Having run the rule over the field for the RSM Classic, looked at what is likely to be required at Sea Island Resort, and identified a juicy bet in the outright market, it’s time to take a look at some of the alternative betting markets. Which players rate as attractive options in the top 10/top 20 markets?
Who has course form in the book?
Before we delve into a few alternative sportsbook bets and get into why certain players appeal, let’s get an overview of those who have done well at this venue in the past.
First off, there are seven previous winners in this field, including last year’s surprise victor Robert Streb, who won at astronomical odds of +35000. There will undoubtedly have been a few shrewdies who took advantage of such a price given that Streb was a previous winner here, claiming the title for the first time back in 2014. Other winners of this event include Kevin Kisner, who was identified as an outright play in the previous post, Austin Cook, Charles Howell III, Tyler Duncan, Mackenzie Hughes, and Ben Crane.
In addition to a handful of previous winners, the field is stacked with players who’ve finished in very respectable positions on a handful of occasions. For example, Webb Simpson, who arrives here rated very hotly in the betting, has three top-three finishes to his name in this event, while Georgia native Russell Henley has finished inside the top ten on three occasions, posting a best of fourth back in 2014. Former winner Kisner is hard to beat in terms of rock-solid form, posting four top-ten-finishes in addition to his victory, while Charles Howell III often thrives at Sea Island, finishing inside the top ten three times before finally winning back in 2018.
In total, there are 13 golfers in the line-up this week that have finished inside the top ten at the RSM Classic on at least two occasions, so there’s no shortage of horses for courses it seems.
To Finish Top 10
Corey Conners – 2 Units @ +300
In the top 10 markets, there are several eye-catchers, but none more so than Corey Conners, who at number 36 in the world is one of the highest-ranked golfers in the field this week.
Without setting the world alight, the Canadian has made a decent start this time around, making the cut in each of the events he’s played, warming up nicely with a recent T17. There’s also plenty to suggest that this is a venue where the man who racked up eight top-ten finishes last season can really get going. He finished 23rd here back in 2018, before building on those foundations with a T10 finish here last season. Moreover, the rates highly in several critical strokes gained categories, ranking as the third-best player in the field (at this course in the last five seasons) for strokes gained: tee-to-green, as well as fifth for strokes gained: approach.
We know that hitting greens will be important this week, so the fact that Conners currently ranks eighth for greens in regulation on the PGA Tour is positive, as is the fact that right now, he’s the second-best on tour for strokes gained: tee-to-green.
To Finish Top 20
Lucas Glover – 1 Unit @ +500
Lucas Glover is another player for whom Sea Island is something of a natural fit. He’s accurate off the tee, which lends itself to links-style golf, while this season, he’s been hitting no shortage of greens in regulation, which again, is what’s required here.
The American has made the cut in each of his last appearances at the RSM Classic, posting two top-20s and a top-ten. As the number ten player in this field for strokes gained: tee-to-green at this venue in the last five seasons, the four-time PGA Tour winner, who has quietly made the weekend in three out of three this term, rates as a much better top-20 pick than several who are shorter in the betting, that’s for sure.
Mathew NeSmith – 1 unit @ +600
2019 was the first time that Mathew NeSmith played the RSM Classic, and he delivered a pleasing debut performance, finishing in a very respectable 14th place, while he followed up with another solid effort last year, finishing T15. On each of those occasions, the man with an upwardly mobile profile on the PGA Tour showed a likeness for the test, as he plotted his way around, gaining plenty of strokes where others weren’t, so much so that he ranks as the third-best player in this field for strokes gained: total on this track in the last five seasons. Such a stat is impossible to ignore, especially when he can be taken at +600 to achieve something that he has in each of the last two seasons.
UK based freelance sports betting writer. Specializing in golf and soccer, Bradley has written for numerous websites and publications both in the UK and abroad, covering a range of sports betting topics from match/event previews to betting guides.
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