This is a sad week as we head to St. Simons Island, Georgia for the RSM Classic given it is the last real event of the PGA Tour season until January. It’s been an amazing run of PGA Tour golf over the past year so let us end it on a high note this week with some DraftKings action at the RSM Classic.
The RSM Classic is played at the Sea Island Resort in St. Simons Island, Georgia. The interesting and notable thing about this week is that this event is played at two separate courses. Both the Seaside and the Plantation Courses at the Sea Island Resort will be utilized this week. All golfers will play one round at the Plantation Course and one round at the Seaside Course on Thursday and Friday. Once the cut is made the remaining two rounds will be solely played on the Seaside Course. This is important to note when playing showdown in DFS as the Plantation Course is likely to produce much lower scores than The Seaside Course. Let’s get into the specifications of the Seaside Course this week.
RSM Classic DraftKings: Best Golf DFS Plays in Each Price Range
Seaside Course
Par: 70
Length: 7,005 yards
Greens: Bermuda Grass
Designer: Colt & Allison, 1928 George Fazio Redesign, 1998
Average Green Size: 7,000 square feet
So this week we are dealing with a coastal resort-style course that is short and scoreable. Since the course has wide fairways, large greens, and isn’t long, the main defense of this course is really the weather from the Atlantic. You are likely going to have to go lower than -18 to win this event. I think the key thing to look at this week is going to be approach proximity from 125-175 yards, as 38% of all approach shots come from this range. This course also features nine par fours that are 400-450 yards which is extremely high for a PGA Tour stop. Golfers will need to score well on these par 4’s and ones that do can certainly excel here and find themselves at the top of the leaderboard come Sunday.
If you want to get a feel for the shots these golfers will be hitting here is a link to the best shots from last year. If you want to learn more about the resort itself and see all it has to offer, here is a link to the official website.
Important Stats for this Week
SG: APP 125-175 yards
SG: P on Bermuda Grass
Par 4 Scoring 400-450
SG: Short Courses
SG: Windy Conditions
Birdie or Better Percentage
Without further ado, let’s get into my favorite DraftKings’ plays for this week in each price range.
$10,000 Range
Cam Smith $10,300
There are just so many things to like about the Australian Cam Smith this week, that I can very well see myself starting every single lineup with him. Over the past 24 rounds, he ranks first in birdie or better percentage, fifth in strokes gained putting, and fourth in proximity from 125-150 yards. He is also riding some excellent recent form, finishing within the top 15 in five of his last six starts, which includes a runner-up finish at The Northern Trust.
I always like to play Cam in low-scoring events, I always like Cam with a wedge in his hand, and I also like Cam in windy conditions. Putting all these factors together I think Cam Smith is not only the best play in the 10,000 dollar range but has a very good chance to win the RSM Classic this week. Another reason I like this play is that I expect Webb and Scottie to garner a lot of ownership this week due to Webb’s course history and Scottie’s recent form. I think Cam Smith is an excellent pivot at the top of the board and a great DFS play at the RSM Classic on DraftKings.
$9,000 Range
Kevin Kisner $ 9,200
This play going to be popular but I have full confidence that Kevin Kisner will show up and contend at Sea Island like he so often does. Kevin Kisner is on record saying that there are only a few courses on the PGA Tour that he can truly contend on. All these courses are shorter in length and place a large emphasis on approach and putting. The Seaside Course at Sea Island checks all those boxes. I also don’t have to sell you on the fact that Kisner can contend here because he has some of the best course history of any golfer in the field this week.
He won this event in 2015, setting the 72-hole scoring record, finished solo second last year, and has three other top 10 finishes here. His ownership will be high but for good reason. We can differentiate our lineups elsewhere to be able to play a highly owned Kevin Kisner. He gains the most strokes on P4: 400-450, consistently gains putting on Bermuda, and ranks 3rd in the last 24 rounds in total strokes gained on courses less than 7,200 yards. For all these reasons, I love Kevin Kisner as a DFS play this week at the RSM Classic.
$8,000 Range
Mackenzie Hughes $8,600
I think we very well could see another Robert Streb situation at the RSM this week. Streb won his first PGA tour event at the RSM Classic back in 2014 and then as a massive longshot went on to win this event again just last year. There seems to be something about this course and repeat winners and golfers that just always tend to excel here. Mackenzie Hughes also got his first PGA Tour victory at Sea Island back in 2016 and I think there is a good chance he contends once again here this week.
I’m really looking for a golfer that is able to get hot with the putter and Mackenzie ranks 7th in this field over the last 24 rounds in strokes gained putting. Hughes has also consistently played well on short par 70 layouts which is evident by his win here. Another reason to like Hughes is that if the weather gets tough, he excels in difficult conditions. He finished sixth at the Open Championship and fifteenth at the US Open this year. Mackenzie Hughes makes a great DFS play this week and you should roster him in all DraftKings for the RSM Classic this weekend.
$7,000 Range
Emiliano Grillo $7,400
Something that I noted earlier is that the ability to hit wedges is going to be extremely important this week. That is really why I like Emiliano Grillo this week. He ranks first in this field in proximity from 125-150 yards. One of Grillo’s best finishes this year came at the RBC Heritage, which is another short Bermuda track in the same part of the country. He has played this course only once last year and notched a top 20 finished.
I expect him to build on that result and experience and contend this week. His top 20 finish was also due to a Sunday 71, he was actually in contention for the first three days. Grillo also has shown the capability to go low and make a lot of birdies which is certainly going to be important this week. That coupled with the fact that he consistently gains strokes in windy conditions, I really like Grillo as a DFS play this week.
$6,000 Range
David Thompson $6,400
As we head into the bottom of the DraftKings board, finding a diamond in the rough is not always the easiest thing to do. However, if you can get a low-priced golfer to make the cut and post a decent finish, your chances of a profitable week skyrocket. My low-priced gem this week is Davis Thompson. SEC golfer of the year at The University of Georiga, Davis is one of the shining amateur stars on the PGA Tour.
Given his local ties and his 19th place finish here in 2019 as a 19-year-old, I think Davis makes the cut the week. Over the past 24 rounds, he ranks seventeenth in birdie or better percentage, twenty-first in greens in regulation gained and seventeenth in proximity from 150-175 yards. These stats are really good from a golfer priced at $6,400. If he can find a hot putter, which he has before on Bermuda grass, coupled with the amount of birdie looks he’s going to give himself, I think he primed to get through to the weekend at the RSM Classic.
Ideal DraftKings Lineup
Cameron Smith $10,300
Kevin Kisner $9,200
Mackenzie Hughes $8,600
Matt Kuchar $7,900
Emiliano Grillo $7,4000
Davis Thompson $6,4000
Well there you have it, my favorite golfers in each price range for the RSM Classic. I wish you all the best of luck this week and let’s make some money!
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