Golf picks: RBC Heritage predictions & best bets from Diane Knox Balas

What a Masters, and what a champion. On fellow Spaniard Seve Ballesteros’ birthday, and the 40th anniversary of his Masters victory, Jon Rahm won himself a green jacket and a place in the History books of Augusta National. What sensational Golf. The Golf gods really couldn’t have written it any better, with the leaders playing 30 holes on Sunday and a head-to-head battle between Rahm and 4-time Major champion, Brooks Koepka.

The storyline of the PGA Tour vs LIV was almost obsolete as we simply relished in two of golf’s big players battling it out. Plus, a last minute attempt at glory for 3-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson, who ultimately finished in a tie for second alongside Koepka, was the icing on the cake. What a weekend! 

We cashed a few of our prop bets – a Spieth top-5 at +550 and a Schauffele top-10 at +300. It was a disappointing week for Rory McIlroy, who missed the cut, and my outright pick of Jason Day, who fell apart on Sunday to finish in a tie for 39th.

The week following the Masters could be seen as a come-down, but that’s not the case at all this year. The PGA Tour is off to Hilton Head, SC for the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links. This tournament has always attached a strong field, but more so in 2023 as it’s been given the status of an elevated event. That means a purse of $20 million and $4 million to the winner.

Will Jon Rahm be putting on back-to-back ceremonial jackets? The winner this week is given a plaid (or tartan, because I’m Scottish) jacket on Sunday with the trophy. Last year, we saw Jordan Spieth crowned victorious. Both will be playing this week, alongside the biggest names on Tour like Scheffler, Cantlay, Thomas and Homa. A few days after missing the cut at Augusta, McIllroy has withdrawn from this event, but we’ve still got plenty of the top players on tour competing this week.

Following his WD from the Masters, Will Zalatoris announced on Monday morning that he underwent surgery over the weekend and will be out for the rest of the season. A real shame for Will and I wish him a speedy recovery with good health going forward.

All of today’s biggest games are available to bet with BetMGM, the premier destination for online sports betting. New customers can earn themselves a $1,000 deposit bonus by signing up right now! Click here to lock in this great sign-up offer.

Harbour Town Golf Links: What you need to know

Harbour Town Golf Links is one of the shortest courses we see on the Tour, with tight fairways and small greens. It’s going to take an elite week of ball-striking to contend this week.

Last year, Spieth and Patrick Cantlay battled it out in a playoff, and both were top of in strokes gained: tee-to-green for the week. Jordan actually lost strokes on the greens last year but still went on to win, as did Cantlay.

The course is a par 71 and it measures in at just over 7,100 yards. It’s a Pete Dye and Jack Nicklaus collaboration and has all the characteristics of a typical Dye design – intimidating off the tee, strategically placed bunkers and tight, contoured greens. The narrow fairways are lined with big, mossy oak trees and there’s a lot of overhanging branches to avoid. You’ll see a lot of the big hitters clubbing down off the tee this week and the premium is really on the second shot, so I’m really paying close attention to those short game stats — greens in reg and proximity to the hole — as well as those off-the-tee numbers.

Knox’s Knockout RBC Heritage Picks

Viktor Hovland (+2400 at FanDuel)

If anyone was putting additional pressure on Rahm and Koepka at the Masters, it’s was Hovland. He didn’t have his best stuff in the final round but still hung around and finished 7th. Hovland’s gained strokes off-the-tee in every single event he’s played in this year, plus his approach stats are excellent. He’s only played here once before and that was early in his PGA Tour career back in 2020, but still finished T21. Hovland is a huge contender on the Tour right now and it’s hard to overlook him after the way he played last week and at The Players last month, where he finished 3rd. A good price for him, all things considered.

Cameron Young (+2600 at FanDuel)

Cam had a good week at the Masters, ultimately finishing T7. It was his second week working alongside Paul Tesori, who was the longtime caddie for Webb Simpson. Now, this tournament has always been a favorite of Simpson’s, who has a win and six top-15 finishes under his belt here. Tesori will bring a wealth of course knowledge to Young, who finished third in this tournament in 2022. Maybe a few extra tidbits will finally earn Cam his first PGA Tour title. I think +2600 is a juicy number for Cameron Young this week!

Shane Lowry (+3700 at FanDuel)

I love these odds for Lowry. I thought he’d be lower this week, so I’m taking Shane right away at this price. Last year, he finished 3rd here to add to his T3 in ’19 and 9th place finish in 2021. He’s also coming off a top-20 at the Masters last week. The strength of Lowry’s game is his ball striking and he’s 4th on Tour right now in total driving. Plus, he sits 3rd in approaches from 100-125 yards, which will be big on this short course. He hasn’t won on the PGA Tour since his Open victory in ’19 and this could be a big opportunity week for the Irishman.

J.T. Poston (+9500 at FanDuel)

The great thing about these elevated events is you can find bigger-than-expected odds for some of the lesser-known names. I’m not saying two-time winner Poston isn’t well known, but he’s out with the notable, recognizable names on the Tour and playing some excellent Golf. Poston battled to make the cut at the Masters last week and finished in a respectable 34th position, plus he’s already had three top-10s in 2023, including a T9 at the Match Play a few weeks ago. J.T. is a terrific iron player and  hitting his spot on the greens, and converting the putts, is such a strength of his Game. Plus, he loves this course, finishing within the top-10 three out of the four times he’s played here. This pick was a no-brainer for me.

DraftKings Sportsbook is currently giving new customers $150 in bonus bets if they bet $5 and their team wins when they sign up. That’s all there is to it! Grab this amazing sign-up offer by clicking this link.

RBC Heritage Prop Bets

J.T. Poston Top 10 Finish (+1100 at UniBet)

I have Poston as an outright at +9500 this week, so this price for top-10 is an obvious addition for me. He finished T3 last year around Harbour Town Golf Links and has superb course History here. 

Sungjae Im Top 5 Finish (+700 at DraftKings)

Sungjae is having quite the season – seven top 20s in 10 starts, and and three of those have been top-6. With his ball-striking and off-the-tee stats, Harbour Town suits his game, and he’s finished 21st and 13th over the last two years. Great price for him to contend on Sunday.

If you’re looking to get more out of your bets, then Caesars is the sportsbook for you. It’s the only sportsbook with Caesars rewards AND has a great sign-up offer where you can get up to $1,250 back on your first bet! Click here to sign up.

The Pickswise golf handicappers are on hand with expert Golf Picks and Golf Predictions as well as tournament previews and analysis throughout the PGA Tour, including all of the majors.