The RSM Classic
Camilo Villegas followed up his runner-up finish last week in Mexico with a victory at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, his fifth career PGA Tour title, at a price of 125-1. It has been a long journey for a player once ranked No. 7 in the world. More than going nine years without winning, Villegas and his wife coped with the death of their 22-month-old daughter, Mia, who died of brain cancer in the summer of 2020. Villegas was lost on the course and finished last year at No. 654 in the world.
Alex Noren, tipped in this column last week at 25-1, finished runner-up after being the 18-hole, 36-hole and 54-hole leader. Noren, who started the final round with a one-shot lead, went 48 consecutive holes without a bogey until he made back-to-back bogeys at the turn. The Swede went from a one-shot lead to a one-shot deficit, and he never caught up.
This week, the PGA Tour plays its 2023 finale at the RSM Classic in Sea Island, Ga. Ludvig Åberg (14-1) has been on a tear this fall with a victory on the DP World Tour in the Omega European Masters, a runner-up at the Sanderson Farms, a top-5 at the Czech Masters and four other top-14 finishes dating to the Wyndham Championship. He was also a member of the victorious Team Europe in the Ryder Cup. The Swede, currently No. 53 in the OWGR, is trying to fight his way into the Top 50 by the end of the year to earn an automatic Masters invitation.
Brian Harman (20-1), part of a large contingent of Sea Island residents, had his career this year having won the British Open. He has not played since being part of the losing Team USA in the Ryder Cup but has to feel he has unfinished business in his home event finishing runner-up here last year.
Much was expected of Cameron Young (20-1) in 2023, but he’s gone winless, so this is his last opportunity to earn his first PGA Tour victory this year.
It has been a year and a couple of weeks (2022 WWT Championship) since Georgia native Russell Henley (22-1) was last in the winner’s circle.
Corey Conners (28-1), Noren (33-1), J.T. Poston (33-1), Si Woo Kim (33-1), Eric Cole (35-1), Justin Suh (35-1), Denny McCarthy (40-1) and RSM Classic defending champion Adam Svensson (40-1) follow on the odds board.
Last week’s winner Villegas was slated to be in this field on a sponsor’s exemption, but now he has a two-year PGA Tour exemption and is in the field at 66-1.
The Event
The RSM Classic debuted in October 2010 as the McGladrey Classic and has been a fixture on the PGA Tour’s Fall Series ever since. The tournament is organized by the Davis Love Foundation as DL3 is a resident pro of the Sea Island Golf Club, which has hosted the event every year. In 2015, the event began being played on both Sea Island Golf Club courses — Seaside and Plantation. As a full-field event, the usual perks for winning are on the line here including the winner’s share of a $8.4 million purse), spots in the Masters, PGA and Players and a two-year PGA Tour exemption.
Numerous PGA Tour players call Sea Island their home including J.T. Poston, Brian Harman, Harris English, Patton Kizzire, Zach Johnson, Matt Kuchar, Keith Mitchell, Andrew Novak, Greyson Sigg, and Michael Thompson.
Eleven of the OWGR Top 50 are in this week’s field.
The Courses
The RSM Classic is played on two courses. The Sea Island Plantation Course will be played in either the first or second rounds by all players. It was originally designed in 1928 by Walter Travis and redesigned in 1998 before a group led by Davis Love III restored it in 2019. This course plays as a par-72 of 7,060 yards and has tight, undulating Bermuda fairways into small (6,100 square feet) and slow (11 stimpmeter) Bermuda greens. With Love’s design input, this course does have some similarities to Harbour Town Golf Links (RBC Heritage), where DL3 won five times in his career. The Plantation Course is a tree-lined parklands and rated as the sixth-shortest and 11th-easiest course on the PGA Tour last year.
Comparable courses to the Sea Island Plantation Course include Waialae, Torrey Pines North, Detroit GC, Keene Trace, Silverado, Sherwood, and TPC Deere Run.
The Sea Island Seaside Course will be played in three of the four rounds. The legendary team of Harry Colt and Hugh Alison first designed this track in 1928 before Tom Fazio redesigned it in 1998. The Seaside Course is around the same length at 7,005 yards but plays as a par-70. The fairways have an average width of 42.8 yards, which makes them the fourth widest on tour. The greens are larger on this layout though at 7,200 average square feet (seventh largest on tour) but will be much faster (13 stimpmeter) than the Plantation Course. Like its counterpart, the tees and fairways are a Bermuda and Paspalum mix and the greens are TifEagle Bermuda. The Seaside Course is a bit more of a coastal and links-style layout where wind can play more of a factor. With it being a coastal design, there is a lot of water with 13 water danger holes, the third most on tour. Seaside ranked as the 10th-shortest and 15th-easiest course on the PGA Tour last year.
Comparable courses include coastal courses like Waialae, Port Royal, El Camaleon, and Monterrey Peninsula. Others based on similar length include TPC River Highlands, Sedgefield and Silverado.
Recent History/Winners
2022: Adam Svensson (-19/263); 150-1
2021: Talor Gooch (-22/260); 40-1
2020: Robert Streb (-19/263); 350-1*
2019: Tyler Duncan (-19/263); 200-1**
2018: Charles Howell III (-19/263); 50-1***
2017: Austin Cook (-21/261); 90-1
2016: Mackenzie Hughes (-17/265); 250-1****
2015: Kevin Kisner (-22/260); 22-1
2014: Robert Streb (-14/266); 75-1*****
2013: Chris Kirk (-14/266); 50-1
2012: Tommy Gainey (-16/264); 200-1
2011: Ben Crane (-15/265); 66-1******
2010: Heath Slocum (-14/266); 50-1
Playoff win over Kevin Kisner – *
Playoff win over Webb Simpson – **
Playoff win over Patrick Rodgers – ***
Playoff win over Blayne Barber, Billy Horschel, Henrik Norlander, and Camilo Villegas – ****
Playoff win over Brendon de Jonge and Will MacKenzie – *****
Playoff win over Webb Simpson – ******
Statistical Analysis
Last year, six of the top 15 players on the leaderboard lost to the field in driving distance, seven of the top 15 lost in driving accuracy percentage, but only two of the top 15 lost in good drive percentage. Good Drives Gained is probably the best way to incorporate anything off the tee here as approach play should make up the bulk of any stat model this week.
Good Drives Gained (Last 50 rounds)
