Fantasy Golf Sleeper Report – 2024 RSM Classic

2024 RSM Classic Fantasy Sleeper Report

Who could hate betting on golf when a guy who has missed 13 of his last 15 cuts can come out at the Bermuda Championship and win at 300/1!

If you saw Rafael Campos’ victory in Bermuda coming, more power to you: the Puerto Rico’s game has fallen into a state of disrepair this season.

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But the combined forces of enjoying the strong winds that blew – and the extra perspective of becoming a dad last week – have seemingly come together to reward Campos with a maiden PGA TOUR win, locking up his card for at least two years at a time when his career at the top level seemed over.

This FedEx Fall serves up some fantastic stories from time to time.

Whether we get one this week at the RSM Classic remains to be seen, although this event has been very kind to long odds backers over the years: Adam Svensson (125/1), Tyler Duncan (150/1), and Robert Streb (350/1) all coming up trumps in a big way for their followers.

Of course, Ludvig Aberg let the side down last year, with the short odds provided by the sportsbooks looking fair given the Swede’s final score of -29; a tournament record, no less.

But that was something of a unicorn in the annals of the RSM Classic, with heavy rain softening the course markedly, and with a dry and breezy forecast this week, it could be a tad more challenging for the players to post birdie after birdie.

Aberg will return to defend his title; his first start in more than ten weeks after undergoing knee surgery in September. He’ll be joined by the likes of Brian Harman, Davis Thompson, J.T. Poston, and Si-Woo Kim as we sign off on the FedEx Fall Series.

Those who finish 125 or higher in the standings will retain their tour card for next season; those that don’t might be leaning on invites and exemptions… or perhaps the Korn Ferry or DP World Tours will come calling.

So there’s plenty at stake for many in the field this week, and they’ll head to St. Simon’s Island expecting a decent examination of their all-round game.

Of the two host venues, the Seaside Course, which the players play for one round on Thursday or Friday before exclusively welcoming rounds three and four, is perhaps the most eye catching. Designed by Tom Fazio, it boasts just a pair of Par 5s (one of which is a fantastic risk-reward hole), with 13 holes featuring some kind of water hazard.

The Plantation Course, which the players will tackle on either Thursday or Friday, is less exposed, and more in-line with classic tree-lined parklands layouts. That can be a real bonus if the wind is blowing at the Seaside Course, so keep your eyes peeled for a potential draw bias. 

With a long history of shock winners, and some strong winds expected to blow on Thursday and Friday, who’s to say we can’t have another surprise victor this week? 

Hopefully, the prime candidates are featured on our 2024 RSM Classic sleeper shortlist.

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Matt Kuchar – 60/1 – It’s rather unfashionable, fairway finding grinders that should have their day in the sun this week.

The RSM Classic trophy is engraved with the names of fairways-and-greens merchants throughout its history, and even Aberg – although huge off the tee – is also rather adept at keeping his ball in the short grass.

In theory, this is the ideal setup for Matt Kuchar, whose short and accurate style will hand him an edge over plenty in the field, and then we can only hope that his putter – which has ranged from red hot to ice cold in the past few months – behaves.

Since very nearly winning the 3M Open, Kuchar has played in six tournaments, recorded top-20s in three of them, and even played well last time out in a bombs away World Wide Technology Championship renewal that really doesn’t suit him.

In 12 trips to Sea Island, Kooch has made nine cuts with a best of T7, while in the past five years here he’s posted three rounds of 66 or better on the Seaside Course.

Andrew Putnam – 60/1 – Given that he’s so short off the tee, Andrew Putnam’s formline doesn’t always tell the full story of his game.

In his last two outings prior to Bermuda, for example, at the Shriners and ZOZO Championship, he gained strokes on the field on approach, around the green, and putting, but ultimately his weakness off the tee would see him finish T16 and T27 respectively.

But at Sea Island, accuracy is much preferred over distance off the peg, and Putnam’s name could be mentioned in the same terms as Streb, Kisner, Duncan, and Svensson; all former RSM Classic winners that tend to find fairways, rather than bomb through them.

Putnam’s record in the event is a mixed bag, but T12 and T21 finishes here at least offer a hint of how his accuracy and putting prowess can be rewarded here.

Chandler Phillips – 80/1 – Deep into his rookie year, we’ve had a chance to have a good look at Chandler Phillips’ game.

In theory, his skillset is well attuned to the test on St. Simon’s Island, given that he is a consistent fairway finder with an excellent short game.

His approach play stats lately are a concern, but if you take a season-long look, Phillips has been particularly good with wedges in hand, which should serve him well this week.

It seems like a long time ago since Phillips was very much in contention to win the Valspar Championship, and he hasn’t enjoyed anything to compare to that yet on the PGA TOUR. But his game looked in good order in Mexico a few weeks ago, and we have hopes that he will take to an assignment at Sea Island that should suit.

Alex Smalley – 100/1 – The two host courses of the RSM Classic provide a more technical test than we’ve seen on the PGA TOUR the last few weeks, and that should play into the hands of the likes of Alex Smalley.

He’s a decent ball striker whose short game can let him down, but the signs recently are that he’s moving in the right direction in that regard. T5 at the Sanderson Farms Championship, Smalley posted a round of 66 or better at the Black Desert Championship, the WWT Championship, and in Bermuda, where a pair of 66s were the meat in his sandwich on his way to T29.

A T5 finish in the RSM Classic showcases the levels that Smalley can reach, so let’s hope his short game remains in better working order.

Kyoung-Hoon Lee – 150/1 – At such meaty odds, it’s worth chancing an improvement from Kyoung-Hoon Lee.

The Korean hasn’t been playing well lately, but a T5 turn at the Shriners in October at least serves as a reminder of what he is capable of.

The tracks used on the FedEx Fall aren’t particularly difficult or taxing, so the switch to Sea Island – where finding fairways and having a reliable short game are key – should be to his liking.

With three rounds of 66 or better on the Seaside Course in his last trio of trips, Lee has taken to this track. And T4 at the correlating Cognizant Classic earlier this season adds extra fuel to the fire.

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Want more of this week’s fantasy predictions? Check out our full fantasy preview for the RSM Classic here.

Fantasy Golf Predictions This Season (2024-2025)

Cover photo via Instagram