2021 RSM Classic: Betting Odds, Favorites and Sleeper Picks for Sea Island Resort
What is more improbable? Jason Kokrak winning this past week at the Houston Open or the fact that he is now only trailing Patrick Cantlay for most wins on Tour over the past year?
Before you choose the latter, please note he was struggling during practice rounds so much last week, he considered withdrawing and almost needed his swing coach to make an emergency trip to Texas. Furthermore, his 41 on Friday matched the highest nine-hole tally by a champion on Tour in the last quarter century. His best play came when he least expected it and that is probably the most telling sign that Kokrak will be visiting the winner’s circle more than he knows.
The picks were all over the board with Carlos Ortiz withdrawing due to shoulder issues, Keith Mitchell stumbling on the weekend and Matthew Wolff securing a T-11.
For the last official PGA Tour sanctioned event of the fall season, we find ourselves in beautiful St. Simons Island, Ga. The theme here has generally been journeymen finding glory and having to go as low as the low country the Sea Island Resort stands on to win. The layout will favor those who thrive on tight, tree-lined fairways, shorter holes and Bermuda grass greens. Being a Southeast local will not hurt either.
According to SI Sportsbook, the favorite is Scottie Scheffler to finally break through for his first PGA Tour win after a runner-up performance last week at 12-1. To follow is Southeast specialist Webb Simpson at 13-1. Next up is Cameron Smith at 16-1 after two solid performances at The CJ Cup and Houston Open last week. To close out the notables are the trio of Canadian Corey Conners, South African Louis Oosthuizen and American Harris English at 25-1.
For our favorite, we’re taking the often “under-the-radar” Cameron Smith at 16-1. Not sure why he’s once again being overlooked by the trendy picks this week (might still be his haircut), but here we are. Many are looking to short-track specialists, but we’ll go with the sure-fire iron player in a modest field. In his two starts on Tour this fall, Smith finished T-9 at The CJ Cup and T-15 just last week in Houston. He ranks in the top-20 in strokes gained (putting and approach). If he can find fairways, he should find another win on Tour as well.
For a value midrange pick, Max Homa is severely underpriced at 60-1. Homa is a three-time winner on the PGA Tour and each win has come in the last two and a half years, including just recently at the Fortinet Championship. Granted, he had a winner’s hangover at The CJ Cup, but still made the cut. In Houston last week, he gained almost six strokes on the field via his ball striking to revive his game and something he’ll need to be successful this week. You will not get the fifth-ranked player in the FedEx Cup standings at this price for the rest of the season.
For a deep sleeper, Adam Hadwin looks appetizing at 100-1. Hadwin owns 12 professional victories, but just one on the PGA Tour coming in 2017 at the Valspar Championship. He’s made his last four cuts on Tour, including a T-6 finish at the Shriners Children’s Open. Hadwin is known for his game from the fairway and if he can locate them, he should contend since he doesn’t rank worse than 42 in any of the strokes gained categories outside of driving. Look for the Canadian to be at ease down south.
2021-22 picks scoreboard:
Winners: 1
Top 5s: 2
Top 10s:
Top 20s: 1
Here are some notable odds, according to SI Sportsbook:
2021 RSM Classic: Betting Odds for Sea Island Resort
- Scottie Scheffler 12-1
- Webb Simpson 13-1
- Cameron Smith 16-1
- Louis Oosthuizen 25-1
- Corey Conners 25-1
- Harris English 25-1
- Russell Henley 30-1
- Joaquin Niemann 30-1
- Kevin Kisner 33-1
- Adam Scott 35-1
- Alex Noren 35-1
- Talor Gooch 35-1
- Brendon Todd 55-1
- Mito Pereira 55-1
- Keegan Bradley 55-1
- Justin Rose 55-1
- Joel Dahmen 55-1
- Mackenzie Hughes 60-1
- Max Homa 60-1
- Brian Harman 66-1
- Matt Wallace 66-1
- Seamus Power 66-1
- Kevin Streelman 66-1
- Jhonattan Vegas 66-1
- Danny Lee 66-1
- Chris Kirk 66-1
- Robert Streb 70-1
- Charles Howell 70-1
- Matt Kuchar 70-1
- Lanto Griffin 80-1
- Hayden Buckley 80-1
- Denny McCarthy 80-1
- Emiliano Grillo 80-1
- Patrick Rodgers 80-1
- Luke List 80-1
- Alex Smalley 80-1
- Jason Day 80-1
- Branden Grace 80-1
- Troy Merritt 80-1
- Aaron Rai 90-1
- Adam Long 90-1
- Sebastian Munoz 90-1
- Taylor Moore 100-1
- Matthias Schwab 100-1
- Henrik Norlander 100-1
- Chad Ramey 100-1
- Keith Mitchell 100-1
- Chez Reavie 100-1
- Lucas Glover 100-1
- Harry Higgs 100-1
- Tom Hoge 100-1
- Adam Hadwin 100-1
- Adam Schenk 100-1
- Cameron Young 125-1
- Cameron Davis 125-1
- Scott Piercy 125-1
- Hudson Swafford 125-1
- Brian Stuard 125-1
- Stewart Cink 125-1
- Tyler Duncan 125-1
- Zach Johnson 125-1
- Dylan Frittelli 125-1
- Stephan Jaeger 125-1
- Taylor Pendrith 125-1
- Brendan Steele 125-1
- Sahith Theegala 125-1
- Rory Sabbatini 125-1
- Patton Kizzire 125-1
- Kyle Stanley 125-1
- J.J. Spaun 125-1
- Matt Jones 125-1
- Russell Knox 125-1
- Camilo Villegas 125-1
- Doug Ghim 125-1
- Kevin Tway 150-1
- Scott Stallings 150-1
- Davis Riley 150-1
- John Huh 150-1
- Matthew NeSmith 150-1
- Michael Thompson 150-1
- Andrew Putnam 150-1
- Andrew Landry 150-1
- Greyson Sigg 150-1
- Vincent Whaley 150-1
- Lee Hodges 150-1
- Hank Lebioda 150-1
- Wyndham Clark 150-1
- Brice Garnett 150-1
- Kramer Hickok 150-1
- Kiradech Aphibarnrat 150-1
- Bronson Burgoon 150-1
- Sepp Straka 175-1
- Nick Hardy 200-1
- Andrew Novak 200-1
- Justin Lower 200-1
- Davis Thompson 200-1
- Graeme McDowell 200-1
- Roger Sloan 200-1
- Anirban Lahiri 200-1
- Adam Svensson 200-1
- Austin Cook 200-1
- Kelly Kraft 200-1
- J.T. Poston 200-1
- David Lipsky 200-1
- Ludvig Aberg 200-1
- Brandt Snedeker 200-1
- Peter Uihlein 200-1
- Vaughn Taylor 200-1