RBC Heritage Preview 2021

RBC Heritage Preview 2021

• Dates: April 12-18, 2021
• Where: Hilton Head, South Carolina
• Course: Harbour Town Golf Links (36-35—71/7,121 yards)
• Defending champion: Webb Simpson
• Purse: $7,100,000 ($1,278,000/winner)
• FedExCup: 500 points (winner)
• Field size: 135
• Format: 72-hole stroke play

For a list of RBC Heritage Past Winners, click on the link.

Things to Know

• The RBC Heritage returns to its traditional date after being the second tournament played following the PGA TOUR’s COVID-19 shutdown in 2020
• Webb Simpson returns for title defense after setting RBC Heritage 72-hole tournament record in 2020
• South Carolinian and World No. 1 Dustin Johnson returns for fourth consecutive start and seeks 25^th PGA TOUR victory
• 42 players in the field who played last week at the Masters Tournament, including 13 with top-25s at Augusta National (led by Will Zalatoris/2^nd, Corey Conners/T8, Cameron Smith/T10)

Field Notes

• 15 of the top 30 in the FedExCup standings, led by No. 4 Patrick Cantlay and No. 8 Dustin Johnson
• 28 of the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking, including five of the top 10 (No. 1 Dustin Johnson, No. 4 Collin Morikawa, No. 8 Tyrrell Hatton, No. 9 Webb Simpson, No. 10 Patrick Cantlay)
• 92 PGA TOUR winners combining for 317 total victories
• 13 major championship winners combining for 15 major victories, led by Dustin Johnson and Zach Johnson (2 each)
• Five FedExCup champions: Jim Furyk (2010), Bill Haas (2011), Brandt Snedeker (2012), Billy Horschel (2014) and Dustin Johnson (2020)
• 12 past champions: Davis Love (1987, 1991, 1992, 1998, 2003), Stewart Cink (2000, 2004), Brian Gay (2009), Brandt Snedeker (2011), Graeme McDowell (2013), Matt Kuchar (2014), Jim Furyk (2010, 2015), Branden Grace (2016), Wesley Bryan (2017), Satoshi Kodaira (2018), C.T. Pan (2019), Webb Simpson (2020)
• Team RBC Ambassadors in the field: Jim Furyk, Dustin Johnson, Matt Kuchar, Graeme McDowell, Webb Simpson, Brandt Snedeker, Adam Hadwin, Corey Conners, Mackenzie Hughes, Nick Taylor

A look back at the 2020 RBC Heritage

Pos.	Player	R1	R2	R3	R4	Total
1	Webb Simpson	65	65	68	64	262 (-22)
2	Abraham Ancer	69	64	65	65	263 (-21)
T3	Daniel Berger	67	69	63	65	264 (-20)
T3	Tyrrell Hatton	71	64	63	66	264 (-20)
T5	Sergio Garcia	70	65	65	65	265 (-19)
T5	Joaquin Niemann	69	68	63	65	265 (-19)

• After initially being canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 RBC Heritage was placed back on the schedule as the second tournament back from a 12-week hiatus
• Webb Simpson won his seventh PGA TOUR title and second of 2019-20 season in his 290^th start at the age of 34 years, 10 months, 13 days
• Simpson set the RBC Heritage 72-hole scoring record (22-under 262)
• Following the win, Simpson moved to No. 1 in the FedExCup standings for the first time since the 2013-14 season

Webb Simpson returns for title defense

• Currently No. 39 in the FedExCup standings; has finished inside the top 100 in each of the last 12 seasons
• Will be making his 13^th start of the season, led by four top-10 finishes; most recently finished T12 at the Masters (finished T10 at Augusta National earlier in the season)
• Payne Stewart (1989 and 1990), Davis Love III (1991 and 1992) & Boo Weekley (2007 and 2008) are back-to-back winners at the RBC Heritage

RBC Heritage and the FedExCup

• The RBC Heritage is the 29^th of 50 events in the 2020-21 PGA TOUR Season
• Eight of the 14 winners of the RBC Heritage during the FedExCup era have qualified for the season-ending TOUR Championship: Boo Weekley (2007), Brian Gay (2009), Jim Furyk (2010), Brandt Snedeker (2011), Carl Pettersson (2012), Matt Kuchar (2014), Furyk (2015) and Webb Simpson (2020)
• Jim Furyk is the only player to win the RBC Heritage and go on to win the FedExCup in the same season (2010)

Current FedExCup standings

Top 10 at the conclusion of the Wyndham Championship will be recognized through the Comcast Business TOUR Top 10. Updated standings are below:

Pos.	Player	Points	Wins	Top-10s	Pts. Behind	Starts
1	Bryson DeChambeau	1,577	2	5	0	10
2	Justin Thomas	1,552	1	5	25	12
3	Xander Schauffele	1,335	0	6	242	12
4	Patrick Cantlay	1,280	1	4	297	12
5	Viktor Hovland	1,259	1	4	318	13
6	Jordan Spieth	1,250	1	6	327	15
7	Hideki Matsuyama	1,244	1	2	333	17
8	Dustin Johnson	1,139	1	4	438	9
9	Tony Finau	1,085	0	6	492	14
10	Jon Rahm	1,071	0	8	506	12

Players in the field at both the RBC Heritage and last week’s Masters Tournament (42)

Abraham Ancer, Daniel Berger, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Patrick Cantlay, Paul Casey, Stewart Cink, Corey Conners, Harris English, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood, Dylan Frittelli, Sergio Garcia, Brian Gay, Brian Harman, Tyrrell Hatton, Jim Herman, Billy Horschel, Mackenzie Hughes, Sungjae Im, Dustin Johnson, Zach Johnson, Si Woo Kim, Kevin Kisner, Matt Kuchar, Shane Lowry, Robert McIntyre, Collin Morikawa, Sebastian Munoz, Kevin Na, Carols Ortiz, CT Pan, Ian Poulter, Webb Simpson, Cameron Smith, Robert Streb, Hudson Swafford, Michael Thompson, Brendon Todd, Matt Wallace, lee Westwood, Danny Willett and Will Zalatoris

Player Notes

Dustin Johnson

• World No. 1 and No. 8 in the FedExCup standings; coming off a missed cut in title defense at the Masters
• In search of 25^th PGA TOUR victory, which would move him to T23 on the all-time victory list (currently T26)
• Winner of two major championships (2016 U.S. Open, 2020 Masters Tournament)
• Has at least one win in each of his 14 PGA TOUR seasons, tying Tiger Woods for the third-longest streak to begin a career in TOUR history (longest: 17, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer)
• 10^th start of the 2020-21 season, with victory at the Masters in November one of four top-10 finishes

Collin Morikawa

• Four-time TOUR winner, the most by a player currently under 25 (2019 Barracuda Championship, 2020 Workday Charity Open, 2020 PGA Championship, 2021 World Golf Championships-Workday Championship at The Concession)
• With his win at The Concession, joined Tiger Woods as the only players to win a major and WGC before turning 25
• Seventh player to win four (or more) PGA TOUR events, including a major championship, under the age of 25 (Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Jerry Pate)
• Three top-10s in 12 starts this season (T7/Sentry Tournament of Champions, T7/Sony Open in Hawaii, Won/WGC-Workday Championship); most recently finished T18 at the Masters
• Best finish in five starts at the RBC Heritage: T16/2018

Lee Westwood

• Making his 250^th start on the PGA TOUR and third at the RBC Heritage (MC/2004, 74/2005)
• Finished solo-second at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard and THE PLAYERS Championship
• Comes into the week ranked No. 31 in the FedExCup
• Two PGA TOUR wins; 1998 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, 2010 FedEx St. Jude Classic

Will Zalatoris

• Finished second last week in bid to become the first player to win in Masters debut since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979
• Was the only player with four under-par rounds at the Masters
• Has six top-10 and 11 top-25 finishes in 15 starts this season
• Making his first appearance at the RBC Heritage

Additional player notes

• Patrick Cantlay has top-10 finishes in each of his three starts at the RBC Heritage (T3/2017, T7/2018, T3/2019)
• RBC Ambassador Corey Conners had top-10 finishes in both starts at the Masters this season (T10/2020, T8/2021); his week in Augusta was highlighted by an ace on the par-3 sixth hole in round three; after missing the cut in his first three starts at the RBC Heritage, finished T21 in 2020
• Luke Donald, who enters the event with nine straight missed cuts, owns seven top-three finishes (including five runner-up finishes) in 15 previous starts at Harbour Town Golf Links (2/2017, T2/2016, 2/2014, T3/2013, 2/2011, T3/2010, T2/2009)
• South Carolinian Kevin Kisner has two top-10 finishes (2^nd/2015, T7/2018) in eight RBC Heritage starts
• Five of Davis Love III’s 21 PGA TOUR victories came at the RBC Heritage (1987, 1991, 1992, 1998, 2003); this week marks his 780^th official start on the PGA TOUR
• RBC Ambassador and 17-time PGA TOUR winner Jim Furyk has two victories at the RBC Heritage (2010, 2015)

Tournament notes

• This is the 53^rd RBC Heritage, regarded as one of the TOUR’s most popular stops. One of Pete Dye’s signature designs is annually ranked among the country’s top courses and has produced a winner’s roster including inaugural winner Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Johnny Miller, Hale Irwin, Fuzzy Zoeller, Tom Watson, Nick Faldo, Davis Love III, Greg Norman and Nick Price
• No defending champion who has teed it up the year following his win has missed the cut at the RBC Heritage since Davis Love III in 1993
• There have been 13 international winners of the RBC Heritage: C.T. Pan (2019), Satoshi Kodaira (2018), Branden Grace (2016), Graeme McDowell (2013), Carl Pettersson (2012), Aaron Baddeley (2006), Peter Lonard (2005), Jose Coceres (2001), Nick Price (1997), Greg Norman (1988), Bernhard Langer (1985), Nick Faldo (1984) and Graham Marsh (1977)
• The RBC Heritage has had 14 first-time winners: Hale Irwin (1971), Graham Marsh (1977), Doug Tewell (1980), Nick Faldo (1984), Davis Love III (1987), Glen Day (1999), Jose Coceres (2001), Peter Lonard (2005), Aaron Baddeley (2006), Boo Weekley (2007), Branden Grace (2016), Wesley Bryan (2017), Satoshi Kodaira (2018), C.T. Pan (2019)
• Just seven players have won the RBC Heritage in their first appearance: Arnold Palmer (1969), Bob Goalby (1970), Stewart Cink (2000), Jose Coceres (2001), Boo Weekley (2007), Wesley Bryan (2017), Satoshi Kodaira (2018)
• Oldest winner of the RBC Heritage: Hale Irwin (1994; 48 years, 10 months, 14 days)
• Youngest RBC Heritage winner: Davis Love III (23 years, 6 days) when he won the first of five titles in 1987

Tournament records

• Lowest 18-hole score: 61 (David Frost/R2/1994, Troy Matteson/R2/2015)
• Lowest 36-hole score: 129 (Phil Mickelson/2002)
• Lowest 54-hole score: 197 (Justin Leonard/2002)
• Lowest 72-hole score: 262 (Webb Simpson/2020)
• Largest margin of victory: 10 (Brian Gay/2009)
• Playoffs: 14 (most recent: 2018/Satoshi Kodaira def. Si Woo Kim)
• Best come-from-behind victory: 9 (Stewart Cink/2004)

The RBC Heritage Preview 2021 is via PGA TOUR