This week’s tournament: RBC Heritage
Course: Harbour Town (designer Pete Dye)
Purse: $5,800,000
Broadcast schedule: Global 3-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
David Hearn is looking for a breakthrough.
Hearn, from Brantford, Ont., is now a PGA Tour veteran who looks like he’s poised to stay at golf’s elite levels. His near-miss loss in a playoff at the John Deere Classic last year, a tournament won by breakout star Jordan Speith, cemented Hearn as a golfer who can contend on challenging courses where steady play is rewarded.
Hearn isn’t going to ever overwhelm a course. He’s long enough off the tee, but will never be considered a bomber. In some ways he’s a throwback to the players who valued precision over power, who felt finding the middle of the fairway was the key to success.
He’ll need that and more this week, but the ultra-tight Harbour Town, devilishly devised by master designer Pete Dye (along with then protégé Jack Nicklaus). It is the kind of course where the exacting Hearn should be successful.
Hearn’s year didn’t start out strongly. He had a marginal start to the season in the Fall Series and didn’t play well on the West Coast, something that’s been typical for Hearn in recent years. For a player who has often started slowly, Hearn no longer worries about how the year will turn out. He’s been on tour for the second time since 2011 now and has positioned himself as an exacting golfer who isn’t going to overwhelm with length, but is among the most accurate with his driver and irons. He also plays to his strengths.
“I’ll play 28 to 30 events and every week is an opportunity to be competitive and you never know what can happen,” Hearn says.
As for the notion that the PGA Tour is a bomb and gouge game dominated by the biggest hitters, Hearn still sees opportunities for a player who uses accuracy over power.
“I know the courses well enough now and I feel that I can play well on any course on tour,” Hearn says. “I’d rather go to a course where length isn’t as much of a premium and I can be more competitive. A few of these courses haven’t worked out well for me, but there’s no reason why they shouldn’t. I need to be patient mentally, and the results will come in time.”
The results have started appearing. Hearn has made $522,323 heading into this week’s tournament, good for 73rd place in the FedEx Cup standings. He’s not prepared to make any significant changes in his game knowing his opportunities will come.
“Overall I’m doing some pretty good things,” he says. “I certainly don’t think there’s any major adjustments needed at this point in time.”
Who to watch for at RBC Heritage (airs on Global April 19, 20 from 3 to 6 p.m.)
Canadian bank RBC gets the most out of its “Team RBC” sponsored golfers like Luke Donald and Matt Kuchar. On a short, tight course like Harbour Town Golf Links don’t be surprised if a player wearing an RBC logo is in the mix. Canadians Mike Weir, Stephen Ames and David Hearn are in the field, while Graham DeLaet is attending the wedding of a close friend.
1) Matt Kuchar: Coming off another strong Masters showing, Kuchar is truly golf’s ATM, making cash week in and week out by always being in the hunt. Don’t expect any different this week.
2) Luke Donald: Another Team RBC member, Donald is making a nice return to form after a lackluster 2013 season.
3) Jordan Spieth: The youngster contended in his first Masters and has the kind of game – long on accuracy and putting – that wins tournaments at Harbour Town.
Other notables in the field: Graeme McDowell, Jim Furyk, Zach Johnson, Tom Watson, Brandt Snedeker
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