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RSM Classic betting preview

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New to golf betting? Check out theScore's PGA Tour wagering guide here. All odds listed are courtesy of theScore Bet and are subject to change.

The 2020 Masters has come and gone but if you're still clamoring for more golf to wager on, look no further.

The RSM Classic from Sea Island, Georgia, is on deck as one of the final two PGA Tour events of the year. Typically, the RSM Classic isn't played the week following a major and as a result, the field competing this week is the tournament's strongest ever.

The courses

  • Seaside Course
  • 7,005 yards, par 70
  • Bermudagrass greens
  • Both par 5s under 600 yards
  • Tougher of two courses
  • Host of both weekend rounds
  • Plantation Course
  • 7,060 yards, par 72
  • Bermudagrass greens
  • Three of four par 5s under 560 yards
  • Five par 4s under 400 yards

Comparable venues to both Sea Island courses: Harbour Town (RBC Heritage), Sedgefield (Wyndham Championship).

Past winners

2019: Tyler Duncan (-19) in a playoff over Webb Simpson
2018: Charles Howell III (-19) over Patrick Rodgers
2017: Austin Cook (-21) over J.J. Spaun
2016: Mackenzie Hughes (-17) in a five-way playoff
2015: Kevin Kisner (-22) over Kevin Chappell
2014: Robert Streb (-14) in a three-way playoff
2013: Chris Kirk (-14) over Briny Baird, Tim Clark

The favorites

Player Odds
Webb Simpson +800
Tyrrell Hatton +1400
Sungjae Im +1800
Tommy Fleetwood +2000

Webb Simpson tops the betting board at +800. He was a runner-up at the RSM Classic last year and came third in 2018. These two courses fit Simpson's game and he's the deserving favorite, but there's far too much value on the board to go all-in on him.

Tyrrell Hatton is coming off a missed cut at the Masters but profiles well at Sea Island. He came T3 at this year's RBC Heritage and has two top-10s in his last four PGA Tour starts. He's worth consideration at +1400 but it's not a pick we're in love with.

It's easy to expect a Masters hangover for Sungjae Im, who just logged four draining days at Augusta National to finish as a runner-up. The same goes for Tommy Fleetwood, who played well at the Masters but doesn't get the betting juices flowing at +2000 for what would be his first win stateside.

The next tier

Player Odds
Harris English +2400
Matt Fitzpatrick +2400
Corey Conners +2500
Russell Henley +2500
Ian Poulter +3200
Jason Day +3200
Jason Kokrak +3200
Louis Oosthuizen +3200
Shane Lowry +3200
Brian Harman +3500
Joaquin Niemann +4000
Kevin Kisner +4000
Sebastian Munoz +4000
Justin Rose +4500
Zach Johnson +4500

This large range is where the value starts to become apparent, beginnin with Harris English. It's a home game for the Sea Island resident - which will be a common theme this week as a handful of Tour pros play out of the area - and he's arguably playing the best out of anyone in the field. No one should talk you out of backing the former Georgia Bulldog.

Russell Henley at +2500 is a little more tempting due to his recent form and course history. He has three top-10 results at the RSM Classic during his career and enters with impeccable form. He's rattled off four top-10 results in his last seven starts and leads the field in strokes gained: tee to green over his past 50 rounds.

Corey Conners (+2500) finished strong at Augusta last week and Brian Harman (+3500) is another Sea Island native playing consistent golf over the past three months.

The long shots

This week feels like one where a long shot is going to come out victorious and there's a longer list than normal to consider.

Mackenzie Hughes (+6500): The Canadian is a former winner here and has five top-15 showings in his last eight starts. He's proven his ability to contend in elite fields and should have no problem contending against fewer star players.

Doc Redman (+7500): This price is flat-out wrong. Redman is one of the few elite ball-strikers in the field with three top-four performances in his last seven starts. He's knocking on the door of his first career win.

Henrik Norlander (+10000): The Swede lost in a playoff at the 2016 RSM Classic and was T5 last year. He recently finished fourth at the Sanderson Farms Championship.

James Hahn (+12500): He has three top-10 results in his last four starts and has made two of three cuts in his RSM Classic career.

Henrik Stenson (+15000): Based on pedigree alone, the former Open Champion is a fantastic value in a field without a lot of firepower in it.

Picks to win

Russell Henley (+2500)

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There's too much to like about Henley to not fancy his chances of finding the winner's circle for the first time since 2017. The Georgia native is playing great, with two top-five finishes in stacked fields (CJ Cup, Zozo Championship) over his last three starts. He's placed inside the top 10 in six of his last 14 PGA Tour starts.

His putter has let him down as of late, but Henley has a history of performing better on Bermudagrass and gained strokes putting in three of his six career starts at the RSM Classic, which all resulted in top 10s.

Doc Redman (+7500)

Carmen Mandato / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Redman has the potential to become a top-tier player on Tour and has proven his ability to contend with three top-three placings in his last seven starts. Those finishes also came at shorter courses that reward accuracy over distance.

He's not known to be a world-class putter, but he tends to putt field average on Bermudagrass compared to other surfaces. If Redman does that this week, he will be in the hunt late on Sunday.

J.T. Poston (+11000)

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J.T. Poston is another Sea Island resident whose price does not match his talent. He won the Wyndham Championship last year (a comparable venue) and placed T14 at the RSM Classic in 2019.

The 27-year-old can get smoking hot with his putter, which led him to his recent third-place result at Sanderson Farms. Ignore his missed cut from the Masters - he'll feel right at home in the laidback environment of Sea Island at courses he knows well. You will not find many players priced above +10000 who have all the traits you're looking for in an RSM Classic winner.

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