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Outside of a few goofy ones next month, this is your last chance to bet the PGA for a spell. Hell, the season is even starting a week later than usual with the cancellation of the Sentry.

It’s another crapshoot type of week. Go ahead and bet on the guys you like and don’t shy away from long shots.

Sea Island Golf Club

The main course at the RSM Classic that will host three rounds this week is the Seaside course. It is a par-70, 7,005-yard course that meanders along the coastal marshlands of St. Simons Sound. It ranks as the 10th shortest course on Tour and mitigates any distance advantage that some players have on longer tracks.

It was created as a links-style course surrounded by tidal creeks, man-made dunes, elevation changes, and the Atlantic Ocean. While it does help to use the ground game when winds increase, it does not play anything close to a true-links course. It features the fourth widest fairways and the seventh largest greens on Tour.

Seaside has played a quarter of a shot tougher than the Plantation course, mostly due to its 13 holes with water danger and its location off the coast, which makes it vulnerable to the wind. Players will see the same type of greens on both courses, with Bermuda being the main surface. The course usually plays quite soft this time of year and was overseeded back in October. The fairways on both courses are ryegrass, while Seaside is listed as having overseeded rye for rough this year, perhaps due to the cooler conditions.

Even with only two par-5s on the Seaside Course, they must be capitalized on—they’re among the easiest scoring opportunities available. The layout also features four demanding par-3s between 175 and 225 yards, two of which rank among the toughest holes on the course.

Ultimately, though, success on the 12 par-4s will shape the leaderboard. These include five of the seven hardest holes on the course, all of which play over par. At the same time, seven par-4s measure under 420 yards, contributing to the fact that nearly 67% of approach shots come from inside 175 yards.

Compared to Seaside, Plantation is more of a tree-lined parkland course and is much less exposed to the coastal winds. Players have remarked that it has a definite “Carolina” feel to it and have compared it to Harbour Town. It features 1.5″ Bermuda grass rough and greens that will roll between 11-12 on the stimp meter. Ever since it was renovated by Davis Love III back in 2019, it has drawn rave reviews from players. and requires much more thoughtfulness and creativity than before.

Plantation also boasts wide Paspalum fairways, and at only 7,060 yards, is the sixth shortest course on Tour. While the course does play easier overall compared to Seaside, it has gotten tougher since the renovation. Tidal creeks and lakes are in play on 10 different holes. While it does offer four reachable par-5s, the par-72 layout now features significantly more challenging green complexes, with distinct quadrants and far more pronounced undulation than in years past.

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Betting

No luck last week, but it’s not like Adam Schenk was ever on my radar (leaving the winner off the card after you’ve spent time considering him hurts worse than childbirth, I’m told). A few long shots for the week, I’ll have top 20 prices on them all as well, just to try and cash something heading into the holiday break.

Adrien Dumont de Chassart +9450
Sam Ryder 165/1
Frankie Capan III 200/1
Brendan Valdes 350/1

Members can look at my model for the week on the site (as well as models from Ron, Noonan, and Pat Mayo)

Weather

The winds do determine the scoring here, just like last week, but it won’t be nearly as windy here in Georgia. Fairly calm most of the week with pretty nice temps and no real chances for rain.

News and Notes

News DUMP, via Tweets.

As always, bet responsibly, have fun, and see ya next year!

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