RBC Heritage
Well last week at The Masters was one for the books. Japan’s own Hideki Matsuyama completed his mission and became the 2021 Masters Champion. Hideki has become the first Japanese born male to win a major as well as the Masters. This is not only monumental for Hideki but for his home country of Japan and the game of golf as a whole. The game of golf has grown immensely this past year, but when internationally born golfers win on American soil it further grows the game on a worldwide stage.
This past week at Augusta Hideki put on an absolute show. Matsuyama played solid on Thursday and Friday, but it wasn’t until Saturday when he really took control. Hideki shot a bogey-flaw, flawless 7 under 65 on Saturday. This incredible round propelled him to first place and held a 4 shot lead going into Sunday’s final round. Now while Sunday was not the most energizing final round Hideki remained poised after an opening bogey and managed to make his way to 18 still holding a 2 shot lead. Now we’ve seen this before back in 2019, Tiger had a 2 shot lead going into 18 and made a comfortable bogey to win, well Hideki followed in those footsteps. Hideki made a comfortable bogey on his 72nd hole to win the 2021 Masters by 1 shot over Will Zalatoris. Nothing but the best for Hideki in the future, this man can play.
Now although Hideki won, there was another player who made a big splash in his Masters debut. First time Masters competitor Will Zalatoris fought his way to a solid 9 under par finish through 4 rounds. Will also played all 4 of his rounds under par for the event which for Augusta is astounding. On top of all that Will moved to 27th in the world rankings, finished solo 2nd and took home well over a million dollars for his efforts throughout the week. We will be seeing a lot of Will Zalatoris in the future, that is for sure. Unfortunately golf fans we are back to waiting an entire calendar year for the next Masters, but it’ll be worth the wait.
The season continues on, this week the PGA Tour heads to Hilton Head, South Carolina for the RBC Heritage. I’ve always been a huge fan of this event because Harbour Town, the host venue always provides spectacular golf, incredible views, and challenging course conditions. On top of that the field this year is pretty stacked which is always positive to see after a major. This week fans will have the opportunity to watch Dustin Johnson, Will Zalatoris, Daniel Berger, Patrick Cantlay, Webb Simpson, Collin Morikawa, and Matt Kuchar. We're obviously missing a ton of familiar faces, but that's the kind of stuff that happens after a major especially for the guys that make it deep into the weekend. Nevertheless there is still a lot of firepower this week so be prepared for another battle to the finish. (Mike)
There are two images that stick out to me from the last week in golf. First, the video of Hideki’s caddie bowing after replacing the pin at 18 on Sunday. To me, that is the lasting image of the 2021 Master’s. The other image is that of Hideki sitting at the airport by himself with the green jacket. It is hard to imagine what was going through his mind as he headed back to Japan and the media excitement there. Hideki talked about how he hopes to be a pioneer for other Japanese golfers and I have little doubt he will be. It was not the most exciting Sunday finish at Augusta, but it was historic and it was definitely earned on the course. (Tyler)
Pick’s of the Week:
Mike: Well after last week’s picks I think i'm doing pretty well. Jordan Speith with another top-5, Wolfe missing the cut and my sleeper Tommy Fletwood hanging around the middle of the pack, so not completely awful. However this week I'm feeling very confident. My winning pick for this week is Collin Morikawa. Morikawa had a decent week last week at Augusta, but I think he’s due for a good week. Currently he's top 10 on tour in Strokes gained: approach the green, tee to green, driving accuracy, and greens in regulation. These are huge scoring stats and guarantees him tons of birdie attempts. As long as he putts well, Morikawa is in for a great week.
My notable to miss the cut this week is Patrick Cantlay. Cantlay is not playing well at all. He had an absolutely catastrophic week at the Masters and it just seems like his game isn’t in the form we all know Cantlay can play at.
This week sleeper/underdog pick of the week goes to fan favorite Harry Higgs. Higgs is a solid all around player. He’s coming off over a weeks worth of rest since he didn’t play at the Masters so he's fresh and rested. Keep your eye on Harry this week. Another play I want to quickly mention is Alex Noren. Noren is a really solid player on The European Tour, but is still trying to make a name for himself on The PGA Tour. Check out Noren this week, he’s going to bring some great golf to the table. (Mike)
Tyler: My pick’s last week were not great again. My pick’s for my Masters pool were much better, but nonetheless we go again! My winner this week is Webb Simpson. Webb is a guy that does many things very well rather than be a long distance guy or an elite ball striker. He is not flashy, but he can go low any given day and has the game to beat anyone in the field this week. I like his chances to follow up last week with a win.
My sleeper for this week is Ian Poulter. I have always rooted against him because he seems to always find a way to hurt The US in the Ryder Cup. However, lately I have found myself rooting for him more and he seems like a personable guy. The RBC is a tournament he has historical success at and has played very well the last few years here so I expect him to do well.
My pick to miss the cut is the same as Mike. I picked Cantlay to win last week and that blew up in my face. He is not playing well right now and nothing about last week gives me any confidence he will turn it around in just a few days. His talent is undeniable, but his inconsistency has been one of few constants in his tour career. (Tyler)