RBC Heritage 2025 Preview, Picks & Analysis

With the dust having barely settled on The Masters, we go from one iconic venue to another as the PGA Tour heads to Hilton Head Island for the RBC Heritage, where Scottie Scheffler will defend one of the seven titles he collected in 2024.

12 months ago, Scheffler arrived here fresh from winning The Masters for the second time and continued his dominance by claiming his fourth win in five starts.

The world number one carded a three-under-par 68 in the final round to finish on 19 under and win by four shots from fellow American Sahith Theegala. 

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Sunday's final round was halted for more than two hours by inclement weather before darkness stopped play from finishing and Scheffler returned on Monday with a five-shot lead and three holes to play and he wrapped up a comfortable triumph.

He became the first player to follow a Masters win with victory at the RBC Heritage since Germany's Bernhard Langer in 1985. He was also the first player to win four times in five starts on the PGA Tour since Tiger Woods in 2007-08.

He had also won the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill and The Players Championship last March.

Scheffler said: "I got off to a slow start on Thursday but other than that I played some really nice golf in the middle of the tournament and it's nice to be done. I think mentally the last month or so has been as good as I've been in a long time and I think that is why I'm seeing some of the results."

Austria's Sepp Straka was the highest European, finishing in joint fifth with on 14 under, while 2024 Masters runner-up Ludvig Aberg was joint 10th on 12 under. 

Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy shot a final-round 74 to finish well off the pace on seven under.

Matthew Fitzpatrick, who won here two years ago, will continue his attempt to rediscover the game that appears to have utterly deserted him. His fall from grace has been alarming. He won the US Open in 2022, and the RBC and Alfred Dunhill Links Championship the following year. He was comfortably established in the top 20 in the world rankings and played a key part in Europe overwhelming Ryder Cup victory in Italy in 2023.

But it has all gone horribly wrong since then.

Last year he made 21 starts on the PGA Tour and missed four cuts. There was a fifth place at the Tour Championship and a tied fifth at The Memorial but those were the highlights. Having parted company with caddie Billy Foster, he is now outside the top 70 in the world rankings and in seven starts ahead of The Masters in 2025 he had missed three cuts and had a best finish of tied 25th at The Sentry. Fitzpatrick is one of the hardest workers in the game but this is a cruel sport and there are no guarantees. But if there is a venue that can kick-start his season then this is probably it.

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

Going in the opposite direction to Fitzpatrick after a similar slump in fortunes is Justin Thomas. Still looking for his first victory since the 2022 US PGA he was only the sixth player since 1945 to win 15 titles before the age of 30. After winning his second major his game went south but he is now back in the top 10 in both the world rankings and FedEx Cup. In eight starts ahead of The Masters, Thomas had finished second at both the American Express and the Valspar Championship and had also enjoyed two other top-10 finishes. He is striking the ball beautifully once again and, crucially, has started to hole putts once again. It is surely only a matter of time before he wins again.

Another player overdue a win is Patrick Cantlay. He remains consistent enough, having not missed a cut in 2025 and enjoyed top-five finishes at both the American Express and Genesis Invitational. Cantlay has won eight times on the PGA Tour, including four victories in 2021, when he also won the FedEx Cup and was named player of the year.

Akshay Bhatia is one of the most entertaining golfers in the game. He made his first PGA Tour start at just 17 years old at the 2019 Valspar Championship and turned pro later that year. Bhatia was the first high school pupil to represent the United States in the Walker Cup. He has carded two wins since joining the PGA Tour in 2023. The Los Angeles native will be making his third start at the RBC Heritage

This is one of the tour’s signature events and I have to say that I find it slightly odd that such an elevated event would be staged the week after a major, when many of the world’s leading players may actually fancy taking a week off. But such is the iconic status of this incredible golf course that we will once again see a strong field battling it out for the first prize of $3.6m and 700 FedEx Cup points.

Davis Love III won this tournament five times throughout his career, with victories stretching from 1987 to 2003. He is one of several multiple-time winners of the competition. Hale Irwin and Stewart Cink have both won at Harbour Town three times, while Johnny Miller, Hubert Green, Tom Watson, Fuzzy Zoeller, Payne Stewart, Boo Weekley and Jim Furyk have all been victorious on two occasions.

Tournament Winners:

It was won in 2015 by Jim Furyk, in 2016 by Branden Grace, in 2017 by Wes Bryan, in 2018 by Satoshi Kodaira, in 2019 by Pan Cheng-tsung, in 2020 by Webb Simpson, in 2021 by Stewart Cink, in 2022 by Jordan Spieth, in 2023 by Matthew Fitzpatrick and last year by Scottie Scheffler.

The Course:

Harbour Town Golf Links measures just 7,099 yards and is a par 71. You would expect today’s stars to rip it to shreds, but they don’t. The fairways are narrow, the rough is penal, there are plenty of well-placed bunkers and the greens are small. On top of that, there is often a tricky sea breeze to contend with.

Form Guide:

Scottie Scheffler has shrugged off a sluggish start to the season and looks to be just about back to his brilliant best. Can you see anybody beating him here? I can't.

Prize Money:

The total prize fund is $20m, with $3.6m going to the winner, along with 700 FedEx Cup points

How to Watch:

Thursday, April 17, Friday, April 18, Sky Sports Golf, 12.30pm; Saturday, April 19, Sunday, April 20, Sky Sports Golf, 12.15pm.

To Win:

Scottie Scheffler. Imperious

Each Way:

Justin Thomas. Must win again soon

Each Way:

Akshay Bhatia. Going up in the world

Five to Follow:

Scottie Scheffler. Back to something like his best

Justin Thomas. Fabulous putter

Akshay Bhatia. Hugely creative

Matthew Fitzpatrick. Ready to turn the corner 

Patrick Cantlay. Due a win