Table of Contents
By Alex Lauzon from the “Course of Life” podcast
ONE LAST GO AT 2022
The bar is closing (metaphorically) on the PGA Tour calendar and its last call for FedEx cup points in 2022. With it being the last full-field regulation PGA tour event until January, it gives the players a holiday break that will be extended even further out in coming years with a condensed schedule in 2023 and future calendar years. Not quite LIV Tour levels of laziness, but it will all but eliminate events of this caliber during football season. On that note, grab your last (official) PGA Tour fix this week before the cold golf-free winter hits hard.
Despite it being the very last event on the calendar, the Southern Georgia location for the RSM is geographically friendly with enough Florida and Georgia-based pros to tee it up one last time before they mold into their couches for the holidays.
SEA ISLAND VIBES
Sea Island and its two oceanside courses are quintessential Low Country golf destinations, and they have been the host courses since this event’s inception in 2010. Viewers and betters like us will be very familiar with the marshy canals that gobble up balls and big gaping trees that require lots of shotmaking and shot shaping. Outside of those elements, it’s a rather flat piece of waterside land that presents lots of opportunities for golfers to make birdies and go low.
The field in St. Simons Island GA is led by Host and PGA Tour Life member Davis Love III, local Carolina boy Kevin Kisner, Matt Kuchar, and Justin Rose. For the second week in a row, the defending champion on Tour is now a LIV Golf crony – Talor Gooch is very much NOT defending his title this week and if you gave him some truth serum, I bet he has some FOMO.
FORECASTING THE RSM
Past years of this event have shown us that it transgresses into a birdie fest, but with it being mid-November the elements can play tricks on the mind all over. Stray gusts hitting St. Simons Island are known to be brutal at just the right moments. It may take a little extra patience to get it done this week, but you have to look towards players that aren’t afraid to play low, club up, and be smart with their golf ball.
I’m prefacing my weekly picks based on exactly what I value the most. With every play I make, I’m always taking into account these factors, and for the calendar finale at the RSM, we need some grinders who are ready to putt their eyes out.
1. Who’s hot and trending – recent high finishes, top-10 streaks, and consistent play are never a bad thing.
2. Horses for courses – players love certain courses and course familiarity and experience are invaluable in a field of the world’s best.
3. What the numbers tell you this week – while I’m far from analytical, there’s always a tournament darling or two scattered across the golf talk stratosphere that stuns on paper.
4. Intangibles – while this allows for theater of the mind, there’s a mysterious optimism surrounding that feels “due” or if the price looks just right for buying.
At the Houston Open, five out of my six plays made the weekend, and Scottie Scheffler and Joel Dhamen both posted top-10 finishes for us. Overall, nothing to write home about on the card but we’ve got one more go at it to get right. I’ll give it a B- week.
THE SIX PACK OF PICKS
(Wanna start a Pick-X pool with your friends? Learn more here! Or, if you’re looking to start your own PGA One-and-Done pool, check those out here) (Hint: the main difference between the two is how many players you’ll pick each week)
1: Tony Finau – Not only do I think he can follow last week’s W with a solid performance, but we’ve also seen him go back-to-back weeks lifting trophies already in 2022 as the betting favorite.
2: Joel Dahmen – Coming off of a top 10 last week in Houston, Dahmen played his way to a weekend top 30 finish at this track and has the goods to play well this week.
3: Taylor Montgomery – Okay…so he didn’t quite cash another top-20 bet for me but Montgomery has yet to miss a cut, so why not finish the fall with one more solid outing on a track that promotes putting from all sorts of weird spots?
4: Kevin Kisner – Always a little biased for the local pro who extends his normal schedule to play. Kiz has great vibes here and should cash one more big check before the break.
5: Taylor Moore – A new name to some, the young gun has a decent fall campaign built on tour and finished in the top 10 at the 2021 RSM Classic.
6: J.T.Poston – a solid putter that has local success and experience in this part of the country, going off at good value for the final event.
RYP One and Done Pick: Joel Dahmen
THE DEETS
Where to watch: Golf Channel all weekend – if you’re in a cold weather spot you can enjoy the vacation-like vibes of Sea Island.
Why to watch: It’s the season finale for meaningful PGA Tour golf until 2023, one last call for a winning moment.
What to eat: It’s crabs and oysters if you’re paying tribute to the Low Country waterways – class class class.
Purse: $8.1 million
Winner’s Share: $1.45 million
