After a thrilling finish as the Masters, the PGA Tour moves up a state to South Carolina for this week's RBC Heritage (formerly known as the Verizon Heritage from 2006-10). Brandt Snedeker won the event in 2011, defeating Luke Donald in a playoff. With that said, what are the top three storylines heading into the RBC Heritage?
Will Luke Donald get back on track after a poor performance at the Masters?
Much was expected out of Donald coming into this year's Masters, especially after his win at the Transitions Championship only two weeks prior to the event. However, he started off poorly with a 75 on the first day and was never able to recover from that, finishing T32. Look for him to make a run at the RBC Heritage this week, as he was not only runner up in 2011, but 2009 as well, so he has a good history at this event. I believe his game is well-suited to the course, and Donald is still one of the best putters on Tour.
Can Brandt Snedeker win it again this year?
The last person to win this week's event back-to-back was Boo Weekley, who did it in 2007-08. Brandt has followed up a solid 2011 season with another great one in 2012, which includes a win at the Farmers Insurance Open back in late January, along with making nine cuts in nine starts thus far. The key for Snedeker this week will be his play on the par 3s; he currently ranks fourth overall on the PGA Tour in par 3 performance, and the longest par 3 on the course is only 200 yards long.
Is Charles Howell III ready for a breakout year in 2012?
There was a lot of hype surrounding Howell III when he first came out on the PGA Tour in 2000, but since that time he has faded off the map for the most part, with only two wins to his credit and over a dozen runner-up finishes. This year, however, Charles has played solid golf for the most part, with only one missed cut in ten starts and five top-25 finishes. The Achilles heel in regards to his golf game this season has been his driver, as he currently ranks 161st on tour in driving accuracy, but other than that it is hard to find another area that he is greatly under-performing in. If he can find a way to somehow maneuver his way around this week's course I think he could be a sleeper pick to win the event and possibly go on to have a great year in 2012.
Ryan Kekoufski is a scratch golfer who has both played and watched the sport for well over a decade. He covers sports for the Yahoo! Contributor Network, and currently resides in Virginia.
