Paulie’s Picks: 2021 RBC Heritage

Between Augusta National, the venue for last week’s Masters, and Harbour Town Golf Links, the site of this week’s RBC Heritage, there couldn’t be a greater contrast. Harbour Town requires supreme accuracy both off the tee and on approach. The landing areas for drives are the narrowest on the PGA Tour, and the greens are among the smallest.

As a result, Harbour Town emphasizes a different skill set than most tour venues do. This week, those who perform well are likely to be accurate off the tee, able to work the ball both ways, elite with their short and mid-irons, and an above average around the greens, especially given that everyone misses more greens here than usual.

Here are a few players who fit that profile and would be worth targeting in your fantasy leagues:

DraftKings

Charley Hoffman $7,800

Hoffman has been trending the right direction over the past few months. He has made 10 of his past 11 cuts and finished 17th or better in four of his past six starts, including runner-up finish behind Jordan Spieth at the Valero Texas Open two weeks ago. In all of his past four events, Hoffman has gained at least 4.8 strokes on approach, an elite number. At the RBC Heritage, he has made eight of his past ten cuts and finished in the top eight twice.

Ian Poulter $7,600

Poulter is the prototypical horse for Harbour Town in that he keeps the ball in play and relies on an elite short game. This is why he has made the cut here six years straight and finished in the top 18 five times. He’s in good form right now, too; he advanced out of the group stage at the WGC Match Play and finished 26th last week at Augusta National. Look for Poulter to contend this week and move up the European Ryder Cup standings.

One-and-Done

Matthew Fitzpatrick

Over the past few months, Fitzpatrick has been on a hot streak. Last week’s T-34 at the Masters was his only finish outside the top 18 in his past seven starts. Fitzy is accurate off the tee, strong around the greens, and the second best putter in the RBC Heritage field. In his most recent three starts at Harbour Town, he has finished 14th or better twice.

Kevin Kisner

Kisner’s game fits this course perfectly. He hits it short but straight and has a fantastic short game. He has made six of his past seven cuts at the RBC Heritage and finished in the top 11 three times. The only time he didn’t make the weekend at Harbour Town was last year, right after the Covid restart. Yes, Kisner missed the cut at the Masters, but that course does not suit his game. He is a reliable contender on shorter courses that require precision, and this is one of those.