An unforgettable year of PGA Tour golf concludes this week as the calendar’s final field assembles at the picturesque St. Simons Island in Georgia for the ninth annual RSM Classic.
The anchor event of the fall series, this is the last chance to get some momentum heading into 2019. Davis Love III hosts an event that has yielded four-consecutive first-time champions, including Austin Cook one year ago.
The field at Sea Island Golf Club is not especially strong, but it is deep. Here are the players we feel warrant the closest attention:
15. Brice Garnett
Garnett, the winner of last season’s Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship, had a tremendous outing at last week’s Mayakoba Golf Classic, finishing in solo-fifth with rounds of 68-67-65-66. He even pushed Matt Kuchar for the lead on Sunday, opening his final round with four birdies in his first five holes.
Garnett also looked good at last year’s RSM, shooting a 65 in round one on his way to a T29. His short game has been hit-or-miss, but he has been great off the tees as of late.
Odds: 66-1
World Rank: 121st
Field Rank: 23rd
Last Six: 5, MC, 41, 39, 35, 12
14. Peter Uihlein
At No. 75, the talented 29-year-old American is one of just a handful of top-100 ranked players teeing it up at Sea Island this week. When we last saw Uihlein, a first-round 63 at the Shriners Hospitals For Children Open led to the first 54-hole lead of his career.
Uihlein’s final round was a disaster, as a 75 dropped him all the way to T23, but it is not unusual for that to happen to a player when they have not led that late in a PGA Tour event before.
We suspect that if he gets himself into the mix again this week, his previous failure will lead him to a better Sunday this time around.
Odds: 50-1
World Rank: 75th
Field Rank: 7th
Last Six: 23, 55, 69, MC, 38, 12
13. Luke List
List was an enormous disappointment at last week’s Mayakoba Golf Classic, finishing over-par through two rounds and falling four strokes south of the cut line in an event where he was supposed to be one of the best players in the field.
Credit: Getty Images
If his memory is short enough, the tee-to-green marvel who finished T4 at the season-opening Safeway Open, could be a big threat to take the final event of the calendar year.
The World No. 59 (fourth best in the field) has some positive history in this event, finishing T13 after posting four rounds in the 60s. The bomber is on the short list of players who appear closest to PGA Tour victory No. 1.
Odds: 35-1
World Rank: 59th
Field Rank: 4th
Last Six: MC, 4, 45, MC, 48, MC
12. Lucas Glover
The past few years on Tour have been tough for the former U.S. Open Champion, who had to play in this year’s Web.com Tour finals to earn his 2018-19 PGA Tour card. However, Glover has looked reborn since the new season start, posting finishes of T17, T14, and T7 in three starts, with the latter including a third-round 61.
Glover has been hitting his irons extremely well over the past two months, which is a good sign at an event that he has had some success at before. Glover’s best RSM finish was a T9 in 2016, and in the 2011 edition, he pulled off the improbable feat of posting the same score in all four rounds (68).
Odds: 28-1
World Rank: 130th
Field Rank: 4th
Last Six: 7, 14, 17, 2, 53, MC
11. Stewart Cink
The 45-year-old former Open Champion Golf of the Year has looked like his 30-year-old self since June, notching one strong finish after another. This will be Cink’s first start since the Asian swing, giving him a nice rest before he tackles an event that he has played every year since 2011.
Cink has saved his best RSM performances for his most recent starts, posting a T25 last year and a T10 the year prior, where he opened with a 62. His iron game has been strong as always, and a shotmaker like Cink always stands a good chance on a course like Sea Island.
Odds: 50-1
World Rank: 81st
Field Rank: 9th
Last Six: 70, 13, 62, MC, 4, 37
Navigate to next five
