RSM Classic: Ian Wilkerson's free golf betting tips, predictions & TV

Golf tips, best bets and player analysis for the RSM Classic at Sea Island Resort on the PGA Tour.

Where to watch

Live on Sky Sports Golf, 6pm Thursday

Best bets

Webb Simpson
2.5pts each-way 10-1 Betfair, Hills, Paddy Power
Mackenzie Hughes
1.5pts each-way 55-1 Betfair, Paddy Power
Russell Henley
1pt each-way 28-1 Hills
Sebastian Munoz
1pt each-way 35-1 Betfred

After the unusual spectacle of a Masters played in November, the PGA Tour's disrupted 2020 schedule is in the home straight with just two tournaments remaining.

The action stays in Georgia but moves to the coast for the RSM Classic, where being a muscle-packed powerhouse may be of less benefit than the ability to find fairways and exhibit tidiness on the putting surface.

Wilkerson's top tip

Webb Simpson 10-1

Webb Simpson continues to be in inspired form and it is no surprise to see the former US Open champion at the head of the betting for this week's event.

Simpson posted a top-ten finish at the Masters for the second successive year which, in this era when power off the tee is considered king, is not bad for a player who is ranked 176th on the PGA Tour for driving distance.

He is simply a consistent performer. Just once in his last nine tournaments has Simpson failed to finish in the top 20 and it is notable that his post-restart success came down the road from this week's test at the RBC Heritage.

The tight Harbor Links course has some similarities with this week's venue where Simpson has gone close to victory several times.

There is unfinished business for the 35-year-old as he fell to a playoff defeat to Tyler Duncan last year, was third in 2018 when he finished a shot behind winner Charles Howell, and also suffered extra-hole heartache when he was pipped by Ben Crane when the tournament was known as the McGladrey Classic in 2011.

He may look a short price with some bookmakers offering single-figure quotes but on this occasion that market confidence could well prove justified.

Next best bet

Mackenzie Hughes 55-1

One player who has tasted success at Sea Island is Canadian Mackenzie Hughes, who triumphed in 2016 when he won a three-way playoff with Sweden's Henrik Norlander and Colombia's Camillo Villegas.

Hughes had a difficult start to the year, which left him hovering around 300 in the world rankings, but there has been a significant improvement since the break and he has forced his way into the top 50.

Hughes missed the cut at the first tournament back – the Charles Schwab Challenge – but the only missed weekend he has had in his last 14 efforts was at the US Open.

Six of those have yielded top-ten finishes, including last time out at the Houston Open where he concluded his tournament with a blistering 63.

That was a good recovery after disappointing shows at the CJ Cup and the Zozo Championship and it demonstrated that he is plainly still hungry for 2020 success.

His last three Sea Island efforts have been ugly – two missed cuts and a 65th – but his previous success and fine recent form means he is worth backing at the prices.

Other selections

Russell Henley 28-1

Sebastian Munoz 35-1

Russell Henley is another player who has rediscovered some decent form and, while he has missed the weekend on his last two RSM visits, he had finished fourth, sixth and tenth between 2015 and 2017.

Four top-ten finishes in his last seven efforts is solid form and explains why he has risen from 222nd to 58th in the world rankings.

The fact he is ranked ninth in total-shots gained, beating the field by an average of two shots per round, should be grounds for confidence, as should being tenth in greens in regulation, a key skill for Sea Island success.

He was regularly among the tour's best putters five or six years ago after he rose to prominence by winning the 2013 Sony Open in Hawaii at another tight track, so there is still scope for improvement for the graduate of the University of Georgia.

Colombian Sebastian Munoz can be proud of finishing 19th at the Masters and it could have been even better had it not been for a closing 75.

He had gone to Augusta having finished ninth at the CJ Cup and 14th at the Zozo Championship, so his game is plainly in good nick and he has not missed a cut in his last ten efforts.

After two previous weekends off at Sea Island, he finished a shot behind Duncan and Simpson last year so good memories of that performance could spur him on to big things this week.

Players to note

Sungjae Im
The Korean was second on his Masters debut and has played here once before, finishing 37th two years ago. So fearless that he can undoubtedly make a bold bid.

Kevin Kisner
This track should be right up straight-hitting Kisner's street. Won by six shots in 2015 and has had two top-tens since but went a bit off the boil recently, missing the cut at Augusta.

Louis Oosthuizen
His Masters effort drifted away after an encouraging start but the quality of ball striking always makes the South African a factor. He was fourth on his only previous visit in 2011.

Sea Island course guide

Course Seaside Course and Plantation Course, Sea Island Resort, Sea Island, Georgia
Prize money $6.6m ($1.188m to winner)
Length Seaside Course 7,005 yards, Plantation course 7,060 yards
Par Seaside 70, Plantation 72
Field 152
Course records – 72 holes 260 Kevin Kisner (2015); 18 holes 60 Tommy Gainey (2012)

Course winners taking part Chris Kirk, Robert Streb, Kevin Kisner, Mackenzie Hughes, Austin Cook, Charles Howell, Tyler Duncan.

When to bet By 2.30pm Thursday

When to watch Live on Sky Sports Golf from 6pm Thursday

Time difference Georgia is five hours behind the UK & Ireland

Last week – The Masters 1 D Johnson 9-1 T2 C Smith 80-1, S Im 80-1 4 J Thomas 12-1 T5 R McIlroy 14-1, D Frittelli 250-1.

Course overview The Seaside Course, where three of the four rounds are played, is a rare US man-made links set-up and local residents such as Matt Kuchar, Zach Johnson, Harris English, Keith Mitchell, JT Poston, Davis Love, Patton Kizzire and Brian Harman regularly use it for practice.

The strength of the sea breezes impacts greatly on the scoring at this exposed layout, while heavily undulating fairways and fast greens add to the test.

Precision irons and sound course management, along with solid scrambling around tricky greens, are the keys to success. The 429-yard par-four fourth is one of the toughest assignments while the two par-fives (the seventh and 15th) are the easiest pick-up holes. The 368-yard par-four eighth is another part of the course where players will be expecting to make birdie.

The fairways on this links, which is similar to the more famous Harbor Town Links in South Carolina, are flanked by enormous bunkers, waste areas and marshland.

The Plantation Course is being used for the other round, as it has been every year since 2015.

This is more of a parkland arrangement and has been boosted to 7,060 yards from the 6,671 it played last year, having been renovated by Love. Large creeks and lakes are a feature of this track.

Story of last year Tyler Duncan sank a 25-foot birdie on the last to force a playoff with Webb Simpson, which he won with another birdie on the second extra hole.

Weather forecast There is a decent chance of rain on Thursday afternoon but the remainder of the tournament should be dry. Winds are unlikely to get above 15mph.

Type of player suited to the challenge Local knowledge could go a long way but accurate types with tidy short games should be the one who cope best. Putting ability on the Bermuda greens has proved the difference in the past.

Key attribute Accuracy

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