Golf tips, best bets and player analysis for the RSM Classic at Seaside Course on the PGA Tour.
where to watch
Live on Sky Sports Main Event & Golf from 2.30pm on Thursday
Best bets
Seamus Power
2.5pts each way 25-1 bet fred
Mackenzie Hughes
2pts each way 40-1 bet365
Matthew Ne Smith
1.5pts each way 45-1 Betfred
Davis Thompson
1pt each way 100-1 bet365
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Tony Finau was victorious at the Houston Open last week and has won three PGA Tour titles in the past four months. He triumphed back-to-back in July in the 3M Open and the Rocket Mortgage Classic, and was installed as just a 9-1 favorite to repeat the trick at the RSM Classic in Georgia on Sunday.
However, news emerged on Tuesday that Finau had pulled out of the tournament due to an injury causing upheaval at the top of the betting market.
Steve Palmer’s best advice
Seamus Power 25-1
The island of Ireland could have a joyful week, with Rory McIlroy looking like a strong favorite for the DP World Tour Championship and his friend Seamus Power set to win the RSM Classic.
The potential is there for McIlroy and Power to become Ryder Cup teammates in Italy next year. Power won his second PGA Tour title late last month in the Bermuda Championship and followed that up with third place in the Mayakoba event. The Irishman sits 30th in the world rankings and this week’s RSM mission looks right up there.
The Seaside Course, a short and tricky coastal track where precision is fully rewarded, as well as sharp scrambling, looks perfect for Power to ride the crest of that wave he created. He proved himself fit for the Seaside Course when it opened with a 63 there last year, eventually finishing the event in fourth place.
The power should be there again on Sunday. This tournament looks like a great opportunity for this latecomer to push for bigger and better things. He’s in the hunt for the Ryder Cup and at the top of the FedEx Cup standings. The Las Vegas-based swinger is well worth the bet to score a PGA Tour hat trick this week.
Next best bet
Mackenzie Hughes 40-1
Former RSM Classic champion Mackenzie Hughes seems a must for the staking plan this week. His first PGA Tour title came in this event in the 2016 edition. It was his tournament debut – he was a PGA Tour rookie ranked 287th in the world – but he started with a round of 61 on the Seaside Course.
Hughes threatened a remarkable 59 on Thursday six years ago, closing with three pars, but ended up winning a five-man playoff on Sunday to boost his career. The Canadian failed to make an impact again in the RSM until last year – when he started with a 63 at the Plantation and finished with a 62 at the Seaside to finish second.
Hughes has shown he can destroy both leads used this week and his confidence is sky high after an audacious playoff win at the Sanderson Farms Championship early last month. He has finished in the top 25 in his last four events.
Other selections
Matthew Ne Smith 45-1
Davis Thompson 100-1
Complete the staking plan with two young PGA Tour girls who will likely make it out soon at some point. Matthew NeSmith is one of the best iron players in the world. He’s not a long driver and he’s an average putter, but the 29-year-old is straight from tee to green.
The Seaside Course is a place where NeSmith could beat anyone. He was 14th on his RSM Classic debut in 2019, and 15th and 29th in the past two years. This time, the South Carolina man made the small jump to Georgia with growing self-confidence.
NeSmith finished ninth in the Sanderson Farms Championship early last month, then second in the Shriners Children’s Open and ninth in the Zozo Championship. He was 53rd last week on a long course which does not suit him. NeSmith won the Korn Ferry Tour in 2019 and this week looks like a serious opportunity.
Davis Thompson is also appealing at big odds. He made his PGA Tour debut at the 2019 RSM Classic while still an amateur – and finished 23rd. He is a former world number one amateur who won the Jones Cup by nine strokes. This is a competition held at a different venue on Sea Island, but he feels right at home at the Seaside Course.
Thompson, who attended the University of Georgia and lives on Sea Island, has played more than 100 games at the Seaside Course. His father Todd is the tournament director. Davis won the Korn Ferry Tour in June and got off to a strong start in his PGA Tour rookie campaign, finishing ninth in the Fortinet Championship and 12th in the Shriners Children’s Open. A crossover grip revived him on the greens and the 23-year-old is going fast.
Players to note
Brian Harman
The local man finished second in the World Tech Championship last time out and looks dangerous on familiar ground.
English Harris
Another local player to be respected. The lanky Georgian is getting back into shape after hip surgery.
webb simpson
The former US Open and Sawgrass champion has struggled a lot for form, but the RSM Classic is a tournament where he generally thrives.
Taylor Montgomery
The putting wizard has had a stellar start to his PGA Tour career, with form numbers of 3-9-15-13-10-57.
RSM Classic Course Guide
Course Seaside Yard and Plantation Yard, Sea Island Resort, Sea Island, Georgia
Prize money $8.1 million ($1.458 million for the winner)
Length Seaside 7,005 meters; Plantation 7,060 meters
By Seaside 70; Planting 72
Field 156 The cup Top 65 and ties advance to Round 3
Highest ranked players on the pitch (world ranking in brackets) Tony Finau (12), Brian Harman (26), Sepp Straka (28), Seamus Power (30), Kevin Kisner (31)
Course files – 72 holes 260Kevin Kisner (2015), Talor Gooch (2021) 18 holes 60Tommy Gainey (2012), Sebastian Munoz (2021), Tyler McCumber (2021)
Participating course winners Chris Kirk, Robert Streb (twice), Kevin Kisner, Mackenzie Hughes, Austin Cook, Tyler Duncan
When to bet Around 2 p.m. on Thursday
When to watch Live on Sky Sports Main Event & Golf from 2.30pm on Thursday
Time difference Georgia is five hours behind the UK and Ireland
Last Week – Houston Open 1 T Finau (18-1), 2 T Alexander (500-1), 3 B Taylor (300-1), T4 T Mullinax (150-1), A Smalley (80-1), A Noren (50-1 ), T7 A Hadwin (70-1), A Rai (100-1)
Type of course Links/park
Course overview The Seaside Course, designed by Tom Fazio and used as a regular training ground by local residents like Matt Kuchar, Zach Johnson, Harris English, Keith Mitchell, JT Poston, Davis Love, Patton Kizzire and Brian Harman, has become a venue for the PGA Tour for the first time in 2010. The force of sea breezes greatly impact the score of this exposed course, while steeply undulating fairways and fast greens add to the test. At least 14 under par was needed to top the 72-hole standings for this event. This is a tricky layout where precision irons and good course management, along with solid scrambling around tricky greens, are the keys to success. The fairways of these links, which resemble the more famous Harbor Town Links in South Carolina, are flanked by huge bunkers, waste areas and marshes. In 2015, for the first time, the ground contested one of the first two rounds at the nearby Plantation Course, a former park track modernized by Rees Jones in 1998 and then again by Davis Love and his brother Mark in 2019. Large streams and lakes are a feature of the Plantation course, with dense sets of oak and cedar, but it has four par-fives and is easier than the Seaside course. The last two towers are on the seaside
Last year story Talor Gooch, who has since defected to LIV Golf and will not be allowed to defend his title, picked up a three-stroke victory
Weather forecast Sunny with mostly light to moderate breezes but cool temperatures, peaking at 16°C on weekends
Type of player adapted to the challenge The Seaside Course lends itself to precision players and those with a tidy little game. It is not a bond that can be mastered. The Plantation course is a parkland layout, creating a comprehensive test for the first 36 holes
key attribute Precision
Spotlight overview Eleven of the 12 editions of this event have been won by an American
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FIRST PUBLICATION AT 8:30 AM, NOVEMBER 15, 2022
