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Amid all the talk of how strange the 2020 season has been it’s somewhat peculiar to find one of the changes is somewhat familiar. Traditionally the post-Augusta National stop for the PGA Tour is the breezy, ocean-side Harbour Town that plays into the hands of short, accurate hitters who enjoy Bermuda grass greens. Replace Harbour Town with Sea Island and the challenge is not a lot different. This will be the 11th renewal of the RSM Classic and its roster of past champions is less glittering than The Heritage at Harbour Town, but the challenge for punters is something they like to get their teeth into - it feels like one in which we can land a winner, possibly at a tasy price. There are actually two layouts used this week – the Seaside Course is a par-70 of 7,005-yards with plenty of water, but it’s not a huge factor most of the time. It’s actually a Harry Colt design, but had a Tom Fazio upgrade in 1999. The Plantation Course (also Colt, renovated by Davis Love III) is a par-72 at 7,060-yards and the field will play it once before the weekend cut. Brendon Todd said of the main test: “It relies on the weather, the conditions, the wind to be the teeth. Anybody could play a great round out there, whether you hit it long or short. It comes down to who approaches it well and makes putts.” Past winner Mackenzie Hughes reiterated the importance of the conditions, explaining: “The Seaside Course kind of has some bigger fairways when there’s not any wind blowing, but when the wind’s blowing, you’ve got those crosswinds going, the fairways seem kind of small. I think the Seaside’s more, I don’t want to say linksy but it has that linksy feel to it, and the Plantation’s a bit more tree-lined.”
Angles to consider 1/ Conditions Last year’s winner Tyler Duncan and 2016 champion Mackenzie Hughes have both finished top three in the Corales Puntacana event (similar greens, by the sea, windy). Other winners here include Charles Howell, Kevin Kisner, Chris Kirk, Ben Crane and Heath Slocum who have all enjoyed success at the likes of Waialae, El Camaleon, Southwind and Harbour Town. So, to repeat, Bermuda (or Paspalum) greens, breezy, by the sea. 2/ Putting In the last six years there have been six winners here and another seven players defeated in play-offs (a whopping four of them in 2016). Every single one of them ranked top 25 for Strokes Gained Putting and 12 of the 13 ranked top 20 for Putting Average. 3/ Hitting Greens Last year’s winner Duncan ranked fourth for GIR, 2018 winner Howell was first and 2017 champ Austin Cook was second (the two men who preceded him made up for average GIR figures by topping the PA stats).
Selections The above angles have been used to create a shortlist from which the following players are selected. Kevin Kisner Always willing to give Kisner close consideration when he’s playing a course he feels he can take on the field on something of an even playing surface (he often says as much). A winner here in 2015, he also landed fourth in 2014 and 2017, and seventh in 2018. He missed the cut in the Masters, but I don’t think that will have surprised him. Before then was T14th in the Zozo Championship, played his full part in the FedExCup PlayOffs and was third at the Wyndham. Denny McCarthy His course form is heading in the right direction, going MC-T46th-T8th and there’s a good chance the superb putted (he topped the 2019-20 Strokes Gained Putting stats) can maintain that curve. He was T38th last time out at the Houston Open, but before that tied fourth in Bermuda and also sixth in the Sanderson Farms Championship. He’s also been fourth at Corales Puntacana in the past. CT Pan The Taiwanese player impressed on his Masters debut last week, landing an assured tied seventh and now he returns to his ideal conditions, based on past experience. He was sixth here on debut in 2016 when ranked fifth for finding the greens and T13th in 2017 when he again landed over 80% of the putting surfaces. He’s got a pair of top 20s at El Camaleon, another at Southwind, and was a winner at Harbour Town in 2019 when dynamite on the greens.
Tips: 1-2; +3.00pts 1pt e.w. Kevin Kisner at 40/1 (Skybet, William Hill 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8) 2nd 1pt e.w. Denny McCarthy at 66/1 (William Hill, Betfair, PaddyPower 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8) mc 1pt e.w. CT Pan at 66/1 (Skybet) mc
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