Tommy Fleetwood holes putt for birdie at RBC Heritage
Written by Paul Hodowanic
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – The stage is set for Sunday at the RBC Heritage, and there is plenty at stake throughout the leaderboard.
Si Woo Kim shot a third-round 66 to take a one-shot lead over Andrew Novak and Justin Thomas. Maverick McNealy is two shots back after a 6-under 65, the best round from the back-half of Saturday’s tee times. And major champions are lurking. Brian Harman is 12-under, three shots back. Scottie Scheffler is 11-under, four back.
So ahead of the final round at Harbour Town, here’s a look at five players with the most at stake Sunday at RBC Heritage.
Thomas trails Kim by one shot, but in the eyes of many, Thomas is the man to beat. He’s favored by a slim margin in most betting markets after a very consequential two-shot swing at the 18th hole Saturday. Thomas stuck his approach to 16 feet and rolled in the birdie, while Kim’s approach shot came up short of the green, and he was unable to save par.
It sets up another Sunday where Thomas’ winless drought is a top story. His last win came nearly three years ago – the 2022 PGA Championship. He’s had numerous chances to win since, most notably when he led with three holes to play at this year’s Valspar Championship, but hasn’t closed.
That’s where the stakes come in for Thomas. He believes it’s not a matter of if, but when a win is coming, but the scar tissue will begin compounding if he’s unable to convert. Thomas also hasn’t shied away from his desire to play his way onto the U.S. Ryder Cup team. That pressure was a major reason Thomas’ play declined in 2023. And a win at a Signature Event would go a long way in the standings, and in the mind of Captain Keegan Bradley.
Thomas’ biggest competitors – Novak and Kim – don’t have the track record that Thomas boasts. All eyes will be on him in the final round.
Justin Thomas makes birdie on No. 13 at RBC Heritage
Novak didn’t shy away from it. The final round at the RBC Heritage is big for him, perhaps more than anyone else with a shot at the title.
“I’m playing for a lot tomorrow,” Novak said. “I know it, but I’m excited to do it.”
Novak’s place in the remaining Signature Events is far from secure. That’s been a common theme this year. While Novak has played his way into four of the five Signature Events, they’ve all been stressful. He’s only here at Harbour Town because the field didn’t meet the minimum number of participants, filling it with the next best players on the Aon Next 10.
That’s a stressful way to go about a season, and Novak could relieve a lot of stress with his final round at the RBC Heritage.
“It’s really hard to get in these,” Novak said. “It would be nice to not have to worry about that. There’s a lot of good things that come with the win. That’s part of it. There’s a lot of incentive out here to win.”
Novak is also not yet exempt into any of the three remaining major championships – another thing a win would take care of.
Novak has the benefit of playing in the final pairing alongside the man he’s trying to overtake. Novak has twice finished third this year – at the Farmers Insurance Open and Valero Texas Open. He’ll be chasing more tomorrow. Just one shot back, a life-changing win is firmly on the table.
Fleetwood is too good a golfer not to have won a PGA TOUR event. He’s contended in major championships, racked up DP World Tour wins and sustained himself as a top-15 player in the world. The only thing left is to finally win.
That sets up pretty straightforward stakes – win and shed those demons, or rack up another strong finish that does very little to change the narrative surrounding you.
At 12-under, three shots back of Kim, Fleetwood is well within reach of victory No. 1. With a new putter in the bag, he’s amassed one of the best statistical putting weeks in the field through three rounds. He also leads the field in Strokes Gained: Around the Green.
It’s about time Fleetwood put this winless drought to rest.
Kim’s 54-hole lead is much more perilous than it was through 53 holes. Kim’s bogey at the 18th and Thomas’ birdie left six players within three shots of Kim’s lead, instead of just three.
Some of the stakes are obvious. When leading any event through 54 holes, the expectation is to win, and any other result is a disappointment. That’s a burden Kim will carry into the final round. A win will also be his first since the 2023 Sony Open in Hawaii.
The stakes go beyond that, though.
Kim had missed just one major championship in eight years – The Open Championship 2021 – until he missed last week’s Masters. He’s in jeopardy of missing more this year, too, currently No. 72 in the Official World Golf Rankings, which wouldn’t be good enough to qualify for the U.S. Open or The Open Championship.
So even if Kim doesn’t win Sunday, a top-five result would go far in solidifying a spot in the remaining three majors.
Si Woo Kim buries birdie putt at RBC Heritage
Matt Fitzpatrick is likely too far back to win, 9-under and six back of Kim, but Sunday is a crucial day for the slumping Englishman.
Fitzpatrick began the week 116th in the FedExCup, without a top-20 finish since last August. He didn’t mince words when asked about his game earlier this week.
“It’s rubbish, simple as that. It’s been awful. Yeah, it’s been the worst I’ve ever played, in fact,” Fitzpatrick said.
But the 2023 RBC Heritage winner knows his way around Harbour Town, and another solid day Sunday could have major implications on the trajectory of Fitzpatrick’s season.
Fitzpatrick is T13 through three rounds, but only three shots out of a top-five placing. He’s also in line to make the biggest jump in the FedExCup (outside of Kim), projected to move 32 spots, up to No. 84.
