The 2025 Masters may have just wrapped up in spectacular fashion, but there’s no rest for the world’s best. With $3.6 million going to the winner at this week’s RBC Heritage, the PGA Tour’s elite are already gearing up for another test. This time, the location is Harbour Town Golf Links, a firm but fair Pete Dye design known for rewarding accuracy over power.
The jump from Augusta National to Harbour Town might seem easy in terms of geography. It’s just a three-hour drive or a 17-minute hop if you’ve got a jet, but these two tracks are worlds apart when it comes to how you win. Augusta favors shot-shapers and length. Harbour Town demands precision, iron control, and smart course management. That means we’re looking at a whole different formula for success this week.
Let’s break down the key players from the Masters who are teeing it up again and assess who’s primed to make a run at the plaid jacket.
Scottie Scheffler is the name everyone’s watching right now. Not only did he finish just behind Rory at Augusta, he also had to hand over the green jacket to the new champ. That kind of moment lights a fire in a competitor like Scottie, especially when he’s already the defending champion at Harbour Town, having won here by three strokes in 2024.
He’s also been dominant on Pete Dye tracks in general and leads all players in strokes gained at Harbour Town over the past 36 rounds. That stat alone makes it hard to bet against him. Combine that with the fact he’s currently playing some of the most confident golf on the planet, and it’s easy to see why Scheffler is the odds-on favorite to take the win this weekend.
Justin Thomas might not have made headlines at Augusta, especially after a rough third-round 76, but he’s been quietly trending upward. He hasn’t won since the 2022 PGA Championship, but this season he’s shown flashes of the old JT.
He remains one of the Tour’s top approach players, ranking fifth in strokes gained on approach over his last six events. That’s a key stat on a track like Harbour Town, where second-shot accuracy is everything. He also has a solid track record on Pete Dye courses and seems due for a breakthrough. While Thomas only finished tied for 36th at the Masters, don’t be surprised to see him push into contention here.
After two major wins in 2024, Xander Schauffele came into Augusta with high expectations. He played well, finishing tied for eighth, but didn’t quite crack the upper echelon. Still, that performance, paired with a T12 at Valspar, shows he’s regaining the consistency that eluded him in the early part of the season.
Harbour Town is the type of course where a balanced player like Xander can shine. His control off the tee, combined with a solid iron game, makes him a strong threat this week. He’s hungry for a win and has the stats to back up his form.
It’s hard to call Ludvig Åberg underrated anymore, but there’s still a sense he hasn’t exploded onto the scene the way some expected. He got his first big win earlier this year at the Genesis Invitational, but followed it up with two missed cuts and a modest T22 finish before bouncing back with a top 10 at the Masters.
That performance at Augusta should provide a serious confidence boost heading into Harbour Town. Åberg’s ball-striking is elite, and if he finds rhythm early, he’s absolutely capable of being in the mix late Sunday.
Yes, Russell Henley missed the cut at the Masters. But if you dig a little deeper, there’s more to the story. He opened with a disastrous 79, then nearly pulled off a miracle with a second-round 68 that was only spoiled by a few late bogeys. He missed the cut by just one stroke.
This week, he returns to a course that rewards the exact strengths Henley brings to the table. He’s top five in both iron play and short game, two stats that matter more at Harbour Town than they did at Augusta. He’s a smart dark horse pick for those looking beyond the obvious names.
A Fast Turnaround, But a New Challenge
One of the biggest questions every year at RBC Heritage is how players handle the quick turnaround from the Masters. Some show up refreshed and focused. Others need more time to reset. Because this tournament is a designated signature event, the field is stacked. But only those who adapt quickly will thrive.
Harbour Town doesn’t care how well you hit the driver. It’s a chessboard of a course, where positioning and patience beat brute force. Players with strong iron games, tight wedge control, and clean putting strokes will be the ones climbing the leaderboard.
We’re in the heart of the season now, and the 2025 RBC Heritage is shaping up to be one of the year’s most compelling events. After an emotional week at Augusta, the best players in the world are back at it, chasing another title and a massive payday.
Keep your eyes on players like Scheffler, Thomas, Schauffele, Åberg, and Henley. Each brings something unique to Harbour Town and has a real shot at making noise. The course may be calmer than Augusta, but the stakes are just as high.
I’ll be watching every shot. Hope you will too.
Clint is PGA-certified and was a Head Teaching Professional at one of Toronto's busiest golf academies. He was also featured on Canada's National Golf TV program, "Score Golf Canada," twice. He graduated with a degree in Golf Management from the College of the Desert in California and studied under Callaway's co-founder, Tony Manzoni. He has a handicap index of 6.2 and spends the winters near Oaxaca, Mexico, where he plays twice a month at the Club de Golf Vista Hermosa. He's written over 100 articles at GolfSpan since 2021. You can connect with Clint at LinkedIn, FB, his website, or Clintcpga@gmail.com.
