RBC Heritage: Expert Picks

What: RBC Heritage 
When: April 13^th -16^th
Where: Harbour Town Golf
2016 Winner: Branden Grace (-9)
Purse: $6.5MM total (Winner - $1.2MM)

Course: Harbour Town Golf -  Built in 1967 by Pete Dye and Jack Nicklaus, this 7,100 par 71 course has extravagant beauty running up against the Atlantic Ocean. The narrow fairways force golfers into the thick Bermuda roughs which are tough to navigate (some are Rye). This course forces golfers to be patient and not force shots. Water traps lie around many of the greens and wind off the ocean can cause havoc on shots.

A.
Marc Leishman. Luke Donald is the more logical pick here given his strong track record but something seems off on his game this year, he isn't showing the level of confidence he usually has in his shots. Leishman is 13^th in FedEx Ranking, largely driving by putting where he is 3^rd on the tour in strokes gained putting. He finished 30^th here last year, Missed the Cut in 2014 and placed 9^th in 2013.

B:. 
Adam Hadwin. Currently 5^th in FedEx Ranking, Adam finished in the top 15 in 6 of his last 10 tournaments.  His putting is amazing, he's 7^th on the tour in strokes gained putting. I'm riding on that much more than his history here as he finished 30^th last year, missed the cut in 2015 and finished 53rd in 2014. 

Matt Kuchar. He made a good run late at the Masters which was reassuring after a few sluggish tournaments this year. Handing the signed Ace ball to a fan is the classy action that Matt would do. Harbour Town, which is fairly close to his old stomping grounds, has been a comfortable tournament for him. 9^th last year, 5^th in 2015 and 1^st in 2014, I think he is as good of a bet as you get for a top 10 finish.

C.
Patrick Cantlay. The UCLA grad has been interesting to watch over his last two PGA tournaments he's shot 7/8 rounds under par and while he's not the longest driver, he does have some good shots gained. If he can keep his consistent play up I wouldn't be surprised if he can net a top 25 placing.

Dark Horse:
Jason Kokrak. I know he's a B-golfer but the Xavier University alum has a good track record at Harbour Town. 6^th last year, 18^th in 2015 and 12^th in 2014. He's not having a great 2017 so this could be a solid play for him given start limitations.