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The PGA TOUR concludes their 2022-23 season this week with the RSM Classic. This tournament is one of the rare events that features multiple courses. To begin the week, every player in this full field of 156 golfers will play one round on each the Seaside Course (par 70, 7,005 yards, Bermuda greens) and the Plantation Course (par 72, 7,060 yards, Bermuda greens) of the Sea Island Resort in St. Simons Island, Georgia. Then, the players who advance through the top-65 and ties cut will play their final two rounds of the RSM Classic on the Seaside Course. This specific setup with the two courses of the Sea Island resort has been the format for the RSM Classic since 2015 and it’s important to note that all previous SG data from this tournament comes exclusively from the Seaside Course. Given this and that three of the four rounds will played at this track, the Seaside Course is the venue we need to be focusing on for research. This year, the RSM Classic is more important than ever as the PGA TOUR’s season finale, as the players who find themselves inside the top-125 in the FedEx Cup Fall standings following this fall event will gain their full-time status for the 2023-24 PGA TOUR season that begins in January.
Living up to its name, the Seaside Course is located right on the coast and is a beautiful track that features wide fairways and large greens but plenty of trouble as well, with 47 bunkers and water in play on 13 holes. Being long isn’t necessary at the Seaside Course and most of the field will keep their driver in their bags this week to find the fairway more often. Succeeding at this venue comes down to great approach play and more importantly, a hot putter. Two of the past four RSM Classic winners have ranked top-three in SG APP during their victories and for three years running, the golfer to take home the top prize at this event has finished the event top-10 in SGP, with last year’s champion Adam Svensson notably leading his field in the stat.
The Seaside Course is a traditional par 70 that presents 12 par fours – nine of which fall between 450-500 yards - which always makes your play on the par fours the most crucial, as for four years in a row, the winner of the RSM Classic has finished the tournament top-five in par four efficiency.
Below, I break down four of my favorite DraftKings bargain plays for the RSM Classic, that are all priced under $7.5K.
Adam Schenk ($7,400) – Schenk has been hit-or-miss at the RSM Classic – he has made 2-of-5 cuts at the tournament, including one top-25 finish – but is far too cheap for his upside. This is a $600 price decrease from his last start and Schenk currently is the 45th ranked golfer in the world, which is the highest he has ever ranked prior to a RSM Classic. The 31-year-old arrives in Georgia this week as the maker of nine of his past 13 cuts, with seven of these finishes impressively coming inside the top-10.
Schenk checks all the boxes this week – he ranks fifth in SG APP, 37th in SGP and 14th in 450-500-yard par four efficiency over his last 50 rounds – and boasts +5500 odds on the DraftKings Sportsbook to win the RSM Classic this weekend which are the best odds of all the golfers priced under $7.5K for DFS purposes.
Matthew NeSmith ($7,000) – NeSmith grew up in Georgia and has thrived at the RSM Classic in the past, recording three top-30 finishes in four starts at the multiple-course event.
On top of his excellent history at the RSM Classic, NeSmith is in compelling form right now, riding a three-made cut streak and advancing to the weekend in five of his last seven starts. During this current cut streak, the 30-year-old has gained strokes on APP during all three of his starts and has finished inside the top-25 twice. NeSmith ranks third in GIR% over his last 50 rounds and should add another quality finish to his RSM Classic resume this weekend.
Will Gordon ($6,900) – After missing five straight cuts, Gordon’s game has been revitalized, finishing T21st at the Zozo Championship and then T15th at the World Wide Technologies Championship in his last two starts. During this stretch, the 27-year-old gained strokes on APP at both events and shot under par in all but one round, most notably with a second-round 9-under 63 at the World Wide Technologies Championship, which was one stroke away from tying Gordon’s career-low on the PGA TOUR.
The Vanderbilt graduate will now look to carry this momentum over to the Sea Island Resort, which is a place Gordon is very familiar with. Living right down the road from the resort, the Georgia native trains at Sea Island and has unsurprisingly been very successful when competing here, with two top-15 finishes in three appearances at the RSM Classic. Gordon brings similar upside this time around and is an elite bargain at this sub $7K salary.
Austin Cook ($6,700) – Cook won the RSM Classic back in 2017 and needs to make some serious noise at the Sea Island resort again this weekend if he wants to secure his PGA TOUR card for next season, with 32-year-old currently ranking 147th in the FedEx Cup Fall standings. As noted above, only the top-125 will regain full-time status on the PGA TOUR next season and in addition to the extra motivation he should have this week, Cook is playing terrific golf right now. The Arkansas product has only missed one cut in his last five starts and has flashed great upside, with his last two starts being a T10 at the World Technologies Championship and then a T13 at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship last week.
Cook has been brilliant as a putter, gaining strokes with his flat stick at five consecutive events and has top-20 upside if he can stay hot on the greens this week.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $300K Sand Trap [$100K to 1st!]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is Hunta512) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.