This article is part of our Weekly PGA Preview series.
The RSM Classic
Sea Island Resort Seaside Course and Plantation Course
St. Simons Island, GA
The PGA Tour heads to Georgia for the another edition of The RSM Classic.
This is it, the final event of the 2024 season. As we've talked about quite a bit over the past couple months, the fall portion of the season is quite different from the "regular" season in that we don't get many big names appearing on a weekly basis, but if you thought there was a staggering difference before, wait until the new setup takes place in 2026. I won't get into the details here, but as has been the trend over the past couple years, the PGA Tour is trying to focus on the top players, leaving everyone else behind and this new plan focuses even further on the top players. I like watching the top players as much as the next person and I'm not overly fond of the fall portion of the season, but there's something to be said for larger fields and giving an opportunity to those that haven't yet had the chance to compete against the best. I'm not sure exactly how this will all play out, but I hope we don't just get the top-handful of players going at it every week. There's a reason that the LIV Golf Tour has not caught on with golf fans, well, actually there are several reasons, but lack of variety is certainly in play there. The PGA Tour seems to be trying to fix a problem here that isn't actually a problem, at least in the minds of the fans, but as we all know, the PGA Tour has been looking out of the players the past couple years and not the fans.
All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook as of 1:00 PM ET Wednesday.
FAVORITES
Ludvig Aberg (9-1)
We haven't seen much of this in the past couple months -- a true favorite and a big name. Aberg is back to defend his title from this past year and good thing he won last year because if not, he probably wouldn't be here this week. It's tough to gauge where Aberg is at right now because he hasn't played since late August. Complicating things further, the reason he hasn't played is because he had surgery on his knee! Aberg is the best golfer in the field, and he's certainly familiar with this course, but the odds are stacked against a repeat.
Davis Thompson (20-1)
Thompson had a solid rookie season in 2023, but he's really turned it up a notch in 2024. Thompson is not a big name yet, but if he can build off of this season where he finished inside the top-30, then we are all going to become more familiar with him. As for this week, his track record here is not good, but you have to remember that the first few times he played here, he was in his early-20s, and he wasn't a full-time member on the PGA Tour. His form looks to be good, as he's coming off a T5 in his most recent start.
Denny McCarthy (25-1)
McCarthy was a bit of a letdown this season after posting a career high earnings number in 2023. With that said, he still posted solid numbers this season, but he failed to ascend up the charts. He can close out 2024 in style with a win at Sea Island, and he's got the track record here to make a run. McCarthy has three top-10s here in seven starts, including a T5 here this past year.
THE NEXT TIER
Mackenzie Hughes (35-1)
Hughes posted career best numbers in 2023, where he also picked up win number two on the PGA Tour, but his game fell off just a little in 2024. He can still reach $3 million in earnings this year with a decent finish, but something tells me he's got his eyes on a bigger prize. Hughes has played well in spots this fall, including a T8 at the Sanderson Farms and a T4 the Procore Championship. He finished runner-up here last year and would have won if not for an incredible final round from Aberg.
J.J. Spaun (35-1)
Spaun toiled on the PGA Tour for many years before finding his best game during the 2022 and 2023 seasons. He fell back to Earth a bit in 2024, but he still managed to stay within the top-100 at season's end. He's played a lot this fall and while he doesn't have many high-end finishes, he has made the cut in all but one start. His track record here is much like his results this fall, good, but not great. If everything clicks this week though, he could make a run.
Eric Cole (40-1)
Cole fell back a bit from his very impressive rookie season in 2023, but he still managed to put up some good numbers. He's been off and on this fall season, but he did post a top-10 in his most recent start at the ZOZO Championship. He's only played this event twice, but he's made the cut both times and he finished T3 in 2023.
LONG SHOTS
Justin Lower (45-1)
Odds can be strange sometimes. Lower was 25-1 this past week in Bermuda, played well on his way to a T5 and yet his odds are higher this week? I guess throwing in Aberg at the top has a trickledown effect on the rest of the field, but whatever the case, there is plenty of value here. Prior to his T5 this past week, Lower finished runner-up in Mexico.
Nico Echavarria (75-1)
If Lower's odds are strange, Echavarria's are downright bizarre. Echavarria was 33-1 this past week and while he didn't finish in the top-10, he did play well enough to land in the top-30, not great, but not terrible either. Echavarria has already won this fall, so his confidence is high and while his track record here isn't great, I think it's safe to say he's a better golfer now than in previous years.
ONE-AND-DONE LEAGUES
Highly-Chosen Pick: Davis Thompson - If your league runs through the fall season, I can't imagine anyone has Aberg available, so he's not going to be a popular pick this week. Thompson came out of nowhere this season, so there's a chance that many OAD players still have him at the ready. If that's the case, then this is the place to use him.
Moderately-Chosen Pick: Mackenzie Hughes - There aren't exactly a lot of players in the field that are familiar with winning on the PGA Tour, but Hughes certainly is as he's won twice in his career. Hughes had a great shot to win this even last year and perhaps he'll be ultra focused this time around after letting Aberg lap him.
Lightly-Chosen Pick: Nico Echavarria - I'll just leave Echavarria in this spot again. Echavarria had trouble handling his first career win in 2023, but he's done a much better job his second time around. He didn't contend in Bermuda, but he finished strong, which leads me to believe that he's still very close to the top of his game.
Buyer Beware: Ludvig Aberg - As is often the case in the fall, the biggest names get this honor, and this week is no exception. It's not just because Aberg is a big name though, there's good reason to be cautious about him this week. As mentioned above, not only has he not played in a while, but he's also recovering from knee surgery, so I would be shocked if he were the Aberg we are used to seeing already.
FANDUEL PICKS
Upper Range: Davis Thompson ($11,600)
Middle Range: Justin Lower ($9,800)
Lower Range: Nico Echavarria ($8,900)
