This article is part of our Yahoo PGA DFS Picks series.
The RSM Classic
Sea Island, Georgia
Sea Island Resort (Seaside Course) - Par 70 - 7,005 yards
Sea Island Resort (Plantation Course) - Par 72 - 7,060 yards
Field - 156 entrants
Purse - $7.2M
The Preview
The PGA Tour returned from its three-week international swing last week at the Hewlett Packard Enterprise Houston Open, where Jason Kokrak rebounded from a MC-T54 start to his 2021-22 campaign by picking up his third win in 13 months. As we shift our focus to the upcoming RSM Classic, legitimate competition for field strength exists as the European Tour's DP World Tour Championship draws a handful of household names for their season finale and a $9M prize fund.
Meanwhile, Georgia's Sea Island Resort hosts a full 156-man field, which requires the use of both the Seaside and Plantation courses for Rounds 1 and 2 in order to avoid running out of daylight prior to the 36-hole cut. Both layouts are relatively short and easy compared to the average Tour stop, rewarding accurate tee balls and precise approaches from inside 175 yards. The venue's primary defense is an Atlantic coastal breeze, which is slated to intensify Friday and Saturday.
Recent Champions
2020 - Robert Streb
2019 - Tyler Duncan
2018 - Charles Howell III
2017 - Austin Cook
2016 - Mackenzie Hughes
2015 - Kevin Kisner
2014 - Robert Streb
2013 - Chris Kirk
2012 - Tommy Gainey
2011 - Ben Crane
Key Stats to Victory
SG: Approach
Par-4: 400-450 efficiency
Proximity: 100-175 yards
SG: Putting (bermuda)
Yahoo Value Picks
Based on $200 salary cap
Cream of the Crop
Scottie Scheffler - $42
At a $3 discount from Webb Simpson and Louis Oosthuizen, Scheffler heads to the Sea Island Resort in great form as he recently followed his top-5 finish at Mayakoba with runner-up honors in Houston, where he gained north of 11 strokes on the field from tee to green. The 25-year-old has ascended to a career-best 17th in the Official World Golf Ranking, despite remaining winless on the PGA Tour. Scheffler tied for fifth and averaged five birdies per round in his RSM Classic debut two years ago.
Cameron Smith - $41
Smith's status as a debutant in this event could help keep him from becoming the chalk play in the $40s, as casual gamers seek that course history validation when spending a good chunk of salary on their lineup anchors in this range. Although he's yet to experience the Sea Island Resort, Smith profiles well as a course fit. He's No. 1 in SG: Putting on bermuda greens over his last 24 rounds and he's gained an average of 2.9 strokes on approaches per tournament throughout his past five starts. Reducing the sample to 12 rounds, Smith is fourth in proximity from 150-175 yards and seventh in birdie or better percentage.
Glue Guys
Russell Henley - $34
Henley is second to none in SG: Approach over his last 12 rounds, but he's also top-8 in SG: Tee-to-Green, Opportunities Gained and Prox: 100-125 yards during this stretch as well. He just gained 3.7 strokes with the flat stick en route to a T7 at the Houston Open, marking his best putting performance since March's Honda Classic where he tied for third. If Henley's putter remains even semi-competent, he should have no trouble returning value in this spot. He piled up three straight top-10s here at the RSM from 2014 to 2016.
Keegan Bradley - $33
Bradley was a Sea Island first-timer here last year when he rattled off four consecutive scores of 68 or better on the way to a top-15 performance, while he also ranked fifth among the field in driving accuracy. Much like the aforementioned Henley, Bradley's putter can be a major concern, but the ball-striking upside is evident. He's eighth in P4: 400-450 efficiency over his last 24 rounds and 12th in Prox: 125-150 yards over his past 12.
Bargain Bin
Joel Dahmen - $25
Dahmen is a perfect 4-for-4 in cuts made to begin the new season, but he just notched his first top-5 since the Corales Championship win this past week in Houston where he gained 5.5 strokes with his irons. He's now sixth in SG: APP, fifth in birdie or better percentage, fifth in Prox: 100-125 and first in Prox: 150-175 over his last 12 measured rounds. Dahmen has lost strokes on his approach shots just once since the beginning of June, and he's gained with the flat stick in three of his last four events played.
Luke List - $24
Nobody in this week's field has been better from tee to green over their last 12 rounds than List, who's coming off a T11 at the Houston Open despite posting one of the worst putting performances of his entire career. He hasn't gained strokes on the greens since the John Deere Classic in July, but List continues to provide utility in GPP formats at such a low cost as he hits a ton of greens in regulation while racking up the par-breaker opportunities. His RSM Classic resume includes a T4 result here in 2018 when he played the par-4s in a collective 11-under-par.
Tyler Duncan - $20
Duncan's sole PGA Tour victory came at the 2019 RSM Classic, and he's rounding back into form at the perfect time to make another run at it after failing to make the cut in his title defense effort last year. Over his last 12 rounds, Duncan is fifth in driving accuracy, sixth in Prox: 125-150 and ninth in GIR percentage. He's made the cut in five of his last six starts dating to the Barracuda Championship, and he also paces the field in P4: 400-450 efficiency throughout his past 24 rounds.
