5 picks that our gambling expert likes

come to our weekly PGA Tour gambling tips column, featuring picks from GOLF.com expert prognosticator Brady Kannon. A seasoned golf bettor and commentator, Kannon is a host and regular guest on SportsGrid, a syndicated audio network dedicated to sports and sports betting, and is a golf betting analyst for CBS Sportsline. You can follow Brady on Twitter at @LasVegasGolferand you can read his picks below for the 2026 RBC Legacy, which begins Thursday in Hilton Head, SC

Going from Augusta National THE Harbor city it’s my favorite week-to-week transition on the PGA Tour. After experiencing a week of intense pressure, major championship golf nirvana, why not settle down for a much-needed break and play some mini-tour golf along the South Carolina coast? Simply heavenly in my opinion.

It’s also funny, the stark contrast between the Masters and the RBC Legacy. From a behemoth of a golf course to a compact, tiny test of accuracy. From Bentgrass to Bermudagrass, from 50 yards wide to those half that width, and even to the iconic price of a green jacket to a tartan jacket. There really are polar opposites almost everywhere you look, but just as wonderful too.

The RBC legacy got a big boost a few years ago when it was granted signature status on the PGA Tour. What we have now is a field of 82 golfers, with nearly every major name in the game. Of those who have qualified, only Masters champion Rory McIlroy and Hideki Matsuyama have opted to skip this week.

Harbor Town Golf Links is a great Pete Dye design that I was lucky enough to play not too long ago. As mentioned, the fairways are narrow and tree-lined, with many of the trees featuring overhanging limbs that affect sight lines and approach some of the smallest greens on Tour. For these reasons, I looked at “Strokes Gained: This Week’s Approach”, “Driving Accuracy”, “Green in Adjustment Gained” and “Scrambling” – because the greens will be missed quite often.

One aspect that Harbor Town shares with Augusta National is that the shape of the course and the history of the course are very strong. Players who play well here tend to do so repeatedly. And this is related to related courses. Another Dye design we saw not too long ago, TPC Sawgrass (The Players Championship) has had a number of crossover champions, including Scottie Scheffler, Webb Simpson, Matt Kuchar and Davis Love III. Simpson and Love III have also each won the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club. The valley (Sony Open), Colonial (Charles Schwab Challenge), and Sea Island (RSM Classic) have produced many similar results over the years Royal Birkdalemost recently the home of the Open Championship in 2021 and in 2017. In 2017, Jordan Spieth and Kuchar finished 1-2 at Birkdale, both former RBC Heritage champions.

It’s also something to consider in handicapping this week and that’s how the Masters affects immediate follow-on performance. One thing is for sure, the last five winners of the RBC Heritage all played the Masters the week before. Diving deeper, how did these winners at Augusta meet and did they mentally succumb to the shock and pressure of being oh so close? Were they a factor at all, or were they missing the cut? It’s all of the above, but going back to 2000, most of the winners at Harbor Town played in the first major of the season, and most of them either missed the cut or finished outside the top 15.

Russell Henley (18-1)

Henley finished third in the Masters, so he’s somewhat in the minority, but the last Harbor Town winners (Scheffler and Matt Fitzpatrick) were also very much in the mix a week ago, and in Scheffler’s case, he won both events. Henley has, relatively quietly, become one of the best golfers in the world, and this type of golf course has always really been in his wheelhouse. He has three top 10 finishes here. He has won at Waialae and finished in the top 10 at the Wyndham Championship in each of his last four visits. Over the past 24 rounds, Henley ranks sixth in the field for Fairways Gained, fourth in Scrambling and fourth in 400-450 yard Par 4s.

Patrick Cantlay (28-1)

It’s been a minute since I got down to the UCLA Bruin, but he definitely showed some signs last week and over the past decade, he’s probably the most successful player here in Harbor Town, finishing third four times, seventh once and second once in 2022. At the Masters, Cantlay ranked third in that field for SG and 10th on the green for SG approach, 10th on the green. It appears the timing may be right for Cantlay, who also finished 32nd in the Players Championship and then was seventh the following week at the Valspar Championship. His next start was last week at Augusta where he finished 12th, and now he goes to a course he suits so well.

Robert MacIntyre (36-1)

I have seen Bobby Mac available at 40-1 in other places. I had a feeling we might get a better than usual number for the Scot given how bad he looked last week missing the Masters. But 40-1 feels a little high for a guy who just finished fourth at TPC Sawgrass, was runner-up at Valspar and was fourth to start the season at Waialae. MacIntyre was also eighth at Royal Birkdale in 2021. Over the past 24 rounds, MacIntyre ranks ninth in the field in the 400-450 yard Par 4s, is seventh in Scrambling and is no. 1 for SG: Putting (Bermudagrass).

Akshay Bhatia (60-1)

Bhatia also missed the cut last week at Augusta, but had previously gone 3-6-16-1-13 in his previous five starts, with the 13th coming at TPC Sawgrass, where he finished third in 2024. He was 18th here at Harbor Town in 2024 and was 13th in Hawaii at Sony. He currently ranks eighth on Tour in SG: Approach and ninth in SG: Putting.

Daniel Berger (90-1)

In the end, all five of our selections played last week at the Masters. One went out eventually, one flashed briefly, and three, including Berger, didn’t make it into the weekend. Similar to Henley, Berger’s game feels like a perfect fit for Harbor Town, where he has twice finished third and never missed a cut in six career trips to Hilton Head. Berger was sixth at Waialae to start the season and then lost to Bhatia in a playoff at Bay Hill, which also has a very similar surface to the one we’ll see this week. Berger has won at Colonial, finished runner-up at Sea Island, twice finished ninth at TPC Sawgrass and was eighth at Royal Birkdale in the 2021 Open Championship. Over the past 24 rounds, Berger is third in the field for SG: Approach, 17th for Fairways Gained, 12th in Greens in Regulation Gained, and ranks ninth in Proximity to Holes by 150-175 yards.