Preview

Starts: 21st November 2024
Course: Sea Island Resort, Georgia
Par: 70 (Seaside) & 72 (Plantation)
Length: 7,005 yards & 7,060 yards
2023 Champion: Ludvig Aberg

2024 RSM Classic Picks

2024 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. 

2024 RSM Classic Trends

Winning Score
Since this format was adopted in 2015, the winning score has varied between -17 and -22. However, Ludvig Aberg won with a score of 29 under par last year.

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

Recent Form
Five of the last nine champions had posted a top 20 finish in their previous two starts.  Recent form is definitely preferred.

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

Nationality
Ludvig Aberg bucked the trend last year.  The Swede being the first winner who wasn't American or Canadian.

Age
Ten of the last eleven winners have been between the age of 24 and 33.  Charles Howell III was the outlier (Howell was 39 when lifting the trophy in 2018).

Winner's Profile
Eight of the last ten 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 ten winners had played the week before winning.  Marginal preference is to have shaken any rust off last week.

2024 RSM Classic Trends Shortlist

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

Age: 24 to 33
Course Form: At least one previous top 25
Previous PGA Tour Win: No
Playing Plantation Course First: Yes

The players who meet the above four criteria are:

TBC

2024 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 and Ludvig Aberg are the only winners in the last seven years to rank inside the top ten in this category (Aberg was 1st and 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, with Ludvig Aberg and Adam Svensson both ranking 15th the past two years. In general, strong approach play is usually necessary. 

SG: Around The Green
Over the last eight years we've seen mixed rankings from the winners in this category of 12-23-2-59-38-40-9-1 (most recent first).  

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

2024 RSM Classic In-Play Advice

Fast or Slow Start
Adam Svensson bucked all the in-play trends in 2023.  Prior to him, every winner in the last six years had posted a score of -5 or better in the first round. Ludvig Aberg shot five under par in the opening round last year. 

Six of the last eight winners (Svensson and Aberg being the exception) have been inside the top eight after round one.  Remarkably, seven of the last eight 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.

2024 RSM Classic Picks