Steve Palmer's RSM Classic predictions and free golf betting tips
When to bet
Where to watch the RSM Classic
Live on Sky Sports Main Event and Golf from 5pm on Thursday
Steve Palmer's RSM Classic predictions
Ludvig Aberg
4pts each-way 14-1 bet365
Davis Thompson
2pts each-way 60-1 Hills
Matthew NeSmith
1pt each-way 125-1 Betfair, Power
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Open champion Brian Harman returns to action this week for the first time since his Ryder Cup debut and the Georgia man will tee up on home turf.
The diminutive left-hander tied second in the RSM Classic last year and must be respected this week, but competitive rust may stop him from taking the title. Harman scored two points from four matches in the Ryder Cup – a good effort on a losing side.
Steve Palmer's top tip
Ludvig Aberg 14-1
Swedish sensation Ludvig Aberg has played three tournaments since his Ryder Cup debut, adding to the feeling that it is only a matter of time before he makes his PGA Tour breakthrough.
Aberg was a playoff loser in the Sanderson Farms Championship the week after the Ryder Cup, then 13th in the Shriners Children's Open and tenth in the World Wide Technology Championship. He closed with a 62 in the Shriners and a 64 in the WWTC, excelling once settled on his first visit to those two courses.
This week, Aberg has arrived at a venue he knows much better for the RSM Classic. When interviewed a few weeks ago about his schedule for the remainder of 2023, there was a twinkle in his eye when he talked about the RSM Classic. He was clearly looking forward to this event, having triumphed at a different Sea Island course as an amateur in the 2021 Jones Cup.
Victory in that prestigious amateur event meant Aberg earned a place in the 2021 RSM Classic. As world number 883, there was no shame in a missed cut, but he returns two years later as world number 53 and rising.
Aberg has already won on the DP World Tour, he has been an integral member of a triumphant European Ryder Cup team, and PGA Tour glory seems inevitable. He has been as pro for just five months, but can break into the world's top 50 this week and gain access to next year's Majors.
With rain having softened the fairways of Sea Island, Aberg's imperious driving has become even more of an asset, and he should be firing laserlike iron-shots to receptive greens. This generational talent appears ready for take-off.
Next best bet
Davis Thompson 60-1
Aberg birded the final hole of the 2021 Jones Cup to edge Davis Thompson by a shot. Thompson was also Jones Cup runner-up in 2019, before winning the tournament by nine shots in 2020, so Sea Island has been a happy hunting ground for him.
Thompson was the king of Sea Island in his college days, starring at the University of Georgia and becoming world number one amateur, and he still lives locally on St Simons Island. He knows the Seaside Course well and has about 150 rounds under his belt there.
This could be the week Thompson finally delivers a big performance in the RSM Classic. He was 23rd on his debut in 2019, but has not made a cut since. Weight of expectation has been a burden – his father Todd is the tournament director and locals turn up in their droves to cheer on Davis – but he has been swinging well enough lately to relish that extra attention.
PGA Tour form figures of 22-30-16-35-15 highlight Thompson's solidity going into this week. He lost a tight duel with Jon Rahm for The American Express title in January and the 24-year-old can go close to a maiden triumph again on Sunday. Thompson won on the Korn Ferry Tour last year.
Other selection
Matthew NeSmith 125-1
The magnificent iron-play of Matthew NeSmith seems likely to earn him a PGA Tour title at some stage, and the RSM Classic is one of the most suitable assignments on the schedule for the 30-year-old South Carolinian.
NeSmith went to the University of South Carolina and enjoyed a successful amateur career before winning on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2019. He still lives in South Carolina, a state neighbouring Georgia, and has twice finished in the top 15 in the RSM Classic.
NeSmith finished 15th last time out in the Zozo Championship, where only four players outscored him over the weekend.
RSM Classic course guide
Course Seaside Course and Plantation Course, Sea Island Resort, Sea Island, Georgia
Prize money $8.4m ($1.458m to the winner)
Length Seaside 7,005 yards Plantation 7,060 yards
Pars Seaside 70 Plantation 72
Field 156 The cut Top 65 and ties qualify for round three
Highest-ranked players in field (world ranking in brackets) Brian Harman (9), Cameron Young (17), Russell Henley (25), Corey Conners (33), Harris English (38)
Course records- 72 holes 260 Kevin Kisner (2015), Talor Gooch (2021) 18 holes 60 Tommy Gainey (2012), Sebastian Munoz (2021), Tyler McCumber (2021)
Course winners taking part Ben Crane, Tommy Gainey, Chris Kirk, Robert Streb (twice), Kevin Kisner, Mackenzie Hughes, Austin Cook, Tyler Duncan, Adam Svensson
When to bet By 2pm on Thursday
When to watch Live on Sky Sports Main Event and Golf from 5pm on Thursday
Time difference Georgia is five hours behind the UK and Ireland
Last week – Bermuda Championship 1 C Villegas (125-1), 2 A Noren (22-1), 3 M Schmid (60-1), 4 C Yuan (90-1), T5 A Scott (16-1), R Moore (70-1), 7 S Cink (60-1), T8 T Alexander (400-1), K Roy (250-1), R Palmer (45-1), T Pendrith (25-1), V Whaley (55-1)
Course type Links/parkland
Course overview 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, JT Poston, Davis Love, Patton Kizzire and Brian Harman, became a PGA Tour venue for the first time in 2010. The strength of the sea breezes impacts greatly on the scoring at this exposed layout, while heavily undulating fairways 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 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 2019. Large creeks and lakes are a feature of the Plantation Course, along with dense sets of oak and cedar trees, but it has four par-fives and is easier than the Seaside Course. The final two rounds are on the Seaside
Story of last year Adam Svensson made a PGA Tour breakthrough with a cosy two-shot triumph
Weather forecast Flood alerts have been in place in this area, so soggy turf seems inevitable. A mixture of sunshine and clouds, with light to moderate breezes, peaking on Thursday
Type of player suited to the challenge 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
Spotlight insight
Eleven of the 13 editions of this event have been won by an American
