Harbour Town Golf Links is one of the most statistically unique venues on the PGA TOUR schedule. It’s only 7,158 yards on the scorecard as a par 71, making it short by TOUR standards. The fairways are narrow, and doglegs require most players in the field to hit to similar positions. The overhanging trees that line the fairways will reward those who not only hit the fairway, but hit the correct side of the fairway.

With greens that are only 3,700 square feet on average, approach play will be a big separator, and scrambling will be inevitable. This creates a profile of a player much different than the usual PGA TOUR event.

The field is familiar – a Signature Event with the world’s best players teeing it up. Headlined by Scottie Scheffler, the field has a variety of stars lurking right behind the No. 1 player in the world. Cameron Young is putting together a stellar year with a victory at THE PLAYERS Championship and now a T3 at last week’s Masters Tournament.

The putting prowess of Maverick McNealy pops off the screen when handicapping the RBC Heritage. He’s always been an accomplished putter, but that skill set gets ramped up at Harbour Town. He’s averaging +0.91 strokes gained per round on these putting surfaces, which is the third-best rate of anyone in this field. Those gains have helped McNealy earn two top-four finishes in his five career starts at this event, which includes a T3 finish last year.

While exciting, that’s not the only skill set that McNealy has trending right now. He’s gained strokes tee-to-green in all but one start on TOUR this year. He’s combining all facets of the game as he heads to a course that should only further amplify his value. McNealy has a legitimate chance to win the RBC Heritage, with odds at +3500 on DraftKings Sportsbook.

Since 2021, Patrick Cantlay has played 32 events on golf courses that would be classified as “short” by PGA TOUR standards. He has piled up 12 top-five finishes, which is a 37.5% top-five rate. That’s the third-highest rate on such courses, behind only Scottie Scheffler and Justin Thomas, and it equates to a +1.74 strokes gained per round mark. Despite having an elite top-five rate, Cantlay’s win rate is a fraction of his peers, with only one victory during that period.

His record at Harbour Town is elite, with seven top-15 finishes in his eight career starts. That also includes five different top-three finishes. Cantlay actually winning this tournament is a question, but I’m willing to consider the top-10 market, where he is currently priced at +176.

The alternative option for Cantlay would be the first-round market, where he is currently +3000 to be the first-round leader, and +310 to finish Round 1 inside the top 10. He has routinely gotten off to hot starts at Harbour Town during his career. On three different occasions, he has gained at least four strokes on the field in the opening round, which demonstrates the required upside to win an 18-hole sprint.

If I could design a course to magnify the strengths of Russell Henley, it would look a lot like Harbour Town Golf Links. The accuracy demanded off the tee should be no problem for Henley, who hits over 68% of his fairways, the sixth-best rate on TOUR this year. Even when he misses a fairway, he barely misses. He’s sporting the best “Distance from Edge of Fairway” on TOUR at just 17’11” off the fairway when he misses. That should help eliminate the big number even if Henley gets wayward, by his own standards.

Then, with most players hitting their approaches from similar positions, Henley can separate with his elite approach play and impressive wedge play. Over the last five years, Henley has only finished outside the top 20 once, and his best finish during that stretch was a T8 last year. He’s proven capable in Signature Events, and this week should be no different. He’s my favorite top-five candidate, and his odds can be found at +355.

Speaking of Signature Events, Jacob Bridgeman has quickly proven that he belongs in this class of field during his young career. With only eight starts in Signature Events, Bridgeman has already captured a win and two other top-10 finishes. His +0.84 strokes gained per round rate is the sixth-best in Signature Event history.

He was dismal with the putter last week, a sentence that I might never type again. His inexperience on the surfaces at Augusta National certainly cost him, but he should be able to reset quickly. He’s been the PGA TOUR’s best putter in 2026, and there’s an expectation that he’ll return to form. Consider Bridgeman for a top-10 finish this week in Hilton Head, currently listed at +300 on DraftKings Sportsbook.

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