RSM Classic: Steve Palmer's preview, best bets, free golf tips, course guide

Golf tips, best bets and player analysis for the RSM Classic at the Seaside Course and Plantation Course, Georgia, on the PGA Tour.

Where to watch

Live on Sky Sports Golf from 2.15pm Thursday

Best bets

Webb Simpson
4pts each-way 10-1 Betfair
Russell Henley
2pts each-way 50-1 Sky Bet
Brian Gay
1pt each-way 50-1 Betfair, Power

Charles Howell ended a victory drought of more than 11 years when beating Patrick Rodgers in a playoff for the RSM Classic title 12 months ago and the popular Georgia man will fancy his chances of a repeat success this week.

Weekend rounds of 67 and 66 rocketed Howell up to 20th place in the Mayakoba Classic in an ideal warm-up and 22-1 is a tempting RSM price about a man on the fringes of the world's top 50.

Howell and Matt Kuchar, who fired a hole-in-one during a closing 62 in the Mayakoba, must be shortlisted for RSM glory, but a trio of other Americans are preferred for the Seaside Course shootout.

Steve Palmer's top tip

Webb Simpson 10-1

World No. 12 Webb Simpson is by far the highest ranked player in the field and the increasingly assured Carolinian can be fancied to assert his superiority on Sea Island.

Simpson will relish the two courses being used – short, fiddly layouts which put a premium on scrambling – and it would be a shock were he not to be on the leaderboard on Sunday.

Simpson has only one weakness – a lack of length – but it is not a significant handicap in the RSM Classic. And the changes made to the Plantation Course since the last edition, including the addition of 'chocolate-drop' mounds to make scrambling more difficult, just make the tournament even more inviting for the favourite.

RSM Classic form figures of 12-2-7-41-36-WD-3 show how close Simpson has come to winning this event in the past – and the withdrawal came when he was lying 12th at the halfway stage in 2017 before racing to his beloved father's deathbed.

In terms of current form, Simpson is not found wanting either and three runner-up finishes from June onwards – beaten by Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka in the first two – indicate that he is desperate to get back to winning ways. His runaway Players Championship triumph in May last year is becoming a distant memory and it is time for Simpson to turn consistency into further silverware.

One outing this season yielded seventh place in the Shriners Open, including a third round 64, and with a Presidents Cup on the horizon Simpson is sure to have kept his game in decent order since then. With so little to beat in Georgia this week, wondrous Webb should be trusted to take his chance.

Next best bet

Russell Henley 50-1

The often baffling rulebook of golf reared its ugly head again last week when Russell Henley went from contending for the Mayakoba Classic to missing the cut by two shots. Henley discovered a slightly different type of golf ball in his bag after his round and told Tour officials that there was a chance that he had used it in round two, potentially contravening the Tour's one-ball rule, which means players can only use one specific brand and model during a round.

An eight-shot post-round penalty turned a 69 into a 77 and Henley was headed home. Still, he could take confidence from his performance and is threatening to find form with the putter again, helped by a tip from Brandt Snedeker at the Sanderson Farms Championship.

Henley, runner-up in the John Deere Classic in July and a three-time PGA Tour champ, was born in Georgia, went to college there and won his first Web.com Tour event there, and he can boast three top-tens from his last four RSM starts.

Other selection

Brian Gay 50-1

The shortening of the Plantation Course will have been sweet news to Brian Gay, who has always been accurate and a fantastic putter, but lacks punch off the tee. Gay, fourth in the 2013 RSM and third in 2017, will relish this assignment.

Gay is a four-time PGA Tour champion who has been galvanised by various surgeries on his spine and at 47 he could have one last hurrah left in him. Seventh place in the Shriners last month has been followed by third in the Bermuda Championship and 14th in the Mayakoba when he closed with a 65.

Players to note

Dylan Frittelli
The South African, John Deere Classic champion in July, continues to impress on the PGA Tour and finished 11th in Mexico on Sunday. RSM Classic debut though.

Brian Harman
The local resident, fourth in 2017, looks forward to this event and possesses the short-game skills to thrive at the two tracks.

Kevin Kisner
The Carolinian, who went to college in Georgia, won this event in 2015 and is ultra comfortable with the dimensions of the Seaside Course.

Maverick McNealy
The former world number one amateur appears to have settled on the PGA Tour and could be dangerous in the next few months.

Robby Shelton
The rising star finished sixth in the Mayakoba on Monday and looks set for a big future on the PGA Tour.

Brendon Todd
The resurgent 34-year-old, chasing three PGA Tour victories on the spin, went to college in Georgia and will be comfortable this week at a course which suits.

RSM Classic course guide

Courses Seaside Course and Plantation Course, Sea Island Resort, Sea Island, Georgia
Prize money $6.6m ($1.152m to the winner)
Length Seaside 7,005 yards Plantation 7,060 yards
Par Seaside 70 Plantation 72
Field 156
Course records- 72 holes 260 Kevin Kisner (2015) 18 holes 60 Tommy Gainey (2012)

Course winners taking part Ben Crane, Chris Kirk, Robert Streb, Kevin Kisner, Mackenzie Hughes, Austin Cook, Charles Howell

When to bet By 2.15pm Thursday

When to watch Live on Sky Sports Golf from 2.15pm Thursday

Time difference Georgia is five hours behind the UK and Ireland

Last week - Mayakoba Classic 1 B Todd (110-1), 2 C Ortiz (66-1), A Long (150-1), V Taylor (125-1), 5 H English (40-1), T6 J Dahmen (125-1), R Shelton (300-1), T8 A Ancer (30-1), B Horschel (22-1), P Perez (60-1)

Course overview The RSM Classic was formerly the McGladrey Classic. The Seaside Course, crafted by Tom Fazio and used as regular practice turf by local residents like Matt Kuchar, Zach Johnson, Harris English, Keith Mitchell, J.T. Poston, Davis Love, Patton Kizzire and Brian Harman, became a US Tour venue for the first time in 2010. The strength of the sea breezes obviously impacts greatly on the scoring at this exposed layout, while heavily undulating fairways and fast greens add to the test. At least 14 under par has been needed to top the 72-hole leaderboard in this event. This is a fiddly layout where 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, usually averaging well over par, 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 Harbour Town Links in South Carolina, are flanked by enormous bunkers, waste areas and marshland. In 2015, for the first time, the field played one of the first two rounds at the nearby Plantation Course, an old parkland track upgraded by Rees Jones in 1998, then again by Davis Love and his brother Mark in the lead-up to this week. Large creeks and lakes are a feature of the Plantation Course, along with dense sets of oak and cedar trees. The final two rounds are on the Seaside Course

Story of last year Charles Howell ended a victory drought of more than 11 years, beating Patrick Rodgers in a playoff after both men tied at 19 under par

Weather forecast Sunny and pleasant, with light breezes

Type of player suited to the challenge Sea Island is a popular resort for professional golfers to live and those with local knowledge will be favoured. The Seaside Course lends itself to precision players and those with a tidy short-game. It is not a links which can be overpowered. The Plantation Course is a parkland layout, creating an all-round test for the first 36 holes

Key attribute Accuracy

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