2020 RSM Classic Sleeper Picks: Our Favorite Longshot Bets at Sea Island
Jamie Squire/Getty Images. Pictured: Danny Willett
What Masters hangover?
The PGA TOUR rolls into Sea Island this week for the 2020 RSM Classic. The tournament features a pretty strong field when you consider that we just wrapped things up at Augusta last weekend.
Dustin Johnson may have won the Green Jacket at short odds, but there have been a slew of longshot winners on the PGA TOUR over the last few weeks, including Carlos Ortiz at the Houston Open two weeks ago.
Here are our favorite sleeper picks for the 2020 RSM Classic:
Jason Sobel
Davis Thompson (+40000)
Who? The name sounds like a computer-generated opponent in a video game, the conglomeration of other players’ first and last names, but get used to hearing it.
Thompson is the world’s No. 1-ranked amateur, a senior at the University of Georgia who briefly led during the opening round of the recent U.S. Open before finishing with a 1-under 69 – tied for the 14th-best score of the day.
As those 37 carryovers from the Masters show up with a bit of a (figurative) hangover here, Thompson should enjoy some familiar surroundings. Maybe that 400/1 ticket is a bit too idealistic, but a top-10 is certainly within reach.
Josh Perry
Danny Willett (+12500)
This is a pretty easy week to find a few sleepers to back.
The influx of the European stars joining the field from the Masters has pushed a lot of the numbers down for many of the Fall Swing Favorites we like to back in tournaments like these.
I’ll highlight one of those European holdovers in Danny Willett, who is coming off a solid week at the Masters. The Englishman finished 25th and he gained over eight strokes on approach at Augusta.
On a course where iron play will be key, that’s the kind of form I like to see, especially because it came against much stronger competition.
Willett has all the talent in the world to take this event down. He hasn’t won in the States since his Augusta triumph back in 2015, but Willett has wins in Dubai and at Wentworth on the European Tour, besting many of the top players we are seeing this week.
Matthew Vincenzi
Patton Kizzire (+15000)
Another SEC standout with ties to the area, the former Auburn Tiger has finally been starting to round back into form. Kizzire has finished 24th and 11th in his past two starts (Shriners and the Houston Open). Historically, Kizzire is a much better putter on Bermudagrass so there is reason to believe his performance could continue to trend in a positive direction this week.
Kizzire's course history is also a sign that he could be a solid fit at Sea Island as he finished 15th here in 2018. His two previous career wins have come on coastal tracks (OHL Mayakoba and Sony) and there is a correlation between those courses and Sea Island.
At long odds, Kizzire looks to be a worthy sleeper this week.
Chris Murphy
Russell Knox (+10000)
This Fall Swing season has seen a run of older players breaking through for their first wins on TOUR in multiple years. I wouldn’t put it past Russell Knox to continue that streak this week as he seems to have found his game coming into an event where he has made the cut in each of his last two appearances and finished 20th last year.
It was a rough string of missed cuts last season as Knox didn’t see the weekend in 10 straight events, but he’s turned over a new leaf in the new season with three top-16 finishes in five events. I
like the progress that Knox has shown, and this could be the week he finally captures that elusive third victory on TOUR.
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