This article is part of our Yahoo PGA DFS Picks series.
The RSM Classic
St. Simons Island, Georgia
Sea Island Golf Club (Seaside Course) - Par 70 - 7,005 yards
Sea Island Golf Club (Plantation Course) - Par 72 - 7,060 yards
Field - 156 entrants
Purse - $8.1M
The Preview
The "GOLF" icon in Yahoo's DFS lobby is emboldened one final time in 2022 as the RSM Classic serves as your final chance to grind out a cut sweat until after the turn of the calendar year. Sea Island Golf Club's Seaside Course once again plays host to the event, with the Plantation Course rotating in once for everybody throughout the first two rounds to ensure these 156 entrants don't run out of daylight. The Seaside layout rewards an accurate tee ball and precise short irons or full wedges into large, but tiered bermuda greens, while nine par-4s measure less than 430 yards. Such short approach distances should allow the contenders to flirt with the 20-under-par mark by Sunday afternoon, and the weather forecast on St. Simons Island appears fairly tame despite some chilly temps.
Recent Champions
2021 - Talor Gooch
2020 - Robert Streb
2019 - Tyler Duncan
2018 - Charles Howell III
2017 - Austin Cook
2016 - Mackenzie Hughes
2015 - Kevin Kisner
2014 - Robert Streb
2013 - Chris Kirk
2012 - Tommy Gainey
Key Stats to Victory
SG: Approach
Par-4: 400-450 efficiency
Proximity: 100-175 yards
SG: Putting (bermuda)
Yahoo Value Picks
Based on $200 salary cap
Cream of the Crop
Seamus Power - $41
The early leader in the FedExCup standings followed his win in Bermuda with a third-place effort at the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba, where he not only hit 42 of 56 fairways in regulation, but also set the pace in GIR percentage on the way to 18 total birdies and a pair of eagles. Power tied for fourth here on St. Simons Island last year despite underwhelming performances off the tee and with the flat stick.
Tom Hoge - $39
Hoge burned a lot of gamers with a missed cut at Mayakoba in his most recent outing, and a $4 salary increase could also help limit his rostership this time around. Over his last 24 measured rounds, however, he's still No. 1 in several key metrics at Sea Island, including SG: Approach, P4: 400-450 efficiency and Opportunities Gained. Additionally, Hoge owns two top-10s at the RSM Classic since 2015, and he made just three bogeys all week here last year.
Keith Mitchell - $38
The former Georgia Bulldog and current Sea Island resident has translated his home-field advantage into finishes of T12-T44-T14 across the past three editions of The RSM Classic, notably gaining strokes both off the tee and with his irons in each instance. He's coming off a top-10 result at the Cadence Bank Houston Open where he gained 5.7 strokes on his approach shots, which is the most for Mitchell since his 2019 win at the Honda Classic. Examining his past 24 measured rounds, Mitchell comes in at sixth in driving accuracy and 10th in proximity from 100 to 125 yards.
Glue Guys
Mackenzie Hughes - $35
Hughes collected his fourth consecutive top-25 finish last week in Houston, leading the entire field in SG: Putting while scrambling at an impressive clip of 77.78 percent at Memorial Park. The 2016 RSM Classic champion earned runner-up honors here in Georgia last year with a final-round 62, finishing the event ranked T3 in putting average while also gaining a career-best 6.3 strokes on his approaches.
J.J. Spaun - $32
Placing top-25 in three of five starts to begin the 2022-23 campaign, Spaun is third in par-4 efficiency over his last 24 measured rounds and second in Prox: 125-150 yards across his past 12. Making the cut in five of six career attempts at Sea Island, Spaun's RSM Classic resume includes a second-place finish in 2017 when he hit 59 greens in regulation and paced the field in par-5 scoring.
Russell Knox - $29
Knox has yet to post anything better than a T24 finish through seven starts this season, but he's still humming along with six credited made cuts and he sets up exceptionally well for the Sea Island Golf Club. Over his last 12 measured rounds, Knox is second to none in both Prox: 100-125 and Prox: 125-150, but he's also third in driving accuracy and ninth in P4: 400-450 efficiency during this span. Knox just finished 11th in SG: Approach at the Houston Open, and he's gained strokes with his irons in six straight trips to the RSM Classic.
Bargain Bin
Patrick Rodgers - $28
Given his current 33/1 odds to win this tournament outright at a handful of sportsbooks, $28 will feel like an absolute steal for Rodgers, whose Yahoo salary is quite deflated compared to several other DFS sites. He's finished no worse than 28th in five starts dating back to the Shriners Children's Open, ascending to 20th in the FedExCup standings. Over his past 24 measured rounds, Rodgers is fourth in SG: Tee-to-Green, fifth in Birdie or Better percentage and sixth in par-3 efficiency. On top of his recent form, Rodgers finished runner-up at the 2018 RSM Classic just two years after his first top-10 at the venue in 2016.
Aaron Rai - $27
Rai recorded four scores of 68 or better en route to a T16 result in his Sea Island Golf Club debut last year, and he's now first in driving accuracy over his past 24 rounds. He's coming off a T7 at the Houston Open where he led the field in both SG: Around-the-Green and putts per GIR, tallying 17 total par-breakers on a much tougher track.
Ryan Armour - $20
Armour sits directly one spot behind Rai in driving accuracy over their last 24 rounds, but the former also ranks eighth in proximity from 150-175 yards and 23rd in SG: Putting within this sample. Armour just posted back-to-back top-30s in Mexico and Houston, rebounding from three missed cuts in his first four starts of the season. Last week at Memorial Park, Armour averaged four par-breakers per round despite his extremely short length off the tee, which shouldn't hurt him at Sea Island.
