2019 RBC Heritage
By T.J. Auclair ยท April 18, 2019
After an intense, pressure-packed week at the seasonโs first major โ The Masters โ where Tiger Woods won his first grand slam event in 11 years, fifth green jacket and 15th major overall, itโs time to decompress.
And what better place to decompress than the family-friendly island of Hilton Head, S.C., for the PGA Tourโs RBC Heritage?
That certainly isnโt to say things wonโt be intense when the tees go in the ground on Thursday morning. They will be. But thereโs just something about the low country that puts you in that relaxing mood, the perfect venue the week after a major.
RELATED: Hereโs a look at how our caddie picks have fared through the 2019 Masters
But if you thought the RBC Heritage field would suffer with the Masters having ended on Sunday, youโd be wrong. Dustin Johnson is there. sco Molinari is there. Matt Kuchar, Webb Simpson, Xander Shauffele, Kevin Kisner, Patrick Cantlay and Bryson DeChambeau are all there.
So which player will be slipping into the famous plaid jacket come Sunday evening adjacent to the iconic Harbour Town lighthouse?
We posed that question to three caddies who are on the ground in Hilton Head. To protect their identity, the caddies made their three respective picks anonymously. Here are the players they like and whyโฆ
Caddie 1
- Dustin Johnson. โThe South Carolina native is No. 1 in the world and comes in this week after a T2 at the Masters. In his last five stroke-play events, DJโs worst finish is a T9 at the Genesis Openโฆ and he won the next week in the WGC-Mexico Championship.โ
- Matt Kuchar. โHeโs been the best player on Tour so far this season with two wins already โ Mayakoba and Sony โ as well as second at the Match Play. Now he heads to Harbour Town for a tournament heโs won before (2014). Heโs had poor decisions off the course, but I think thatโll be hidden now with all the attention on Tiger winning the green jacket.โ
- Johnathan Byrd. โBeing a Clemson grad and back in South Carolina means he can only draw off the crowdโs energy. He had his best finish of the season โ T4 โ a couple of weeks back in Puntacana, so I think heโll be riding some confidence, too.โ
Caddie 2
- Matt Kuchar. โHeโs just a hard player to bet against this season. Heโs No. 1 in the FedExCup standings, thanks largely to two early wins, and then had the runner-up finish at the Match Play. All told, heโs finished inside the top 25 in eight of his 12 starts. I like him this week because heโs hot and because itโs on a course where heโs won before.โ
- Xander Schauffele. โThe 25-year-old has been a stud since his first season on the PGA Tour โ 2017 โ which yielded two victories, including the Tour Championship, and took home Rookie of the Year honors. He was right in the mix last week at the Masters, but wound up finishing T2. Remarkably, that was Xanderโs fourth top-6 finish in just eight major starts. Heโs a two-time winner already this season with victories at the HSBC-Champions in China, along with the Sentry Tournament of Champions. Another win is coming soon.โ
- Si Woo Kim. โHeโs having a nice season to this point. And with the way he plays, itโs hard to believe he hasnโt won since the 2017 Players Championship. He looked to be in control at the Valero Texas Open, but faded to a T4 on Sunday with a final round 72. I think heโs on the verge of another win, which would be the third of his PGA Tour career. So why not this week?โ
Caddie 3
- Webb Simpson. โHe might have some unfinished business at the Heritage that dates back to 2013 when he lost in a playoff to Graeme McDowell. He also tied for 11th there in 2017 and finished T5 in 2018. The course clearly fits his eye. Iโm also encouraged by last weekโs T5 in the Masters, his best finish at Augusta National, which included a sizzling round of 64 on Saturday.โ
- Matt Kuchar. โA player thatโs hard to pick against at the moment. Two wins. A runner up. Heโs 40 years old and playing arguably the best golf of his career.โ
- Dustin Johnson. โWhen youโre the world No. 1, youโre a favorite every week.โ
