While it’s great to see sports begin to return after the pandemic, it is also interesting to see how players and teams will come out of the layoff. There are going to be some who come back strong, while others might need some time to shake off the rust. After the opening day of the Charles Schwab PGA event, it looks as though most of the bigger name players are having a bit of a tough go of things. That could level out over the course of the weekend, and it may even carry over into next week, when the best players in the world will head to the Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head for the RBC Heritage. This tournament, which is usually held in mid-April, has a $7.1 million purse, which is pulling in all the big names. The top 5 ranked players in the world will be there, but who will win? Let’s take a closer look at the favorites so you can make your bets against their PGA odds.
PGA Tour RBC Heritage
Rory McIlroy
The top ranked player in the world is on the course at the Charles Schwab as I write this. After a slow start, he is going well in the second round and is now just 4 strokes off the lead. This is not particularly surprising when you consider that the Irishman was on an absolute tear at the start of the 2020 season. McIlroy was on a run of 6 consecutive top 5 finishes before the PGA suspended operations, so there is every reason to believe that he will bounce back quickly and get right back to where he was before all this craziness began.
Brooks Koepka
Over the past few years, no player has been more dominant in big events that Brooks Koepka. Between 2017 and 2019, he won a pair of US Open titles, as well as 2 PGA Championship crowns. While Koepka seems to save his best for the big occasion, he is a threat in any competition that he plays in. He did see the 2020 season get off to a rough start, so he is one player that may have welcomed the break. It is going to be interesting to see if he can shake that slow start and get back to challenging at the top of the leaderboard.
Jon Rahm
The Spaniard is one of the more popular players on the PGA Tour, but besides being a well-liked guy, he is also one of the best players in the world. While Rahm is a solid bet to land in the top 10 in every tournament that he plays in, he is not one that is a very good win bet. Rahm has forged his way toward the top of the world rankings despite only ever winning 3 times on the tour. That speaks to his amazing level of consistency, but it also makes it a little tougher to bet on him to win, especially when the field is as strong as it will be next weekend.
Justin Thomas
Currently sitting in the #2 spot in the FedEx Cup standings, Thomas is playing some of the best golf of his career. As I write, he is playing some great golf in his return from the lockdown. He is currently 4th on the leaderboard at the Charles Schwab, just 2 strokes out of the lead. The fact that he has been able to get right back into the swing of things so quickly suggests that he might well be worth a look next weekend. I am taking a shot and going with Thomas to win the RBC Heritage.
