The RSM Classic will be played this week at the par-70 Seaside Course at the Sea Island Resort on Sea Island, Ga. This year is the 11th edition of the tournament that began in 2010.
The event has always been played in the fall, so unlike other tournaments, it wasn’t overly affected by the schedule changes precipitated by the response to COVID-19.
The tournament has benefited greatly from the PGA TOUR’s move to a wraparound season. With the need for players to compete for FedEx Cup points, more highly-rated players are choosing to play at Sea Island. This year, the field is lacking a little of its firepower due to the tournament’s place the week following the Masters.
There are still plenty of great players on hand, but defending champion Tyler Duncan isn’t one of them. Wagers can be placed on players to win the tournament, finish in the top five or in the top 10. There are a few betting favorites to keep an eye on this week.
Webb Simpson +850
The former U.S. Open champion is coming off a top 10 finish at the Masters and is ranked sixth in the Official World Golf Rankings. Simpson also finished tied for eighth at the U.S. Open and hasn’t recorded a result worse than a 17th-place tie in four events in the 2021 season.
At last year’s RSM Classic, the seven-time PGA TOUR winner finished regulation tied with Duncan and lost in a playoff. He won two tournaments in 2020, the last one the RBC Heritage in June, about 130 miles up the Atlantic coast from Sea Island.
Tyrrell Hatton +1600
The 10th-ranked Hatton won the Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by MasterCard in March. He also added the European Tour’s BMW PGA Championship title in October. Hatton missed the cut at the U.S. Open and last week at the Masters.
He recorded a couple of top 10 finishes at the CJ Cup @ Shadow Creek and the Vivint Houston Open. This is the 29-year-old Englishman’s first appearance at the RSM Classic.
Sungjae Im +2200
This will be Im’s eighth tournament in as many weeks, and he has yet to miss a cut. He was impressive in his first appearance at the Masters, finishing in a tie with Cameron Smith for second place at 15-under par.
This will be the 22-year-old Korean’s second RSM Classic. He finished in a 37th-place tie at 10-under par in 2018.
Im is a workhorse on the PGA TOUR and played in 26 official events in the 2020 season. He won the Honda Classic and had two seconds and a third-place finish on his way to finishing 11th in the FedEx Cup. The native of South Korea who turned professional in 2015 is currently ranked 18th in the world.
Tommy Fleetwood +2500
Fleetwood is making his RSM Classic debut and hasn’t played well in the past year and a half. His name recognition is making him a betting favorite this week, but he only had one top 10 finish in the 2020 season after six in 2019.
The Englishman is still looking for his first PGA TOUR title and showed some promise in his 19th-place finish at the Masters.
Featured Photo Credit: “Webb Simpson studies a putt.” by GoToBermuda is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
