A rather lackluster field of 156 golfers gathers for the final leg of the PGA Tour before breaking for the Holiday season. The field will contend for the hardware at The RSM Classic, hosted by the Sea Island Golf Club at St. Simons Island, Georgia. Golfers will play to the cut line at the Seaside and Plantation Courses with the survivors returning to the more familiar Seaside layout over the weekend. Tour Championship winner and world No. 20 Webb Simpson is the betting favorite and the event features a number of intriguing matchups, which we’ll examine more in depth.
The RSM Classic Matchup Odds
Webb Simpson -200 vs. Cameron Champ +170
Webb Simpson -250 vs. J.J. Spaun +210
Cameron Champ -120 vs. J.J. Spaun +100
C.T. Pan -125 vs. Austin Cook +105
C.T. Pan -125 vs. Lucas Glover +105
Austin Cook +110 vs. Lucas Glover -130
Chesson Hadley -115 vs. Russell Henley -105
Chesson Hadley +110 vs. Zach Johnson -130
Russell Henley -105 vs. Zach Johnson -115
Joaquin Niemann -120 vs. Kevin Kisner +100
Luke List -135 vs. Sam Ryder +115
Harold Varner III -110 vs. Chris Kirk -110
Charles Howell III -125 vs. Jim Furyk +105
Denny McCarthy -110 vs. Jamie Lovemark -110
Bud Cauley -110 vs. Peter Uihlein -110
Sungjae Im -130 vs. Stewart Cink +110
Brian Harman -110 vs. Richy Werenski -110
Michael Thompson -120 vs. Brice Garnett +100
Bill Haas -120 vs. Keith Mitchell +100
Bronson Burgoon +100 vs. Patrick Rodgers -120
Brian Gay -120 vs. Whee Kim +100
Ryan Armour -120 vs. Nick Watney +100
Kevin Streelman -125 vs. Sam Burns +105
Adam Schenk -105 vs. Jason Dufner -115
Padraig Harrington -125 vs. Kramer Hickok +105
Need to Know
Outside of favorite Webb Simpson the field is wide open, leaving the door ajar for some fresh blood to claim a tournament victory. The past three winners - Austin Cook, Mac Hughes and Kevin Kisner – all won for the first time here, and five of the past six titleists emerged victorious despite never having played in this event. Players surviving the cut will play three rounds on the Seaside Course, which isn’t terribly difficult for the pros. However, wind has proven to be troublesome in the past and could play a role over the weekend. The relatively short course with few hazards puts an emphasis on hitting fairways and greens more so than distance off the tees.
The RSM Classic Matchup Picks
Cameron Champ -120 vs. J.J. Spaun
Champ is on top of his game entering this event and he’s hard to overlook given his recent results. He finished the Safeway Open with a 68 and carried that over to his first Tour victory at the Sanderson Farms Championship with a -21 score. A final round 73 at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open dropped him off the pace, but he still grabbed a share of 28th in a more competitive field. He shot a second-round 62 and scored below 70 in all four rounds for a T10 last week in Mexico. Recent form and course knowledge from competing here during his college days at Texas AM make Champ a worthwhile pick despite the price.
Harold Varner III -110 vs. Chris Kirk
Recent form for both golfers has me leaning toward Varner to win this matchup. He opened and closed at the Mayakoba Golf Classic last week with a 65 to snare a T6 finish at -17. He also scored under par all four days at the Shriners in Las Vegas to grab a share of 15th. More impressive is that the work came after he chunked a 79 at the Sanderson Farms Championship to miss the cut. He’s been strong around the greens and his putter is sound, which should help his scores at Seaside. Kirk has fallen off the rails with two MC and two finishes outside the top-40 in four starts this season.
Jim Furyk +105 vs. Charles Howell III -125
Getting over the debacle at the Ryder Cup, Furyk has dipped into the fountain of youth as he looks to head into the break on a positive note. He missed the cut at the Shriners but responded with an impressive showing at the Mayakoba Golf Classic stroking a 4-under on the final round to move up two spots to T6 with a 17-under. Dating back to last season, Furyk has two top-10s in his last three starts. Howell missed the cut by two shots in Mexico and this layout doesn’t fit his game, so I’m fading him in this matchup.
Golf Betting Odds
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