Golf Tips: Best bets for RBC Heritage, China Open and Corales Puntacana

• Steve Rawlings sides with Straka success at 40/141.00

• Dave Tindall backs his 80/181.00 winner to deliver again

• Course info, first round leader, outsiders to back at over 100/1101.00

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RBC Heritage tips and predictions

The Punter's Preview: Stick with Straka at 40/1

Steve Rawlings: "Harbour Town is a tricky track that doesn't suit everyone, and course form stands up well. In its 55-year history, ten men have won the event more than once and Davis Love III has won it five times. 

"Fitzpatrick had finished fourth two years before he won but we've also seen a few first-time shock winners of late too.  Cink was a big price four years ago and C.T Pan was the third consecutive big outsider to take the title in 2019. Pan was also the fourth winner in-a-row winning for the first time on the PGA Tour. 

"It will be interesting to see if we get another well-fancied winner this year now that it's a Signature Event but historically, it's been a fair event for longshots...

"Sepp Straka shortened up to around 60.0 before the off [at the Masters last week] before a desperately disappointing first round of 78 left him far too much to do. He bounced back brilliantly on Friday. After a run of five birdies in seven holes from the eighth, he looked all set to make the cut before a bogey at 17 and a slip on the tee at 18, that led to a triple-bogey seven, saw him miss out on weekend play.

"That could be a huge plus for this week and with course form figures reading 33-59-3-MC-5, he's one I'm happy to chance again. Straka was the 36- and 54-hole leader at Pebble Beach in February, a week after he'd won the American Express, and he was tied for the lead here at halfway 12 months ago and second behind Scheffler with 18 to play."

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Each-Way Tips: Back English at 75/1 to win for us again

Dave Tindall: "Harris English left the hallowed grounds of Augusta National on a high after a pleasant Sunday finish. The local Georgia native played his last 12 holes in 6-under, reeling off four straight birdies from 13-16.

"That helped Engish to 12th place, his best ever result in six starts at the US Masters. In fact, it's his highest finish in a major outside of the US Open. The 35-year-old ranked 10th for Approach so was striking his irons particularly well and it built on 18th place at Houston.

"Earlier this season, he did us an 80/1 favour by winning the Farmers Insurance Open, after I tipped him at Torrey Pines, his fifth victory on the PGA Tour. Two of those came in 2021 so hopefully he can score a quick follow-up here.

"English's course form isn't startling but he was eighth on debut and has three other top 28s in the last five years. He's closed with Sunday rounds of 64 and 65 while he posted a Saturday 66 last year."

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First-Round Leader Tips: Cauley on the radar at 55/1

Dave Tindall: "Bud Cauley's revival has been an interesting side-story this season so it's interesting to note that the American was once first-round leader here. That was back in 2017 when he opened with a 63 before finishing ninth.

"It's his more recent play that really puts him on the radar though and his last three finishes show sixth at The Players, fourth in the Valspar and fifth at the Texas Open.

"He was eighth after day one at Sawgrass and also added a Saturday 66 there so he's had his scoring boots on and has the potential to throw in a low one from his early tee-time. Cauley goes out in the very first group at 8.00am"

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Long-shot bets: Back Wyndham Clark @ 120.0119/1

Steve Rawlings: "I was quite surprised to see Wyndham Clark drift to such a big price this week, but I perhaps shouldn't have been.

"He's in search of his fourth PGA Tour title and he was matched at a triple-figure price before each of his first three victories. All of which have been within the last two years and one of which was the US Open.

"Clark put himself under pressure at the US Masters with a 76 in round one, but he made the cut thanks to a four-under-par 68 on Friday and although rounds of 75 and 74 on the weekend saw him finish only 46^th, he's still a very fair price here.

"As highlighted in the preview, an under-the-radar week at the US Masters has not been a hinderance in this event and I'm happy to overlook it.

"Prior to the year's first major, Clark had finished fifth in the Houston Open so he has some very strong recent form to call upon and he finished third here 12 months ago, after missing the cut at Augusta, despite having sat tied for 57^th after round one.

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Course and current form stats

Andy Swales: "Those who tee-up this week will discover there is little room for error. Putting surfaces are slick and much smaller than the Tour average and, if a golfer fails to find the correct section of fairway from the tee, there is every chance that their route to the flag will be blocked by overhanging trees.

"Locating these small greens in regulation can be tricky. Ahead of the tournament in 2020, 10 fairways were slightly widened. Realistically, unless a player is particularly wild with either a driver or iron, water should not come into play on more than 10 holes.

"This much-loved public course was designed by Pete Dye, in conjunction with Jack Nicklaus, and opened 58 years ago. The Harbour Town honours' board is littered with accurate iron players who also possessed the ability to scramble efficiently. Those who perform well this week, should also be considered as potential contenders for June's US Open.

"One golfer whose name has seemingly disappeared from the top of leaderboards on Sunday afternoon, recently, is Patrick Cantlay 17/1. The 33-year-old former world No 3 has not won on the PGA Tour for over 30 months, and appears to be in a 'minor' slump. But he's still ranked No 16 in the world and he's also posted plenty of top 20s during the past 12 months."

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China Open tips and predictions

The Punter: Langasque chanced at 47/1

Steve Rawlings: "In the 17 years that the Volvo China Open has been a part of the DP World Tour, players from 14 different countries have won the event. 

"The 2017 winner, Alex Levy, was a well-fancied 25.0 chance and Korea's Y.E Yang was quite well fancied back in 2010 but the six winners in-between were fairly hard to find.

"The 2018 winner, Alexander Bjork, and the 2019 winner, Mikko Korhonen, both went off at 70.0 and last year's winner, Adrian Otaegui, who was Spanish when he won but now represents the UAE, was a 50/1 chance so outsiders have a reasonable record."

"Romain Langasque finished tied for second behind Lacroix (who's another non-starter here, annonyingly) around Lübker in Denmark last year. His sole success on the DP World Tour was at Celtic Mannor back in 2020 so I was happy to play him modestly at 48.0."

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Each-Way Tips: 21/1 Keita Nakajima can win again

Matt Cooper: "The Japanese 24-year-old was a mightily impressive amateur and won on his home professional tour when still yet to join the pro ranks. That win came in 2021 and he won three times when he got his card in 2023. The form earned him a DP World Tour card and he quickly landed victory in last spring's Indian Open.

"He didn't do a great deal in the rest of the year but he did finish sixth at Green Eagle, a course favoured by fine players in China, and seventh at Jumeirah in the Tour Championship, a sign of his quality (up against a high quality field).

"In his last two outings, he has been second at Laguna National in the Singapore Classic and then second again on defence of his Indian Open title. He has experience of an RTJ Jr track in Japan called Kochi Kuroshio. He was T14 in 2021, eighth in 2022, and fourth in 2023."

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Form stats for the penultimate event on the Asian Swing

Andy Swales: "Designed by Robert Trent Jones II, the course was opened in 2005 and has been awarded the honour of hosting the Volvo China Open for the next three years. It is a parkland course which runs alongside Suzhou Creek and is a low-lying venue which features a system of interconnected lakes.

"Reasonably long by DP World Tour standards, there are numerous sizeable bunkers, while water comes into play on around two-thirds of its holes. This week's event will be co-sanctioned with the China Tour...

"China's top-ranked player Hao Tong Li 19/1 has already tasted victory in 2025, winning the Qatar Masters in February. The former world No 32 is slowly returning to the sort of form which witnessed his podium finish in the 2017 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. He also has fond memories of this event, having claimed his maiden DP World Tour title at the Volvo China Open of 2016."

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Corales Puntacana Championship tips and predictions

The Punter's Preview: Go for Higgo at 59/1

Steve Rawlings: "The inaugural winner, Dominic Bozzelli, was in his mid-20s and the 2022 winner, Ramey, was 29 when he won here but the five winners in-between were all in their 30s, and the last two winners have been 31 and 37.

"Horschel was fairly well fancied 12 months ago but the six winners before him were all outsiders to varying degrees. Having been matched at a high of 110.0, Ramey went off at 85.0 three years ago, G-Mac and Garnett were 80.0 chances before the off, and Swafford was matched at a high of 370.0 before going off at around 300.0.

"Wallace, who was a 48.0 chance in 2023, was the shortest priced winner since the event was elevated to the PGA Tour before 25.0 chance Horschel last year so it's been a tough tournament for favourite backers...

"For now my only play is the 25-year-old South African, Garrick Higgo. He missed the cut here on debut 12 months ago but arrives here in nice form this year having finished third on the Korn Ferry Tour a fortnight ago, a month after finishing 12^th in Puerto Rico.

"He's a three-time winner on the DP World Tour and he got off the mark on the PGA Tour in only his second start at the once only staged Palmetto Championship back in 2021."

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Course and current form stats

Andy Swales: "The course at Corales Golf Club was designed by Tom Fazio and opened 15 years ago, and is laid out close to the Caribbean island's east coast. The undulating fairways are fairly generous, and will offer golf's biggest hitters the opportunity to drive it long and especially if conditions are calm. However, this all changes if the wind picks up.

"Putting surfaces are undulating and, like most coastal venues, the ability to scramble successfully will always come in handy if weather conditions deteriorate;

"Parts of the course run close to the Caribbean coastline, while water comes into play on seven holes. Both fairways and greens are laid with Supreme Paspalum, which is rare for PGA Tour venues.

"With just one golfer ranked inside the world's top 75, this week's tournament will be one of the most open events on the 2025 PGA Tour calendar. Two players whose Corales course history appears highly favourable are Alex Smalley 17/1 and Justin Lower 40/1. Smalley has posted top-six finishes in each of his last two visits, while Lower tied-fourth 12 months ago."

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Read the Punter's in-play blog for the latest for both of this week's events

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