The RSM Classic 2024 Best Bets and Outrights
by Bradley Gibbs | by Bradley Gibbs
The RSM Classic 2024
After a few events outside of the US, the PGA Tour fall schedule sees top-level golf return to the states this week.
Previously called the McGladrey Classic, the RSM Classic, played at Sea Island Golf Course in Saint Simons Island (Georgia), is a long-standing PGA Tour event, which first featured on the schedule back in 2010.
Sea Island features two courses, the Seaside course and the Plantation course, and unlike in some other events at venues featuring multiple courses, both will be used this week, presenting players with the unique challenge of tackling both links and parkland golf at the same tournament.
In previous renewals of the RSM Classic, a strong game off the tee has been required, while strokes gained: tee-to-green and strokes gained: putting are two more key ingredients that make up the recipe for success at Sea Island.
From a betting point of view, last week’s action in Bermuda was a little bit of a washout. Despite his fantastic record on coastal tracks, Joel Dahmen could not build on what was a promising effort the week before, failing to make the cut, while Seamus Power finished strongly with a round of -6 on the final day, but earlier mistakes meant he couldn’t quite break into the top 10.
Thankfully, not for the first time in recent weeks, Ben Griffin produced a solid display, gaining a nice return on that particular ‘top 10 finish’ bet.
It’s now time to delve into the bets ahead of this week’s action in Georgia. Oh, and always, don’t forget to check out all our upcoming sports betting picks.
Ben Griffin to win/top 10 finish: +3500 & +360
I was a supporter of Ben Griffin in the betting ahead of last week’s event, citing that his first PGA Tour win looks to be on the horizon, and there was nothing about his effort in Bermuda to change my mind. Griffin delivered yet another solid set of rounds, maintaining his strong form, showing that he’s a player full of confidence, which is never a bad thing in this game.
The man now ranked 70th in the world comes into this event having posted recent efforts of T11, T22, T24, while he finished 8th last week, while it’s not as if he’s played poorly at the RSM Classic in recent years, building on a solid T29 (2022) by finishing T8 at Sea Island last season.
As I said last week, Griffin is an improved player, who is playing some of the best golf of his career right now, so the fact that he played well here last season is hard to ignore. It’s also worth mentioning that the 28-year-old is the best player in the field (of those to play this tournament more than twice before) in terms of average 18-hole score at the RSM Classic.
When I throw into the mix the fact that Griffin ranks comfortably in the top ten for strokes gained: total at this venue since 2016, he’s impossible to ignore at what look like generous odds.
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Lucas Glover to win/top 10 finish: +4000 & +360
Another player who is seemingly due a win on the PGA Tour, if ever there is such a thing, is Lucas Glover, who is now very much a veteran of the game, though a string of fantastic recent efforts prove that there’s still plenty of golfing life in the South Carolina man, so much so that he looks a great bet ahead of this week’s action. Following three rounds in Bermuda, Glover had himself firmly in contention, and not for the first time in recent weeks. Sadly, a shocking final day saw him end up in a disappointing tie for 42nd, but I wouldn’t give up on the six-time PGA Tour winner.
After all, Glover ranks as the fifth-best player in the field in terms of strokes gained: total over the last eight tournaments, while he also stands in the first 12 (of those set to feature this week) for strokes gained: total at this event.
Glover has played relatively well at the RSM before, posting several top 20’s, missing the cut just once since 2011. Now in fine form, he could easily deliver a career-best effort at Sea Island, and given the odds available, I’ll be betting on him to do just that.
Austin Eckroat to win/top 10 finish: +5000 & +450
One final player who I just cannot resist a bet on is recent winner Austin Eckroat, who proved that he’s an up-and-coming PGA Tour player to take very seriously when winning the WWT Championship a fortnight ago. That win came after a very solid effort of T18 when playing alongside the big dogs at the FedEx St. Jude Championship back in August, while his sixth-place finish at the Wyndham shortly before that is yet more evidence that Eckroat means business.
The 25-year-old was rather solid off the tee at this event a year ago, ranking highly for strokes gained: off-the-tee, standing as the third best in the field for that metric, which bodes well, while of those due to play at Sea Island, he ranks as the third best player in terms of strokes gained: total at the RSM Classic since 2016.
Finishing inside the top ten in his first ever RSM Classic last season, Eckroat will likely be chomping at the bit to get back down to action this week. I’m betting on him to once again thrive at chunky odds.
