Golf Tips: Best bets for RBC Heritage and Corales Puntacana Championship

• 47/148.00 Henley chanced by Steve at the RBC

• 50/151.00 Straka to strike in elite company

• 37/138.00 Martin backed to enjoy Corales Puntacana again

• Outsiders to back, first round leader tips and much more

RBC Heritage Tips and Predictions

Four fancies at Hilton Head from 47/1 to 84/1

Steve Rawlings: "Last week's US Masters winner, Scottie Scheffler, heads the market at just fractionally shorter than the 6.0 he went off at last week, and it's hard to make a strong argument for taking him on at that price.

"Scheffler didn't play here after winning his first Green Jacket two years ago, but he finished 11^th on debut 12 months ago, having sat tied for second at halfway.

"Scheffler's wife, Meridith, is still two weeks away from her due date for their first child so it looks like he's going to line up and given he has current form figures reading 1-1-2-1 he may well take all the beating again but he's not for me this week.

"It's very hard to imagine him being focused enough to contend strongly after last week's gruelling triumph...

"Russell Henley is someone who really should love this venue and I'm happy to chance him after last week's disappointing tied 38th at Augusta. It's common for players that contend in the US Masters to underperform the following year and that's what happened to Henley last week.

"He'd finished fourth behind Jon Rahm in 2023 and having finished fourth at the Texas Open in the final event before last week, he was quietly fancied at Augusta but he never really got going.

"He did finish the tournament nicely after a slow start on Sunday though, signing for a one-under-par 71 after playing his last 12 holes in a bogey-free three-under-par.

"His sixth placed finish on debut here in 2013 after a slow start is still his best finish at Harbour Town but he looks primed to improve on that this time around."

Each-way Tips: Picks from 20/1 to 66/1

Dave Tindall: "Straka didn't make the weekend here last year (perhaps a hangover from his 2022 near-miss) but he fired three 67s on debut in 2020 and was 19th at halfway in 2021 after another 67.

"Bermuda greens suit as highlighted by his win in the Honda Classic, second places at the St Jude Championship and Sanderson Farms and his tied third here.

"And even though there are lots of stellar names to overcome, Straka can thrive in elite company.

"Last year he was runner-up in the Open Championship and seventh at the US PGA while he's just posted tied 16th at both The Players Championship (ninth there in 2022) and The Masters."

Course and current form stats

Andy Swales: "At Harbour Town 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 an iron, water should not come into play on more than 10 holes...

"If you're searching for a higher-priced option, then Corey Conners 33/1 could be worth following. The Canadian has posted a brace of top-dozen finishes during the most recent three instalments of this unique tournament.

"Current form is not blistering, but not hopeless either, and the 32-year-old is an ideal e/w selection or potential top-five finisher."

First-Round Leader Tips: Picks from 28/1 to 66/1

Dave Tindall: "Adam Svensson is in the fourth group out at 8.45am local and that looks a good opportunity for the Canadian to continue his recent run of quick starts.

"Svensson opened with 66s at both the Valspar Championship and the Houston Open and set out with a 69 in Texas last time. Those low numbers were good enough for first-round leader positions of third, sixth and eighth respectively.

"Also eighth after day one at TPC Scottsdale, Svensson has some FRL history here too after shooting a 66 in his opening lap in 2022. That put him in third place when round one was in the books.

"A former winner of the RSM Classic at Sea Island where he carded a 62 on day three, this similar test should suit."

Corales Puntacana Championship Tips and Predictions

Course specialist backed in the Dominican Republic

Steve Rawlings: "We're yet to see someone well-fancied before the off winning here and none of the market leaders make much appeal this time around.

"Alex Noren is making his debut this week, but he arrives with very respectable current form figures on the PGA Tour reading 9-19-11-14.

"The 41-year-old Swede contended strongly at the Bermuda Championship at the end of last year on another coastal wind-affected track, but he's never won on the PGA Tour and it's now six years since he won on the DP World Tour.

"Last year's runner-up, Nicolai Hojgaard, missed the cut on his only previous visit in 2022 and he'll have plenty of supporters after last week's performance at Augusta, but he'll do very well to bounce back straight away after such a mentally demanding week.

"The young Dane was matched at just 7.0 when he hit the front in the US Masters on Saturday when he birdied three holes in-a-row from the seventh hole, but he followed the run of consecutive birdies with five straight bogeys and eventually finished tied for 16^th...

"The 36-year-old Californian Ben Martin, who won his only PGA Tour title to date almost 10 years ago at the Shriners, has course form figures here reading 52-9-2-8 and he arrives in the Dominican Republic on the back of a seventh-place finish at the Texas Open two weeks ago.

"I wouldn't like to argue fervently that he's a terrific price at less than 40/1 but he clearly loves the venue and his seventh in Texas is his best performance on Tour since he finished eighth here last year so he could just be hitting form at the right time."

Course and current form stats

Andy Swales: "Corales Golf Club was designed by Tom Fazio and opened 14 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. Six holes run close to the Caribbean coastline, with water coming into play on seven holes.

"Putting surfaces are undulating and, like most coastal venues, the ability to scramble successfully will always come in handy if weather conditions deteriorate. Both fairways and greens are laid with Supreme paspalum...

"Among the stand-outs, regarding course form, are Sam Ryder, Nate Lashley and Ben Martin. Ryder has twice been runner-up at Corales - including once on the Web.Com Tour - and has a best 2024 finish of tied-16th at last month's Players Championship."

Reavie looks a strong outsider in a weak event

Steve Rawlings: "Chez Reavie is playing here for the first time but given he finished 11^th in the RBC Heritage last year, that he was fourth at El Camaleon in 2016 and that he has a great record at Waialae including a third-place finish in 2019 and an eighth two years earlier, he should take to the Tom Fazio designed Corales Course.

"After a disappointing run of four straight missed cuts, Reavie finished 12^th in the Valspar Championship last month after another weekend off, this time at the Houston Open, he finished 33^rd in the Texas Open last time out after a 75 in round one saw him sitting 120^th so he's been showing signs of life.

"The three-time PGA Tour winner has contended at Pebble Beach on several occasions too (another wind-affected coastal course) and he looks a very fair price in such a weak event."

Read Steve's in-play blog for both events from Thursday to Sunday