The PGA Tour will travel to St. Simmons Island, Georgia for the RSM Classic. This is the last tournament of the fall portion of the PGA Tour schedule and the last article I will write until the Sony Open in mid-January. Thank you for following my Fantasy Golf picks this year. The PGA Tour made a few changes for the 2026 season and I cannot wait for it to get started, but first we have one more tournament to win some cash in….
The RSM Classic is the most important tournament on the schedule for most of the 100 golfers in the field this week. The top 100 golfers in the FedEx Points Standings following the RSM Classic will earn full exempt status on the PGA Tour in 2026. Those who finish in the top-60 earn a spot in the first two Signature Events in 2026. I will be factoring in the players position in the standings in my picks this week.
COURSE BREAKDOWN
The RSM Classic began competing on both the Plantation and the Seaside Courses in the first two rounds last year. They will use the same rotation this year. I will focus the picks on the Seaside Course since it will be played three times this week.
The Seaside Course plays 7,062 yards and is a par 70. It is a Thomas Fazio designed course with a lot of water. This is a second shot course, since the fairways are wide. We need golfers who are accurate from 100-175 yards with their irons and can putt on Bermuda greens.
If you are playing Single Day Showdown Contest, make sure you select your golfers from the Plantation Course for the first two rounds. It is easier than the Seaside Course.
Click here to see the course: Sea Island Resort (Seaside Course)
KEY STATS FOR RSM CLASSIC
– Shots Gained Tee-to-Green
– Shots Gained Approach (100-175-yards)
– Strokes Gained Putting (Bermuda)
– Birdie or Better %
TOP 30 GOLFERS RSM CLASSIC
CORE GOLFERS FOR RSM CLASSIC
LINEUP STRATEGIES FOR RSM CLASSIC
The trend in DFS Golf this year has been for the higher-priced golfers to dominate the top of the leaderboard. I think that will be the case again this week. I will play the golfer who are higher-priced and fill out the lineup with golfers who rank highly in the key stats, have good form and good course history at Sea Island Resort Golf Club.
DRAFTKINGS CASH CONTEST LINEUP
RICO HOEY ($9,800): I sorted the stats this week by using the fall tournaments and Hoey came out No. 1. He ranks No. 1 in SG Tee-to-Green, No. 1 in Ball Striking, No. 3 in SG Approach, and No. 1 in Proximity to the Pin (on his approach shots). Hoey finished 9th at the ProCore, 4th at the BayCurrent, and 2nd in Utah this fall. He should have a great chance to finish in the top-10 again this week.
VINCENT WHAELY ($8,700): Whaley is another golfer who has been playing well this fall. He finished 3rd at the Sanderson Farms, 17th in Mexico and 3rd last week in Bermuda. His short game and putting ranks No. 3 in the tournament. Whaley finished 8th in this tournament last year. His form is much better in 2025, so I expect another top-10 finish from Whaley Sunday.
PIERCESON COODY ($8,600): I have been using Coody a lot this fall in my Cash Contest lineups and so far he has not let me down. Coody has made every cut this fall. That includes a 14th-place finish at the Sanderson Farms, 3rd in Utah, 31st in Mexico and 22nd last week in Bermuda. Coody ranks No. 1 in SG Off-the Tee, No. 3 in Ball-Striking and No. 8 overall in the Key Stats. Coody should continue to roll in Georgia this week.
NICO ECHAVARRIA ($8,100): Echavarria checks every box this week. He has made his last three cuts and that includes a 9th-place finish at the BayCurrent and a 14th-place finish in Mexico, so his form is good. Echavarria finished 2nd in this tournament last year, so he has good course history. Echavarria ranks No. 7 in the Key Stats, so the numbers like him too. Echavarria should be a solid golfer for all lineups in Georgia.
TAKUMI KANAYA ($7,600): Kanaya has been one of the most consistent golfers on the fall tour, so I have been using him a lot in my Cash Contest lineups. I will go back to Kanaya this week in Georgia. He has made his last five cuts on the PGA Tour and that includes a 4th-place finish at the BayCurrent and a 3rd-place finish last week in Bermuda. Kanaya ranks 5th in the Key Stats, so he gets a spot in my lineup this week.
GREYSON SIGG ($7,000): I will have Sigg as the anchor of my Cash Contest lineup, but I do not expect him to bring this lineup down. Sigg seems to be the best value pick on the slate this week. He has made every cut on the fall tour and Sigg ranks No. 6 in SG Tee-to-Green, No. 4 in SG Approach, No. 7 in Ball Striking and No. 12 overall in the Key Stats. Sigg finished 15th in this tournament in 2023 and 8th in 2024. I expect Sigg to finish in the top-25 again Sunday.
DRAFTKINGS TOURNAMENT CONTEST LINEUP
MICHAEL THORBJORNSEN ($10,200): Thorbjornsen is my pick to win the RSM Classic. He has missed one cut since May, so his form is outstanding. Thorbjornsen made his first trip to Sea Island, Georgia last year and he finished 8th, so his course history is good. Thorbhornsen ranks in the top-eight in all of the key stats and No. 2 overall, so the numbers like him too. I will pay up for Thorbjornsen in my Tournament Contest lineup and hope he can win the trophy Sunday.
THORBJORN OLESEN ($9,200): I am going to try and beat the house this week with a pair of Thorbjorn’s in my lineup. Just like Michael Thorbjornsen; Olesen checks all of the boxes this week. He finished 14th at the Sanderson Farms, 9th in Madrid, 3rd in Utah and 14th in Mexico. That is a lot of traveling, but his game has traveled with him. Olesen ranks 14th in the Key Stats, but his short-iron game ranks 2nd. He should have a good chance to finish near the top of the leaderboard Sunday.
ALEX SMALLEY ($9,000): Smalley is a boom or bust golfer, but that is OK for Tournament Contest lineups. Smalley finished 4th in Utah two weeks ago and then missed the cut last week in Utah. He also finished 5th in this tournament in 2023 and then missed the cut last year. He is either going to contend for the win or miss the cut. This pick is more of a gut feeling than anything else. You can pivot to Vincent Whaley if you want to use a safer pick in your lineup, but I am swinging for the fences this week.
ERIC COLE ($7,600): Cole is a golfer who plays well on the easy courses on the fall schedule. He has made every cut on the fall tour. That includes a 9th-place finish at the Sanderson Farms and a 10th-place finish in his last tournament in Mexico. Cole finished 3rd and 15th in his last two trips to the RSM Classic. He has a good chance to add another top-15 finish to his resume Sunday.
MAC MEISSNER ($7,500): Meissner is a Bermuda Greens specialist. He gains more shots on Bermuda Greens than any golfer in the field. The other parts of his game are in good form too. Meissner has made every cut on the PGA Tour since mid-July. He ranks No. 4 in SG Tee-to-Green, No. 9 in SG Approach and No. 10 overall in the Key Stats. I like Meissner’s chances to finish in the top-10 Sunday.
DOC REDMAN ($6,500): It has been a while since I have used Redman in my DFS lineups, but his name kept popping up when I did my research for the RSM Classic. Redman played two tournaments on the fall tour. He finished 9th at the Sanderson Farms and 20th in Utah (not bad for $6,500). He ranks No. 32 in the Key Stats, so the numbers think he will be a decent pick in Georgia. I do not need Redman to do much. A top-35 finish for $6,500 would be a pretty good return on my investment this week.
* Here are the Multi Entry Lineups for the RSM Classic
* These picks will work on FanDuel too
ONE & DONE PICK: MICHAEL THORBJORNSEN (RSM Classic)
– One & Done picks used so far this season: Nico Echavarria (46TH), Garrett Higgo (15th), Alex Noren (Cut), Davis Thompson (21st)
BEST BETS FOR RSM CLASSIC
MICAHEL THORBJORNSEN (25-1)
ALEX SMALLEY (35-1)
VINCENT WHALEY (35-1)
PEIRCESON COODY (45-1)
NICO ECHAVARRIA (45-1)
MACKENZIE HUGHES (65-1)
Good Luck This Week!!!!
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