With the Masters now behind us, the PGA TOUR will be hosting the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links (par 71, 7,123 yards, POA greens) in Hilton Head, South Carolina this week. Matthew Fitzpatrick (-17) is the defending champion of this event after defeating Jordan Spieth in a playoff a year ago. As one of the PGA TOUR’s eight signature events this season, the RBC Heritage will feature a limited field of only 69 golfers, no cut, and a $20 million purse. Prior to this, the RBC Heritage was a full-sized event that featured a standard cut following the first 36 holes.
The PGA DFS Breakdown offers data-driven analysis for each week’s slate, using the FantasyLabs Tools and metrics to highlight notable golfers.
I’ll be highlighting the best cash game/single-entry plays on the DraftKings main slate, but these players are often great options in any contest.
My analysis will frequently reference Strokes Gained, a set of proprietary metrics generated by the PGA TOUR using millions of data points to calculate how many shots, on average, it takes a player to get the ball in the hole from every distance and situation.
Strokes Gained is now available in the FantasyLabs PGA Models.
There are a variety of Strokes Gained-related metrics, but the six main categories you need to know include:
- Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee (SG: Off-the-Tee)
- Strokes Gained: Approach (SG: Approach)
- Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green (SG: Around-the-Green)
- Strokes Gained: Putting (SG: Putting)
- Strokes Gained: Ball-Striking (SG: Ball-Striking), which is SG: Off-the-Tee + SG: Approach
- Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green (SG: Tee-to-Green), which is SG: Ball-Striking + SG: Around-the-Green
Don’t forget to check out two key metrics in our models — Perfect% and SimLeverage. You can find an explainer on those metrics here.
The cliff notes version is that you can use SimLeverage to quickly find leverage plays in tournaments, while Perfect% is great for finding the best price-considered plays for cash games.
And don’t forget to utilize our various PGA DFS tools like our Lineup Optimizer, Lineup Builder, PGA Correlation Dashboard, and our Trends tool.
The following players listed are based on DraftKings scoring and pricing.
PGA DFS Cash Game Thoughts
Note: FantasyLabs has partnered with Betsperts Golf and the Rabbit Hole! Sign up for the biggest database of golf stats available on the internet and get 25% off a yearly sub with our link!
Unless otherwise noted, all Strokes Gained metrics referenced in this article come via the Rabbit Hole.
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DraftKings $10,000+ Range
Scottie Scheffler ($13,300) – Despite this massive price tag – which is the highest we have seen in DraftKings in nearly two years – Scheffler is still a very difficult fade. Following his second Masters victory in three years last week, Scheffler has now won three of the past four events he has competed in, and that lone outlier was a runner up at the Houston Open, in which he just missed a putt on 18 to force a playoff. Scheffler has insanely finished top 10 in all but one of his 10 starts this season and is the No.1 ranked golfer in the world by a massive margin. His 629.6 OWGR points are nearly double those of No.2 ranked golfer Rory McIlroy. We are currently witnessing one of the greatest runs in the history of professional golf, and with Scheffler’s firstborn’s due date reportedly still a few weeks away, we shouldn’t worry about the 27-year-old leaving this event early. Scheffler finished T11th in his first attempt at the Pete Dye designed Harbour Town last year and just won THE PLAYERS for the second year in a row last month, which notably is also one Dye’s most famous tracks.
Scheffler is a near lock for a top-three finish, and rostering him isn’t difficult given the plethora of appealing plays in the $7,000 range.
Patrick Cantlay ($10,200) – If looking to build a more balanced lineup, Cantlay is a great starting piece. While his T22 at the Masters this past week was lackluster by his standards, Cantlay’s irons came back to life, with him ranking ninth for the major in SG: Approach after failing to gain in the category in back-to-back starts. This is a great sign that Cantlay’s game is headed in the right direction, and Harbour Town is the perfect place for him to fully regain his form. Cantlay’s record at this par 71 ranks second to none, with him producing one runner up, three T3s and one T7 finish in six starts at the RBC Heritage. Via the Betsperts Rabbit Hole Tool, Cantlay leads this field in career strokes gained at Harbour Town by a comfortable gap.
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DraftKings $9,000 Range
Tommy Fleetwood ($9,800) – Fleetwood has finished T10th and T15th at the last two RBC Heritages and is coming off a T3 at the Masters, which is easily his best career finish at the major. This performance came after a T7 finish at the Valero, and Fleetwood ranks eighth in SG: Around-The-Green when we compare this field’s last 24 rounds using the Rabbit Hole tool, which is excellent news for Harbour Town. This Dye creation presents the second-smallest putting surfaces we have seen on the PGA TOUR so far this season, and being efficient around the greens is extremely critical at this venue, with four of the past RBC Heritage victors finishing the event top-10 in SG: Around-The-Green. Fleetwood also ranks sixth in strokes gained when we compare this field’s last 50 rounds at Dye courses and is a great spend at this sub-$10,000 salary.
Matthew Fitzpatrick ($9,600) – Fitzpatrick is also worth considering in his title defense. The Englishman’s win at Harbour Town last year was his second top-five at the course in the last three years, and Fitzpatrick ranks seventh in strokes gained when we analyze this field’s past 50 rounds at Dye tracks. The 29-year-old has finished top-10 in three of his last three starts and ranks eighth in par five scoring this season, which bodes well for his return to Harbour Town. For back-to-back years, the winner at this venue has led their field in par five scoring. While Fitzpatrick is the ninth-most expensive golfer on DraftKings this week, he carries the fifth-highest Perfect% in our PGA models.
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DraftKings $8,000 Range
Cameron Young ($8,700) – Young finished T3rd at Harbour Town two years ago and his game is ascending right now, with four top-10 finishes in his last seven starts. In most recent two, Young finished runner-up at the Valspar and then T9 at the Masters last week. The 26-year-old has gained strokes with his irons at seven consecutive events and should produce a high finish at this second-shot course in Harbour Town.
Si Woo Kim ($8,000) – Kim has been very reliable this season and is a safe choice for cash games. This season, the 28-year-old hasn’t missed a cut in 10 starts and has generated six top-25 finishes. Kim’s success can be attributed to his improved ball striking, with him ranking a career-best fourth on the PGA TOUR in SG: Tee-to-Green, trailing only Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and Hideki Matstuyama. Kim is soon going to find some luck with his putter and contend for a win, and a Dye design like Harbour Town is a perfect place for that come to fruition. Including a runner up at Harbour Town in 2018 and a win at TPC Sawgrass in 2017, Kim has flashed winning upside at Dye tracks in the past, and he is an elite value when we compare Vegas odds to DFS pricing. Despite being the 21st most expensive player on DraftKings, Kim is tied for the ninth-best odds to win the RBC Heritage on the DraftKings Sportsbook at +2500.
DraftKings $7,000 Range
Christiaan Bezuidenhout ($7,600) – Bezuidenhout is one of the best targets on the board at this price point. The South African has made 8-of-10 cuts this season and has carded three straight top-25 finishes entering this week. His best performance of the season was a T13 at THE PLAYERS last month, which also was held at Dye design in TPC Sawgrass. Bezuidenhout has never finished worse than T33rd in three appearances at Harbour Town and ranks 10th in total strokes gained when we compare this field’s histories at Dye courses, via the Rabbit Hole.
Taylor Moore ($7,400) – Moore shined with a T11 in his RBC Heritage debut last year and is an awesome bargain this week. Besides with his putter, the 30-year-old golfer gained strokes in every major category at Augusta National last week en route to a T20 finish. Moore has now finished T12th, T2nd, and T20th in his last three starts and has notably made 15 cuts in a row. He ranks 17th in SG: Around-The-Green when we compare this field’s last 50 rounds and should outperform this salary with ease.
Cam Davis ($7,400) – Davis’ elite combination of strong form and course history makes him a no-brainer at this price tag. Davis made his RBC Heritage debut three years ago and has finished T25th, T3rd, and T7th at the last three editions of this event. When we compare this field’s histories at Harbour Town using the Rabbit Hole, Davis ranks third in total strokes gained. In addition to the undeniable resume at the RBC Heritage, Davis just finished T12th at the Masters, which is his third top 25 in his last four starts. During all three of these finishes, Davis gained strokes with both his putter and irons. While likely to be chalky, the 29-year-old Davis is good chalk to embrace this week.
DraftKings $6,000 and Below Range
Thomas Detry ($6,300) – Detry is one of the better punts on the slate despite missing the cut in his RBC Heritage debut last season. Detry ranks 15 spots higher in the world golf rankings this time around and is currently playing some of the best golf of his career. The Belgian professional has made three cuts in a row, with the latter two finishes of this run being a T17 at the Valspar and a runner up at the Houston Open. As noted above, the RBC Heritage is one of the PGA TOUR’s eight signature events this season, and in his lone start at one of these tournaments this season, Detry showed he can compete with the PGA TOUR’s best, posting a T4 finish at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Webb Simpson ($6,200) – Simpson has never been priced lower for the RBC Heritage and must be considered at this near minimum salary. The veteran has made six of his last eight cuts and is a true course horse at Harbour Town. In 14 visits to the track, Simpson has made 12 cuts and produced eight top-20 finishes, including a win four years ago and a runner up in 2013. The former major champion ranks eighth in this field in career total strokes gained at Harbour Town but is only the 62nd-most expensive golfer on DraftKings.