The fall swing concludes this week with the RSM Classic. Since this tournament’s inception in 2010, the two courses of the Sea Island Golf Resort have been utilized for the event. For the first two rounds, each golfer will play a round at the Seaside Course (par 70, 7,005 yards, Bermuda greens) and the Plantation Course (par 72, 7,060 yards, Bermuda greens). Then the players who advance through the top 65 and cutline, will play their final two rounds on the Seaside Course.
With three rounds being played at the par 70 and all the strokes gained data from previous editions of this tournament only coming from the Seaside Course, this is the venue we need to focus on this week. By PGA standards, the Seaside Course is a very short and easy par 70. With wide fairways and undemanding rough, your work OTT isn’t overly important, and this track is a prime example of a second shot course. Over the last four years, two of the players to pick up a win at the RSM Classic have finished inside the top five in SG APP. As a par 70, there are 12 par 4s and only two par 5s at the Seaside Course. As always with this course type, being efficient on the par 4s will be essential for success this week. Of the last five champions at Sea Island, four ranked in the top five in SG on the par 4s during their victories. Specifically, nine of the par 4s land between 400-450 yards, and three of the past five RSM winners have ranked in the top seven in efficiency on these holes.
As for the field, only six of the top-30 ranked players in the world will be teeing it up this week. While this is a weak field overall, DraftKings is still offering up some huge GPPs for this fall finale, and below are four of my favorite options under $7.5K for the RSM Classic.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $300K Flop Shot [$100K to 1st]
Alex Smalley, $7,100
After securing his PGA card back in September, Smalley has played some great golf this fall. The Duke product has made six of his first seven cuts on TOUR and heads to Sea Island on the heels of back-to-back top 20s. Smalley has gained strokes on approach in four consecutive starts and ranks fifth in par 4 efficiency this season.
For this field, the 25-year-old ranks fifth in total strokes gained at courses that feature Bermuda greens this season, and Smalley’s excellent start to his PGA career should continue this week with at least a made cut in Georgia.
Scott Piercy, $7,000
Last week at the Houston Open, Piercy was magnificent with his irons, leading the field in SG APP en route to a T19 finish. The 43-year-old also ranked sixth in SGT2G, and this marked Piercy’s eighth made cut in his past 10 starts, which is a run that includes four finishes inside the top 20. On top of the encouraging form, Piercy owns a strong resume at Sea Island. For his career, the veteran is 4/5 in made cuts at the RSM Classic, including three top 25s.
In this weak field, a top 20 is certainly possible for Piercy and per usual, he shouldn’t be a common name in large tournaments. In his last 20 starts, only once has Piercy cracked 5% ownership in DraftKings’ main GPP of the week.
Denny McCarthy, $7,000
McCarthy also made some noise at the Houston Open last week, posting a T11 finish. The Virginia graduate ranked 11th in SGP on the Bermuda greens at Memorial Park, and has now provided a top-20 finish three times in his past five starts. Throughout his career, McCarthy has always been at his best on Bermuda and when we analyze this field’s last 50 rounds on this specific putting surface, the 28-year-old ranks 12th in total strokes gained.
Additionally, over his last 12 rounds on TOUR, McCarthy has been great with his irons, ranking second in GIR and he also ranks 11th in SG on par 4s that range from 400-450 yards. Just two years ago, McCarthy recorded a T8 at Sea Island and he is simply too cheap for his upside this week.
Lucas Glover, $7,000
Glover is a safe inexpensive bet to make the cut this week. The former major winner has been playing on the weekend in four straight starts and has shot under par in 12 of his 16 rounds during this stretch.
Furthermore, Glover has gained strokes from T2G and on APP at all four of these events. The 42-year-old now brings this compelling form to Sea Island, where Glover has made six cuts in a row with four top 25s.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $300K Flop Shot [$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 skill 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.
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