Sleeper Picks: RBC Heritage
4 Min Read
Sahith Theegala sinks 29-foot birdie putt on No. 16 at Texas Children's
Written by Rob Bolton
NOTE: Sleeper Picks did not appear in Rob’s Power Rankings, but each presents value for the bet specified.
Outright
Sahith Theegala (+8600) ... As he’s reignited this season, it’s only a matter of time before he wins again, so why not this week’s RBC Heritage? He’s already risen for a solo second (2024) and a T5 (2023) in four trips to Harbour Town Golf Links, so it wouldn’t be a surprise in that context. As a natural feel player who saves strokes on approach and sits among the TOUR’s elite around and on greens, that potent combination explains his success on the Pete Dye design. He’s also already connected for four top 10s this season, including a T10 in his last outing at the Texas Children’s Houston Open, so that logic also squares. The juice is how long these odds are for a guy who, while didn’t qualify for the Masters but hasn’t missed a Signature Event this season, is locked in and benefits from two weeks off to reset and prep.
Sahith Theegala holes out 46-foot birdie putt on No. 6 at Texas Children's
Top 5
Akshay Bhatia (+850) ... Well, this was a treat to find him all the way down the board just one month removed from his victory in the last Signature Event. After he emerged with the title at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, the lefty answered with a T13 at THE PLAYERS Championship but then missed consecutive cuts in India and at the Masters. Now promised four rounds at Harbour Town, where his best outcome is a T18 in 2024, the angle is to lean back into the explosive scorer who also has a T3 at the WM Phoenix Open this year. He last appeared as a sleeper for the same finish for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, where he led after three rounds before the bad beat of a T6. It’s time to get paid back for payback.
Top 10
J.T. Poston (+465) ... The 32-year-old is off to a sluggish start with just one top-30 finish, but it was in his most recent appearance at the Valero Texas Open where he placed T21. It was a personal best in six trips to TPC San Antonio, and he scored progressively lower in every round. Still, why the perceived reach for this result at Harbour Town? Well, he’s among the Carolina crew in the field who has proven to be quite comfortable in these climes. Since his debut in 2019, he’s cashed five of seven times, all for a T11 or better. His veteran blend of shot-shaping with elite putting was built for the course.
Top 20
Ryo Hisatsune (+200) ... Gotta love twice the investment to pay off a finish he’s delivered five times in his last eight starts. The surge includes a T8 in his debut at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and a T13 at THE PLAYERS. The fearless 23-year-old leads the PGA TOUR in greens hit and ranks inside the top 20 in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee, Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green and adjusted scoring. And in his first look at Harbour Town last year, he recorded a steady T18 amid a similarly strong groove.
Ryo Hisatsune hits 122-yard approach to 3 feet, sets up birdie on No. 10 at Valero
Top 30
David Lipsky (+350) ... Classic sleeper and one of only a handful of PGA TOUR non-winners in the field. This market does not include ties, so he’ll be shorter if you shop in one that does, but pounce on the potential for this kickback. Slots 42nd in the FedExCup with a runner-up finish at the Valspar Championship leading the way, but he also bagged a T18 at the Farmers Insurance Open. As it concerns the level of difficulty of all host tracks this season, Copperhead and Torrey Pines rank a respective third and fourth behind Augusta National (Masters) and TPC Sawgrass (THE PLAYERS), so he’s played up to the challenges. He’s among TOUR leaders in finding fairways, and he’s accurate enough on approach with a sharp short game poised to clean up where necessary.
Top 40
Tom Hoge (+240) ... Like the market for the Top 30 above, this also does not factor in ties, but that’s OK. In fact, given his track record at Harbour Town since it’s hosted a Signature Event (2024-present), it won’t matter. He finished T18 and scored 9-under 275 both times. And while he’s not performing to the caliber that yielded a full slate of Signature Events this season, he’s still managed three top 40s, the most recent of which was a T14 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am where he now has five top 20s in his last six appearances. It’s evidence that he’s a horse for certain courses no matter the kind of form upon arrival that allows for longer odds like these.
Odds were sourced at DraftKings.
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