Congratulations to Dustin Johnson 268 (-20) for winning the Masters last week in convincing fashion over Sungjae Im ($11,000 DK $11,600 FD) and Cameron Smith, by five strokes at Augusta National Golf Club and setting a new 72-hole scoring record. Also, a very impressive showing for 63-year-old Bernhard Langer, making the cut, finishing at 285 (-3) T-29th place. This week we have The RSM Classic at Sea Island, Georgia, just a three-and-a-half-hour drive South from Augusta National Golf Club. This will be a full 156 player field, with a 36-hole cut to 65 players plus ties with a strong field due to it following the Masters. Many of the International competitors that were in the Masters field decided to stay around another week to play in the RSM Classic.
This week at (Sea Island Resort Seaside and Plantation Courses ) the golf courses will play to a Par of 70 at 7,005 yards for the Seaside Course and a Par of 72 at 7,060 yards for the Plantation Course. For the first 36 holes players will alternate between courses and after the cut they will compete for the title over the weekend exclusively on the Seaside Course. Both courses will be set up similarly and have common playing surfaces with Bermuda grass fairways and rough measuring only one and a half inches, with TifEagle bermuda grass greens running at 12.5 feet on the stimpmeter. The Seaside Course was redesigned in 1999 by Tom Fazio, Golf Course Architect. The Plantation Course was redesigned in 2019 by Sea Island local resident and PGA Tour legend, Davis Love III and his brother Mark, turned Golf Course Architects. The Seaside Course is more exposed to the wind and is more of a links style golf course, where weather can play more of a factor. The forecast Thursday and Friday is for temperature highs in the mid 60’s, wind reaching up to 16 miles per hour on Thursday with a 40% chance of rain that same afternoon. Before selecting your roster, I would advise you to look at the forecast, as well as course and starting time for Thursday and Friday. If the forecast holds true it would seem to favor the competitor that plays the Seaside Course on Friday with an earlier starting time to avoid the worst of the wind Thursday and Friday afternoons.
Tyler Duncan ($7,000 DK $8,300 FD) is the 2019 defending champion 263 (-19), winning his first event on the PGA Tour, over Webb Simpson ($11,200 DK $12,000 FD) in a two-hole playoff. The (RSM Classic ) has produced playoffs the past four out of six years with the more accurate ball strikers along with great putters prevailing. So, the emphasis on selecting your roster from my perspective is based on the most relevant stats of past victors on these courses, which are strokes gained from tee to green, on approach, and on the green. In addition to the stats, I personally evaluate and view players weekly that are covered on television, also considering recent form, tournament history, as well as current momentum and confidence a player exudes especially in the aspects of their game that are most important to win or to have a high finish this week.
DFSExperts will provide two free value picks in the B and C categories that will be competitive to make the cut and quite possibly to be a contender for the win. Then exclusively for DFSExpertsmembers, I will make additional predictions and recommendations to build a roster of six with supporting statistical and trending analysis from each of the A, B, and C, categories. Last week at the Masters, I once again provided valuable insights with both free and member picks with Cameron Smith 273 (-15) 2nd place, being my free B-List pick star, followed by Abraham Ancer 280 (-8) T-13th, Sebastian Munoz 282 (-6) T-19th, Cameron Champ 282 (-6) T-19th, Si Woo Kim 286 (-2) T-34th, and Charles Howell III 289 (+1) T-46th, all making the cut, a second place finish and three top 20 finishes. Not to mention, I faded on #1 ranked salary player Bryson DeChambeauand #10 ranked salary player Tyrrell Hatton, to allow stacking a lineup with two to three players out of the top 12 that had the best chance of winning in Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Webb Simpson, and Patrick Cantlay. Out of those recommendations came the winner, top 5, top 10 and 20 finishes for each.
This week’s free choices in the B-List are Aaron Wise ($7,400 DK $9,200 FD) who has been trending up in all strokes gained categories in his last five events, has been in recent good form evidenced by his 11th place finish at the Vivent Houston Open and finished 13th here at The RSM Classic at Sea Island in 2017. The other B-List value is Will Gordon ($7,000 DK $8,200 FD) who has been trending up in all ball striking categories, has had two good finishes in recent weeks and finished in 10th place here at The RSM Classic at Sea Island last year. My two free C-List selections are Davis Thompson ($6,300 DK $7,000 FD) the amateur that had a great first round at Winged Foot during the U.S. Open and he finished T-23 here last year along with gaining strokes in all categories other than putting in his three appearances in professional golf events. I would imagine he has been focusing more attention on his short game and putting, I look for him to make some noise this week. My other C-List free pick is J.J. Spaun ($6,300 DK $8,100 FD) who has been gaining strokes in all ball striking stats in his last five events and finished 2nd here in 2017. Both competitors are good values at this price, especially if you are looking to stack a few of the top third in the salary rankings and need one or two players to fill out your roster that are capable of making the cut, and quite possibly, finishing in the top 20. Both have been in recent good form and have positive results at The RSM Classic.
Thereare severalquality picks that are very undervalued throughout the field, but especially in the B-List groupings. This is primarily an A and B-List field this week. When I have laid off on the top salary competitor they have not won and in some weeks actually missed the cut, including Bryson DeChambeau. I have picked the winner in five of the last twelve weeks and many of my B-List and C-List picks are finishing in the top 5 to 10, including a win for Stewart Cink at the Safeway event, Cameron Smith finishing 2nd place at the Masters, and at least one competitor from these categories finishing in the top 5 every week. Beyond the obvious, pay attention to my free picks, combined with the more in-depth analysis exclusively for DFSExperts members and you could be cashing a three to six figure ticket. Join me on the members side and be enlightened.
A-List DFS Picks for The RSM Classic: 2020
I consider the A-List category this week to be all players on the salary roster to be at or above $7,600 DK $9,400 FD. DFSExperts will add to the obvious statistical analysis, with deeper research and the eyeball test. These details and trends from the entire field are only possible to come from someone that is intimately familiar with competitive golf, that is willing to go beyond the numbers and reaches the depth and breadth of the competitor and person to be out in front of positive results.
Heading the A-List players this week in the DraftKings and FanDuel salary rankings at The RSM Classic are Webb Simpson ($11,200 DK $12,000 FD), Sungjae Im ($11,000 DK $11,600 FD), Tommy Fleetwood ($10,700 DK $11,700 FD), and Tyrrell Hatton ($10,400 DK $11,800 FD). All of these competitors are consistently strong throughout the ball striking stats relative to strokes gained, with a good putting week I believe all four have a good chance to win and will finish in the top 10, with Webb Simpson being my favorite to win here this week. I will lay off of Dylan Frittelli($8,800 DK $9,900 FD) this week at this price to be able to roster another one to two more A-List players or two to three B-List competitors. I believe his length will be somewhat neutralized off of the tee this week due to the dog legs and landing areas that don’t allow him to hit driver off of the tee. When he loses strokes it is on approach, and on and around the greens, which may not bode well this week. He likely will make the cut, but I do not see him finishing in the top 10-20. Farther down the A-List, I believe Louis Oosthuizen ($9,300 DK $11,200 FD), Sebastian Munoz ($9,000 DK $10,700 FD), and Denny McCarthy ($7,700 DK $9,800 FD) are good values based on their recent form and favorable strokes gained strengths. Even though Oosthuizen has not played here, although he has been consistently gaining strokes in all statistical categories and finishing in the top 10. At the 2019 RSM Classic Munoz finished 3rd and McCarthy T-8th place.
B-List DFS Picks for The RSM Classic: 2020
My B-List grouping ranges in salary from $6,400 to $7,500 in DK and $7,100 to $9,300 in FD. Aaron Wise ($7,400 DK $9,200 FD), J.T. Poston ($7,300 DK $8,800 FD), Stewart Cink ($7,3000 DK $8,900 FD), Peter Malnati ($7,100 DK $8,100 FD) Will Gordon ($7,000 DK $8,200 FD), Matthew NeSmith ($7,000 DK $8,900 FD), Tyler Duncan ($7,000 DK $8,300 FD), and Chris Kirk ($6,800 DK $7,700 FD) all have consistent strokes gained tee to green, on approach, with putting, have been in recent good form, and have experience and positive results at The RSM Classic. With a hot putter, all have the potential to have a top 10 to 20 finish. I think there are many good three or four through six roster selections in this B-List grouping. Two fades I see in the B-List category are Cameron Davis ($7,200 DK $8,700 FD), and Martin Laird ($6,800 DK $8,600 FD), who both have stats that are not as a good a fit at this venue and do not have much experience and/or success at this venue. Both have not been making cuts or in good recent form. Although both of these competitors have had some success of late, I do not think this will be the week they have a top 20 finish which you need to land a GPP win.
C-List DFS Picks for The RSM Classic: 2020
There are several good values and dark horses that can have some success this week in the C-List category, ranging in salary from $6,000 to $6,400 in DK and $7,000 to $7,100 in FD. Four excellent choices in the C-List category are Davis Thompson ($6,300 DK $7,000 FD), Vaughn Taylor ($6,300 DK $7,000 FD), J.J. Spaun ($6,300 DK $8,100 FD) and Nick Watney ($6,300 DK $7,000 FD) who all have had measured success at courses for horses, are in reasonably good form, and all have had positive results at The RSM Classic. No-go’s in the C-List category this week are all players at $6,000 in DK and at $7,000 in FD with just a few exceptions to make the cut, but none are worthy of a GPP roster player.
While these are a few teasers for this week, more in depth analysis and justification for my recommended lineup plays, or don’t play this week, are exclusively available for members of DFSExperts.com. Send us any fodder for the “Wall of Fame” including screenshots. We will put them up on social and proclaim you the DFS champion of the world. Good luck, and Golf On!
