No matter what happens at this week’s RBC Heritage, take next week off. That’s not a suggestion, it’s a requirement. The Zurich Classic of New Orleans doesn’t contribute to PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf because it’s a team event. The fantasy season will resume at the Cadillac Championship the following week.

The annual midseason break serves as a perfect time to take stock of how you’ve fared thus far. The RBC Heritage is the 14th of 32 stops, so more of the season is to come than what’s completed, but the objective remains to hit our halftime with a full head of steam.

The quirk about this stretch – aside from the dark week – is that these next three tournaments are Signature Events with no cut, and then the PGA Championship follows. As a result, chasers cannot rely on their targets to swallow any zeros until the second major of the year. That leaves increased values of FedExCup bonus points as a primary means to make a dent in deficits. That’s not nothing, but front-runners are in control beyond their obvious position in league standings. It’s OK, they’ve earned it, but it shrinks windows of opportunity for everyone else.

There’s also the not-so-insignificant matter that the Masters restored order at the top of the game.

Just when it seemed that Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler were not going to be as competitive for different reasons, thus benefiting gamers in pursuit of an unexpected opening to make noise in the major, they went a respective 1-2 at Augusta National Golf Club. Gamers who ignored health and form upon arrival were rewarded. Those who wanted to wait now face getting canceled by identical captains across the four premier events through the PGA Championship. So it goes.

Patience has a seat at the table for all in the midpoint of Segment 2. Chasers don’t need to swing for the fence as pacesetters play the chalk without sweating much, but it’s also not wise to be too passive if you’re playing from behind. Still, while league leaders might get cute or second-guess, the reality is that luck steps forward as a strategy as round scoring relative to all flattens in the absence of 36-hole cuts.

So, if you’re chasing, apply pressure with as many as four charges who don’t qualify as chalk at Harbour Town Golf Links. It’s the smartest approach to generating your own fortune.

Captain

Scottie Scheffler … This is my first start for the world’s top-ranked talent, who also sits No. 1 in my Power Rankings. Because I’m chasing, I’m motivated to act sooner rather than later.

There’s also the fact that both the Cadillac Championship and the PGA Championship will be contested at courses largely unfamiliar to PGA TOUR membership. It’s why both tournaments have been omitted in Future Possibilities throughout Segment 2. Given where Scheffler likely will peg it, Harbour Town, where he prevailed in 2024, easily is one of the three smartest sites remaining.

Other considerations

• Cameron Young ... Sunday at the Masters didn’t go his way, but the No. 2 in the Power Rankings arguably is the hottest in the field at Harbour Town. And he’s no stranger with a T3 in 2022 punctuating four paydays. If you’re cool based on the fact that it’s his only top 50, he’s evolved into a cornerstone since he was here just a year ago. The podium finish is as much of a bonus as it is proof of his fit, while the overall record slots as invaluable experience.
• Matt Fitzpatrick ... Here’s where chasers can make hay if front-runners don’t burn Scheffler. The Brit also is a winner at Harbour Town (2023) and adores The Sea Pines Resort. He didn’t factor at the Masters (T18), but he can’t complain about the extended form that yielded a runner-up finish at THE PLAYERS Championship and victory the following week at the Valspar Championship. No. 4 in my Power Rankings.

Rounding out the roster

This isn’t easy, which is to say that I’m not wholly committed beyond Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay and Jordan Spieth. The same applies to Fitzpatrick, but he’ll open on the bench because I have only one start remaining. My instincts have paid off when I submit my lineup for Expert Picks, but I’ve cost myself two wins with later changes, so I’d be lying if I said that that isn’t bouncing around in the vast space between my ears.

My starters

• Sam Burns
• Patrick Cantlay
• Scottie Scheffler (C)
• Jordan Spieth

My bench

• Viktor Hovland (1)
• Matt Fitzpatrick (2)

Careful

For almost every tournament, a usually impressive subset of the field warrants avoiding, and it might be represented in my Power Rankings which is not written in the context of any fantasy golf format. In this section, I single out who demands pause and why.

• Collin Morikawa ... If you spotted him during the telecast of the Masters, then this is self-evident. He clearly wasn’t 100 percent as he returned after three weeks off to treat and recover from a sore back, and his T7 is why he deserved the last spot in my Power Rankings for the major. Not that the weather could have influence in his decision to give it a go at Harbour Town (like it used to for Fred Couples, for example), but it won’t be an issue whatsoever at Harbour Town.

• Robert MacIntyre ... His year-long consecutive cuts-made streak worldwide came to a halt at the same place after which it started – the Masters. Hey, it’s only one week, but he’s yet to crack the code at Harbour Town, where he’s without a top-55 finish in two trips. Save this stud for other spots in Segment 2.
• Jason Day ... He was my outright Sleeper for the Masters and finished T12. That piggybacked a T6 at the Texas Children’s Houston Open, so the form is fine. However, he hasn’t made enough noise at Harbour Town for you to retain your seat on the bandwagon (even though he’s populating 15% of saved rosters at last check). Since returning after a three-year hiatus in 2024, he’s finished a respective T18 and T49. He’ll be more potent in DFS.
• Wyndham Clark ... Also shrewder in DFS where his firepower can be a game-changer with the promise of four rounds. However, you don’t need to go this deep in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf. When he finished T3 here in 2024, he already had a win among a trio of podium finishes on the board previously that season. This year, he’s been scuffling with only two top 25s (zero top 10s) in nine starts.

RETURNING TO COMPETITION

• Pierceson Coody ... Although coming up just short of the checkpoint for entry into the Masters (via the Official World Golf Ranking) is painful enough, he’s now aiming to put four rounds together for the first time since a T16 at The Genesis Invitational. Sudden inconsistency plagued him on the Florida Swing, and then he called it quits after just one round in Houston due to a sore back. While those reasons beg for you to abstain from his debut at Harbour Town, there’s value in the fact that there’s no cut. At least you know what you’re facing.

Future possibilities

NOTE: This section consists of notables in this week’s field for whom this tournament could be one of more than three starts you may consider burning in Segment 2 of PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf. Golfers committed to the tournament are listed alphabetically. Future tournaments are sorted chronologically and reflect previous success on the courses on which the tournaments will be held. The numerical values in parentheses represent the order of relative confidence of where to use each golfer if multiple tournaments are listed (e.g., “1” for strongest, “2” for next-strongest and so on). To present weighted confidence in real time, numerical values will not change throughout Segment 2 no matter how many tournaments remain listed for each golfer. All are pending golfer commitment. (Tournaments in italics have been completed.)

Sam Burns ... Heritage (3); Byron Nelson (4); Charles Schwab (2); the Memorial (1)
Patrick Cantlay ... Masters (3); Heritage (1); the Memorial (2)
Corey Conners ... Valspar (5); Valero (1); Masters (2); Heritage (4); Truist (3)
Matt Fitzpatrick ... Masters (2); Heritage (1)
Tommy Fleetwood ... Valspar (3); Masters (4); Heritage (1); Truist (2); Charles Schwab (6); the Memorial (5)
Brian Harman ... Valero (2, defending); Heritage (1); Charles Schwab (3)
Russell Henley ... Heritage (1); the Memorial (2)
Sungjae Im ... Masters (3); Heritage (1); Truist (4); Charles Schwab (5); the Memorial (2)
Si Woo Kim ... Masters (4); Heritage (3); Byron Nelson (1); the Memorial (2)
Shane Lowry ... Valspar (2); Masters (3); Heritage (1); the Memorial (4)
Maverick McNealy ... Texas Children’s (3); Valero (2); Heritage (1)
Collin Morikawa ... Masters (1); Heritage (3); Charles Schwab (4); the Memorial (2)
Xander Schauffele ... Valspar (3); Masters (1); Heritage (4); Truist (2); the Memorial (5)
Scottie Scheffler ... Texas Children’s (3); Masters (2); Heritage (4); Byron Nelson (5, defending); Charles Schwab (6); the Memorial (1, defending)
Jordan Spieth ... Valero (3); Masters (4); Heritage (1); Byron Nelson (5); Charles Schwab (6); the Memorial (2)
Sepp Straka ... Heritage (1); Truist (2, but defending on a different course)
Justin Thomas ... Valspar (1); Masters (3); Heritage (2, defending); Truist (4)
Cameron Young ... Valspar (2); Valero (3); Masters (1); Heritage (4)

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