The PGA Tour closes its fall series portion of the 2024 season with the 15th 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 eighth and final tournament of the new FedExCup Fall.
Swedish star Ludvig Aberg will return to defend his 2023 title and will be joined by the likes of Brian Harman, Sepp Straka, Denny McCarthy, J.T. Poston and Chris Kirk, among others.
As we do each week, here’s a roundup of information and data to prep you for a week of tour golf on the coast of southern Georgia.
The Skinny
RSM Classic
Title Sponsor: RSM (USA)
PGA Tour Debut: 2010
Event Week: 8 of 8 (Fall Series)
Dates:Â Nov. 21-24, 2024
Where: St Simons Island, GA
Venue:Â Sea Island GC
Course 1:Â Seaside (70/7005)
Course 2:Â Plantation (72/7060)
Field Size: 150 players
Purse: $7,600,000
Winning Share: $1,368,000
FedExCup/OWGR: 500/39
Defending Champion:Â Ludvig Aberg
How to Follow the RSM Classic
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RSM Classic History
Among the PGA Tour’s fall events, the RSM is one of the more established stops, with a born-on date of 2010. Formerly known as the McGladrey Classic, the late-fall tournament traditionally draws a relatively decent field, despite its position on the schedule and smaller purse.
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.
Robert Streb is the only two-time winner (2014 and 2020) of the tournament. Streb won both trophies in a playoff, which was common aspect of the event until recently, with five of seven editions requiring overtime between 2014 and 2020.
Other former RSM Classic champions include Chris Kirk, Talor Gooch, Charles Howell III and Kevin Kisner.
The highest profile RSM Classic winner is the reigning champion, and world No. 5, Ludvig Aberg, who claimed his maiden PGA Tour title in 2023 with a record-setting score of 29 under.
The RSM Classic is organized and hosted by the Davis Love Foundation.
History: Title Sponsors
– RSM Classic (2015-Pres)
– McGladrey Classic (2010-14)
History: Recent Winners
2023: Ludvig Aberg (-29)
2022: Adam Svensson (-19)
2021: Talor Gooch (-22)
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: -29 (Ludvig Aberg, 2023)
Low Score: 253 (Ludvig Aberg, 2023)
Win Margin: 6 (Kevin 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 famed architect 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 is headlined by Swedish superstar Ludvig Aberg, who will defend his maiden PGA Tour title with a world ranking of No. 5. Ludvig, who underwent knee surgery in early September, will tee it up for the first time since the Tour Championship in late August.
At world No. 24, Brian Harman is the only other player in the field who sits inside the Official World Golf Ranking’s top 25. The Georgia native has played just once since East Lake, posting a T13 finish in an Asian Tour event last month.
Other names ranked inside the OWGR’s top 50 include Austin Eckroat (35), Sepp Straka (36), Denny McCarthy (39), Davis Thompson (40), J.T. Poston (42), Chris Kirk (44), Matt McCarty (49) and Lucas Glover (50).
Additionally, all seven winners from the FedExCup Fall series will be teeing it up: Patton Kizzire (ProCore), Kevin Yu (Sanderson), McCarty (Black Desert), Poston (Shriners), Nico Echavarria (ZOZO), Eckroat (World Wide Technology) and last week’s winner Rafael Campos (Butterfield Bermuda).
Some of the marquee names, who are longshots, include Matt Kuchar, Stewart Cink, Brandt Snedeker, Zach Johnson, Francesco Molinari, and Bill Haas.
Gary Woodland, Daniel Berger, Maverick McNealy, Webb Simpson, and Keith Mitchell are some of the familiar names positioned among the top half of the betting favorites.
Finally, there will be eight former RSM Classic winners in the field this week, headlined by Aberg, the defending champion. The other past winners are Kirk (2013), Robert Streb (2014, 2020), Kevin Kisner (2015), Mackenzie Hughes (2016), Austin Cook (2017), Tyler Duncan (2019) and Adam Svensson (2022).
Top-10 Betting Favorites
Pos-Player-Odds
1. Ludvig Aberg (10-1)
2. Davis Thompson (20-1)
3. Brian Harman (25-1)
3. Denny McCarthy (25-1)
3. Si Woo Kim (25-1)
6. Ben Griffin (30-1)
6. J.T. Poston (30-1)
6. Seamus Power (30-1)
9. Austin Eckroat (35-1)
9. Eric Cole (35-1)
9. Harris English (35-1)
9. JJ Spaun (35-1)
9. Lucas Glover (35-1)
9. Mackenzie Hughes (35-1)
9. Matt Wallace (35-1)
9. Maverick McNealy (35-1)
Full Field & Odds
RSM Classic | Sea Island Golf Club | St. Simons Island, GA | Nov. 21-24, 2024
Up Next On Tour
The RSM Classic concludes the PGA Tour’s FedExCup Fall portion of the 2024 schedule.
The “silly season” includes three unofficial events headlined by the Tiger Woods’ hosted Hero World Challenge, along with Grant Thornton Invitational and the PNC Family Championship.
The 2025 season will start in January with the traditional two-stop Hawaii set before moving to the mainland for the annual West Coast Swing.
–HOLIDAY BREAK–
Jan. 02 – Sentry Tournament of Champions (Kapalua HI)
Jan. 09 – Sony Open in Hawaii (Honolulu, HI)
Jan. 16 – The American Express (La Quinta, CA)
Jan. 22 – Farmers Insurance Open (La Jolla, CA)
Jan. 30 – AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (Pebble Beach, CA)
Feb. 09 – WM Phoenix Open (Scottsdale, AZ)
Feb. 13 – Genesis Invitational (Pacific Palisades, CA)
Credits: Getty Images, PGA Tour Media
