The last regular PGA Tour event of the calendar year before the glorified exhibitions take centre stage, so let’s make a little bit of Christmas spending money. Scroll down to see who I think will win the 2022 RSM Classic, but first…
- ALSO THIS WEEK: DP World Tour Championship
The details
Venue: Sea Island Resort (Seaside and Plantation), Georgia, USA
Date: November 17–20, 2022
Course stats: Par 70; 7,005 yards (Seaside); Par 72; 7,060 yards (Plantation)
Course summary: The tournament uses two different courses, both of which are short and strategic. The Sea Island Seaside Course is exposed to the elements and plays like a true links. The Plantation course, used for one round before the cut, is a tight parkland track that is also susceptible to strong winds. Bermuda grass greens are a feature on both courses, so an affinity with the surface will be an advantage here.
Purse: $8.1 million
2021 champion: Talor Gooch (-22)
TV coverage
Thursday: Sky Sports Golf and Main Event from 2:30pm
Friday: Sky Sports Golf from 2:30pm and Main Event from 4:15pm
Saturday: Sky Sports Golf and Mix from 6pm
Sunday: Sky Sports Golf (Red Button) from 6pm
2022 RSM Classic golf betting tips
The Banker: Seamus Power @ 25/1 with Bet365
Seamus Power won two starts ago at the Bermuda Championship, and he followed that up with a 3rd-place finish at the World Wide Technology Championship, where he ranked 1st for Ball Striking on the week. Given the way Russell Henley played that week, that is some feat, and he did it by ranking 5th in both Driving Accuracy and Driving Distance, and leading the field in Greens in Regulation.
Power now returns to an event he finished 4th in last season, in a field weaker than the one he finished 3rd in last time out in Mexico, and outside of Tony Finau there is very little in the way of competition at the top of the board.
Desperate to prove he can step up again, and better his wins at the Barbasol and Bermuda Championships, Power can end the year with another win, this time at the RSM Classic, as he looks to start his 2023 Ryder Cup selection campaign.
Advertisement
The Each-Way Play: Joel Dahmen @ 35/1 with Bet365
I have backed Joel Dahmen three times this season already, and thankfully this will be my last chance to do so in 2022, which is great because if Power doesn’t, Dahmen wins this week.
His rise on the PGA Tour is largely overlooked because his mate, Max Homa, has been so impressive, but a quick look at his best performances according to the OWGR website will prove to you just how talented Dahmen is – spoiler alert… the list includes two top 10s in majors.
Third and 9th in his past two starts, and another week where he struck the ball beautifully (8th in SG: Approach, 6th SG: Tee to Green) Dahmen did nothing last week to change my mind, that a win is certainly on the horizon for him. This is his last shot this year, but if it doesn’t come here, look at events like the Sony Open and the Amex early next year, as it feels like he will double his win tally soon, unless his ball striking deserts him over the winter.
In six starts in this event, Dahmen has never cracked the top 25, but he has shot rounds of 61 and 65 at the Seaside Course, a 64 at the Plantation Course and multiple 66s to boot, suggesting he’s more than capable in competing at this multi-course event, in his current form.
Dahmen and Power stand out a mile to me.
The Long Shot: Justin Rose @ 50/1 with Bet365
This one is a bit of a flyer, just like it has been when I have chanced Jason Day in recent weeks, but Justin Rose is another former World No 1, and major winner, who I think has the chance to return to his best in the coming months, starting here at the RSM Classic.
Rose has spoken of the injury struggles he has faced in 2022, and how that has affected his game both mentally and physically, but after finishing 9th last week in Houston, where he ranked 2nd in Greens in Regulation and 9th in Driving Accuracy, signs suggest he is back to full health.
Last year he came to this event as a surprise entrant and finished 12th, despite some very ordinary form coming into the week, but this time around he is coming in off the back a top-10 finish, where he ranked 2nd best in the field in terms of greens hit, and that is a huge sign.
At his best, he is a level above this event, and would be in a similar position to Tony Finau in the market this week, and while it is all ifs, buts and maybe’s with both him and Jason Day right now, they both have the scope to improve greatly in 2023.
Get Rose at 50-1 in a weak field this week, as he looks to book an invite to Augusta before the year is out and boost his chances of making the 2023 Ryder Cup team.
- Visit Bet 365 for more prices
Golf betting from Oddschecker. Get the best golf odds pre-tournament and in-play, with expert tips and stats, plus claim bookie offers and free bets.
Advertisement
