The PGA Tour closes its wrap-around portion of the 2022 season with the 12th annual RSM Classic at the stunning Sea Island Golf Club.
Contested on both the Seaside and Plantation courses, the stop on St Simons Island, Georgia is the ninth tournament of the new PGA Tour campaign.
Robert Streb will return to defend his 2021 title, and will do so off a top-10 finish at last week’s Houston Open.
As we do each week, here’s a round up of information and data points to prep you for the week on the coast of southern Georgia.
The Skinny
RSM Classic
Title Sponsor: RSM (USA)
PGA Tour Debut: 2010
Event Week: 9 of 43
Dates:Â Nov. 18-21, 2021
Where: St Simons Island, GA
Venue:Â Sea Island Resort
Course 1:Â Seaside (70/7005)
Course 2:Â Plantation (72/7060)
Purse: $7,200,000
Winning Share: $1,296,000
FedExCup/OWGR: 500/NA
Defending Champion:Â Robert Streb
How to Follow the RSM Classic
TELEVISION: Thu-Fri: 12-3 p.m.; Sat-Sun: 1-4 p.m. ET (GOLF Channel)
PGA TOUR LIVE: Thu-Fri: 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. ET (Featured Groups)
RADIO: Thu-Fri: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sat-Sun: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM)
LINKS: Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
RSM Classic History
Among PGA Tour events, the RSM is one of its newer tournaments, with a born-on date of 2010. Formerly known as the McGladrey Classic, the late-fall tournament traditionally draws a decent field, despite awarding one of the smaller purses.
Located off the southern coast of Georgia, St. Simons Island is a golf haven, and many tour professionals live on the island, making it a convenient add to a player’s schedule.
The tournament has always been contested at the Sea Island Golf Resort. Since 2015, with RSM taking over as the title sponsor, and the field expanded to 156 players, the event has been played over both the resort’s Seaside and Plantation courses.
Last year’s winner, Robert Streb, is the only two-time winner (2014 and 2020) of the tournament. Streb won both trophies in a playoff, which is a quite common aspect of event with five of the last seven editions requiring overtime.
Other former RSM Classic champions include Chris Kirk, Charles Howell III and Kevin Kisner, who holds the tournament record for scoring.
The RSM Classic is organized and hosted by the Davis Love Foundation.
History: Recent Winners
2020: Robert Streb (-19)
2019: Tyler Duncan (-19)
2018: Charles Howell III (-19)
2017: Austin Cook (-21)
2016: Mackenzie Hughes (-17)
*Playoff
History: Records
Low Under-Par: -22 (Kevin Kisner, 2015)
Low Score: 260 (Kisner, 2015)
Win Margin: 6 (Kisner, 2015)
RSM Classic Courses
Seaside Course
Situated on the southern tip of St. Simons Island, the historical Sea Island Golf Club serves as the host venue of the RSM Classic. The “Seaside” is the pinnacle of links golf, placing a premium on careful shot selection, recovery, and putting.
Originally designed in 1929 by famed architects Harry S. Colt and Charles Alison, the Seaside Course was updated in 1999 by Tom Fazio – earning it a prominent place on Golf Digest’s list of “Top 100 Courses in the United States.”
Tidal creeks, dunes, salt marshes and the St. Simons Sound frame the course, which plays fast, firm, and fun in the tradition of legendary Scottish links.
Seaside Skinny
Par: 36/34/70
Yards: 7,005
Architect: Harry S. Colt, Charles Alison (1929)
Redesign: Tom Fazio (1999)
Plantation Course
With Rees Jones‘ masterful renovation, Plantation Course unfolds among a forest of ancient live oak and cedar, with a hint of danger lurking in its tidal creeks and lakes.
“Plantation” boasts expansive fairways that give definition to the course, showcasing beautiful views of the ocean, oaks, and blooming flowers – enticing the accomplished and inviting the novice.
Jones calls the new Plantation “parkland by the sea” for its magnificent vistas of the Atlantic Ocean and its lush natural scenery. Rees added, “I took the work of Walter Travis (who designed Plantation in 1926) and Dick Wilson (who fashioned Retreat in 1960) and produced a classic style course with a similar flavor.”
Plantation Skinny
Par: 36/36/72
Yards: 7,060
Architect: Walter Travis (1928)
Redesign: Rees Jones (1992, 1998)
Redesign: Davis Love III (2019)
RSM Classic Field
The field at the RSM Classic includes several players ranked in the top 40 of the Official World Golf Rankings, including No. 9 Louis Oosthuizen, Harris English (12), Scottie Scheffler (17), Cameron Smith (23), Webb Simpson (26), Joaquin Niemann (30), Max Homa (33), Corey Conners (36), Kevin Kisner (37), and Adam Scott (40).
Justin Rose, Jason Day, Zach Johnson, Graeme McDowell, Stewart Cink, and Jimmy Walker are some the other familiar names – and former major winners – in the field.
Top-5 Betting Favorites
Pos-Player-Odds
1. Scottie Scheffler (14-1)
1. Webb Simpson (14-1)
3. Cameron Smith (16-1)
4. Louis Oosthuizen (25-1)
5. Harris English (28-1)
5. Corey Conners (28-1)
5. Russell Henley (28-1)
Full Field & Odds
RSM Classic | Sea Island Golf Club | St. Simons Island, GA | Nov. 18-21, 2021
Up Next On Tour
The RSM Classic concludes the PGA Tour’s wrap-around portion of the new schedule.
The 2022 season will resume in January with the traditional two-stop Hawaii set before moving to the mainland for the annual West Coast Swing.
–HOLIDAY BREAK–
Jan. 06-09 – Sentry Tournament of Champions (Kapalua HI)
Jan. 13-16 – Sony Open in Hawaii (Honolulu, HI)
Jan. 20-23 – The American Express (La Quinta, CA)
Jan. 26-29 – Farmers Insurance Open (La Jolla, CA)
Feb. 03-06 – AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (Pebble Beach, CA)
Feb. 10-13 – WM Phoenix Open (Scottsdale, AZ)
Feb. 17-20 – Genesis Invitational (Pacific Palisades, CA)
Credits: Getty Images, PGA Tour Media
