The excitement, the golf course, the atmosphere — everything about the Masters is impossible to live up to, or in this case, follow up.
With the help of a surprisingly loaded field the week after a major championship, the RBC Heritage is next up on the PGA Tour schedule.
Fresh off a top-10 at Augusta National, Justin Thomas is the betting favorite at Harbour Town (+1200). In his second start back from the COVID-19 break in 2020, Thomas tied for 8th in Hilton Head.
Last season, Stewart Cink used Thursday and Friday 63s to end the week victorious. The defending champion is in the field but enters the tournament missing three weekends in his last four starts (T-7 at the Valspar was his lone Sunday finish).
Golf course
Harbour Town Golf Links | Par 71 | 7,121 yards
Key statistics
Driving accuracy
Harbour Town, for much of the layout, is the definition of tree-lined. It’s not about overpowering the golf course, it’s about playing the right shot at the right time — and that starts with hitting the fairway.
Strokes Gained: Around the Green
The greens are small and contoured. It’s inevitable that the field will have to get up and down around this track and they’ll have to do it efficiently if they want a chance to win.
Data Golf Information
Course Fit (compares golf courses based on the degree to which different golfer attributes — such as driving distance — to predict who performs well at each course – DataGolf): 1. Austin Country Club, 2. Sea Island GC, 3. Waialae Country Club
Trending: 1. Shane Lowry (last three starts: T-12, T-35, T-3), 2. Justin Thomas (T-3, T-35, T-8), 3. Cameron Smith (T-33, 1, T-3)
Percent chance to win (based on course history, fit, trending, etc.): 1. Cameron Smith (5 percent), 2. Patrick Cantlay (4.9 percent), 3. Justin Thomas (4.9 percent)
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Betting odds
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list.
| Player | Odds |
| Justin Thomas | (+1200) |
| Collin Morikawa | (+1300) |
| Cameron Smith | (+1500) |
| Patrick Cantlay | (+1500) |
| Dustin Johnson | (+2000) |
| Shane Lowry | (+2000) |
| Matthew Fitzpatrick | (+2000) |
| Webb Simpson | (+3000) |
| Russell Henley | (+3000) |
| Daniel Berger | (+3000) |
Betting card for the 2022 RBC Heritage
Last week’s results: Masters
| Position plays | Odds | Result |
| Will Zalatoris (Top 20) | (+125) | Cash (T-6) |
| Xander Schauffele (Top 10) | (+220) | Miss (MC) |
| Brooks Koepka (Top 10) | (+200) | Miss (MC) |
| Rory McIlroy (Top 10) | (+200) | Cash (2) |
| Tiger Woods (To make the cut) | (-110) | Cash (47) |
| Shane Lowry (Top 20) | (+140) | Cash (T-3) |
| Outright plays | ||
| Justin Thomas | (+1500) | Miss (T-8) |
| Rory McIlroy | (+2000) | Miss (2) |
| Brooks Koepka | (+2000) | Miss (MC) |
| Xander Schauffele | (+2000) | Miss (MC) |
| Shane Lowry | (+5000, .5 units) | Miss (T-3) |
| Tommy Fleetwood | (+7000, .5 units) | Miss (T-14) |
Masters: Up 3.55 units on position plays, down 5 units on outright plays.
2022: Up 16.24 units on position plays, up 18.5 units on outright plays.