else in the field. The general public thinks this tournament belongs each year to Kuch, and the experts are high on Cameron Smith since his showing last weekend in Augusta. Webb Simpson and Kis are popular picks as well. My pick, though, is Luke Donald. He’s finished in the top 3 seven times out of the past nine years. He may not do fuck-all the rest of the year but he’ll be in the mix this weekend.
Cart Path Only 