Preview

2023 RSM Classic Tips

2023 RSM Classic Event Info

Starts: 16th November 2023
Course: Sea Island Resort, Georgia
Par: 70 (Seaside) & 72 (Plantation)
Length: 7,005 yards & 7,060 yards
2022 Champion: Adam Svensson

2023 RSM Classic Course Info

Course Designer: Tom Fazio (Seaside) & Davis Love III (Plantation)
Tournament played here since: 2010 but moved to this format in 2015
Type of Course: Coastal, exposed to wind
Fairways: Often demanding tee shots and dog legs.  Rough will be minimal at 1.5 inches.
Greens: Bermuda greens which will run at 12.5 on the Stimpmeter at Seaside & 11 at Plantation.
Par 5's: 4th, 7th & 15th on Seaside. The 4th, 8th, 14th & 18th on Plantation
Water Hazards: In play on 13 holes at Seaside & 10 holes on Plantation
Premium on: Hot putter and approach.

Significant Info To Be Aware Of 

-This is the last event of the year for most PGA Tour pros and will decide who keeps their PGA Tour card for next year.
-The Plantation course was re-designed in 2019 and the 2020 event was the first time many players had played it.  
-Three rounds are played on the Seaside course and one round played on the Plantation.  Players will play each course over the first two days. 

2023 RSM Classic Weather

Thursday: Rainy with wind expected to peak at 17mph.
Friday: Rainy with wind expected to peak at 17mph.
Saturday: Sunny intervals with wind expected to peak at 10mph.
Sunday: Sunny intervals with wind expected to peak at 12mph.

2023 RSM Classic Trends

Winning Score
Since this format was adopted in 2015, the winning score has varied between -17 and -22. Last year, Adam Svensson triumphed with a sore of 19 under par.

Course Form
Five of the past eight champions posted a top 25 here prior to winning.  Of those that hadn't, Adam Svensson had missed the cut on three occasions and the other two winners were course debutants.  Course knowledge is definitely helpful.

Recent Form
Four of the last eight champions had posted a top 20 finish in their previous two starts.  Recent form is preferred but not essential.

Two Courses
It is worth noting that six of the past eight winners have played the easier Plantation course first.  Only Mackenzie Hughes (2016) and 2020 winner, Robert Streb, triumphed when playing Seaside first.

Nationality
Every winner of this event has been from America or Canada.

Age
Nine of the last ten winners have been between the age of 25 and 33.  Charles Howell III was the outlier (Howell was 39 when lifting the trophy in 2018).

Winner's Profile
Seven of the last nine winners were winning for the first time on the PGA Tour.  Charles Howell III and Robert Streb were the only exceptions.  

Played Last Week
Six of the last eight winners had played the week before winning.  Only Robert Streb (2020) and Kevin Kisner (2015) had taken time off before winning here. 

2023 RSM Classic Trends Shortlist

Using the information above, we have taken into acount the four most relevant trends to establish a shortlist of potential winners.  The trends used were:

Age: 25 to 35
Course Form: At least one previous top 25
Played Last Week: Yes
Playing Plantation Course First: Yes

The players who meet the above four criteria are:

Mark Hubbard
CT Pan
Doug Ghim
Kelly Kraft
Austin Cook
Mathias Schwab
Richy Werenski

2023 RSM Classic Stats Analysis

Please Note - We have no Strokes Gained data from the Plantation Course.  The stats below therefore only account for three of the four rounds played at previous RSM Classics.

SG: Off The Tee
Adam Svensson is the only winner in teh last six years to rank inside the top ten in this category (Svensson was 10th).  Several winners ranked 40th or worse (Robert Streb ranked 74th and Talor Gooch 49th). Not a key category this week.

SG: Approach
The three champions between 2017-2019 ranked 3rd, 17th and 5th in this category.  However, Mackenzie Hughes ranked 61st in this category when winning in 2016 and Robert Streb was 65th in 2020. Talor Gooch was 2nd when winning in 2021 and Adam Svensson was 15th last year. In general, strong approach play is usually necessary. 

SG: Around The Green
Over the last seven years we've seen mixed rankings from the winners in this category of 23-2-59-38-40-9-1 (most recent first).  

SG: Putting
Five of the past eight winners have ranked 14th or better in this category, with no winner having ranked worse than 24th.  A hot putter is needed this week.

2023 RSM Classic In-Play Advice

Fast or Slow Start
Adam Svensson bucked all the in-play trends last year.  Prior to him, every winner in the last six years had posted a score of -5 or better in the first round.  Six of the last seven winners (Svensson being the exception) have been inside the top eight after round one.  Remarkably, six of the last seven winners have led at halfway (yep, you guessed it, Svensson was the exception).  It is usually vital to get off to a strong start.

Tough Holes
The 10th, 12th and 14th holes at Seaside played as the three hardest holes.

Birdie Holes
The 15th, 8th and 6th were the easiest holes at Seaside.

2023 RSM Classic Tips