The RSM Classic: Best Bets, Course Info, and Key Stats

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The RSM Classic: Best Bets, Course Info, and Key Stats

The PGA Tour is back in the United States for this week's RSM Classic at St. Simons Island in Georgia, the year's final full-field event.

The field is headlined by Ludvig Aberg, ranked fifth in the Official World Golf Rankings. Brian Harman (24th), Austin Eckroat (35th), Sepp Straka (36th), Denny McCarthy (39th), and Davis Thompson (40th) round out the top of the field.

Here's all you need to know for this week's two-course setup.

All golf odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook and may change after this article is published.

The RSM Classic Info

Recent Winning Scores: -29, -19, -22, -19, -19
Recent Cut Lines: -4, -4, -4, -3, -4

Sea Island Golf Club (Seaside) Course Info

Data from GCSAA, PGA Tour, and data golf's course table unless otherwise noted.

Par: 70
Distance: 7,005 yards (short)
Average Fairway Width: 42.4 yards (wide)
Average Green Size: 7,200 square feet (large)
Green Type: Bermuda
Stimpmeter: N/A

Sea Island Golf Club (Plantation) Course Info

Data from GCSAA, PGA Tour, and data golf's course table unless otherwise noted.

Par: 72
Distance: 7,060 yards (short)
Average Fairway Width: N/A
Average Green Size: 6,100 square feet (average)
Green Type: Bermuda
Stimpmeter: N/A

Sea Island Course Key Stats

From 2018 to 2020, we saw a -19 playoff end the RSM Classic. Since then, we've had multi-stroke winners in three straight years, including Ludvig Aberg's -29 win by four shots last season.

Either way, you need to go low this week -- even just to make the cut.

The best putters with a semblance of good tee-to-green play tend to float toward the top of the board at this two-course setup. That does open things up quite a bit, as distance isn't a necessity.

The RSM Classic Best Bets

These picks stand out relative to their FanDuel Sportsbook golf betting odds at FanDuel Sportsbook. All stats cited below originate at datagolf and reference ranks relative to the field over the past 50 rounds unless otherwise noted.

Davis Thompson

RSM Classic Win Odds (+2200)
To Finish Top 10 (+260)
To Finish Top 20 (+125)

The last time we saw Davis Thompson tee it up, he finished T5 at the Shriners Children's Open back in mid-October. He did that by finishing fifth in strokes gained: approach and positive in all four strokes gained areas.

Thompson, over the last 50 rounds among this field, ranks second in true strokes gained per round and is top-25 in all three tee-to-green stats in that span. Nobody else in this field can say that.

Thompson also sits 38th in putting in that span, making him the complete package for Sea Island's setup.

His game hasn't exactly translated here (three missed cuts and a T53 in his last four starts), but he was T23 here in 2020. With the 25-year-old's form substantially better now than even a year ago, I'm willing to overlook the poor results at this setup.

Matt Wallace

RSM Classic Win Odds (+3000)
To Finish Top 10 (+320)
To Finish Top 20 (+150)

Matt Wallace has been carving up the DP World Tour since September. In nine DP World Tour starts in that span, Wallace has a win, four top-12s, and seven top-25 results.

Wallace has done that even with up-and-down putting.

He has played the RSM three times, finishing T37, 67th, and MC. Now, he does profile as more of a big hitter than a fairway finder, yet the overall form is there, and he's still gaining more fairways than the fields he's been in over his last 50 rounds.

J.J. Spaun

RSM Classic Win Odds (+3500)
To Finish Top 10 (+360)
To Finish Top 20 (+170)

J.J. Spaun continues to play some solid fall golf.

Since the start of August, he's finished T3, T26, T25, T34, T6, and T30 in events he finished. And in the measured events he finished, he gained strokes in approach in all seven -- and has done so in nine straight overall.

Additionally, Spaun is more accurate than long off the tee, and that's translated to good form at Sea Island.

Spaun has four career top-16 finishes at this event, including three straight.

Andrew Putnam

RSM Classic Win Odds (+6000)
To Finish Top 10 (+500)
To Finish Top 20 (+230)

Andrew Putnam actually ranks second in the field behind just Ludvig Aberg -- a heavy favorite -- in my stats-only model, which looks at recent performance in key stats for this week's course.

Putnam finds himself ranked 14th in approach, 8th around the green, and 37th in putting -- plus 16th in accuracy. He just tends to lag behind at courses that require power off the tee. This week, he doesn't need that.

Putnam's form at this setup has been up-and-down: T12, MC, T37, MC, T21.

But events like this are primed for what Putnam does best: hit fairways, greens, and putts.

Jacob Bridgeman

RSM Classic Win Odds (+6500)
To Finish Top 10 (+600)
To Finish Top 20 (+260)

Jacob Bridgeman has four top-15 finishes since August, including two straight (T14 at the World Wide Technology Championship and T12 at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship the last two weeks).

Bridgeman is really a short-game specialist for now and does have some accuracy concerns.

That's factored in at the odds, though, and for the current form being as good as it is, he shapes up well with a good long-shot profile. My stats model has him ranked 22nd for the week. He's outside the top 30 in win odds, though.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.

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