The RSM Classic 2024 Preview, Picks & Analysis

Ludvig Aberg returns to Sea Island to defend the RSM Classic title he won in such sensational fashion 12 months ago.

The Swede won in record-breaking fashion, shooting an incredible 29-under 253 (67-64-61-61) to win by four shots over Mackenzie Hughes. Aberg tied the lowest 72-hole total in PGA Tour history, matching the winning score of Justin Thomas at the 2017 Sony Open in Hawaii, and set the record for lowest score over any tournament’s final two rounds. His final 54 holes also set a record for the lowest score over three consecutive rounds.

It was a win that proved the Swede, who had made his Ryder Cup debut a couple of months earlier without ever having played in a major, had arrived at the top table - something that was never really in doubt.

At that point he had played just 14 events since turning pro in June, winning twice. He had already won on the DP World Tour and became the quickest player to compete in a Ryder Cup after turning pro. His worst finish in eight worldwide starts was a tie for 14th. In addition to his two wins, he lost in a playoff at the Sanderson Farms Championship, and was the 54-hole leader at the BMW PGA Championship before eventually finishing 10th.

He said: "It’s been so much fun. I still pinch myself in the morning when I wake up to realise that this is what I do for a job."

He wasted no time in fulfilling the potential he showed as an amateur. He and Jon Rahm are the only players to win multiple Ben Hogan Awards. They both won the award for the top player in collegiate and amateur golf twice. Rahm is the only European to spend more time on top of the World Amateur Golf Rankings.

"I think the whole concept of winning a tournament, I just fell in love with it," Aberg said. "I just absolutely love it. There's something very weird and special about it. You know, you just want to do it again and again and again."

He cracked the top 60 in the FedExCup in just 11 starts and qualified for the season-opening The Sentry and The Masters, which was his first major. Incredibly, he would go on to finish second at Augusta.

He is now ranked fifth in the world after a season of consolidation during which the only thing missing is another win. Apart from The Masters, he was also second at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the BMW Championship and has had eight top 10s in just 19 starts. He has only made a total of 35 starts, missing the cut just five times, recording four runner-up finishes and eight top fives.

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

Eric Cole enjoyed a fine 2023 and was in contention here 12 months ago.

A late developer, 36-year-old Cole won 56 times on the Minor League Golf Tour, including winning the tour championship in 2009 and 2021. He earned his Korn Ferry Tour card in 2017 and played in eight events, making just two cuts. He returned to the Korn Ferry Tour for the 2021 season and made 31 starts. His first top-10 finish came at the Savannah Championship in October 2020, where he finished tied for third. He had five top-10s in the 2022 season, including two third-place finishes.

Cole finished tied for third in the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour Championship to earn his PGA Tour card for 2023. He missed his first four cuts but in February, he finished tied with Chris Kirk after 72 holes at the Honda Classic before Kirk won with a birdie on the first playoff hole. He also finished fourth at the Fortinet, tied third at the Shriners, tied second at the ZOZO and tied third at the RSM to finish the season in 43rd place in the FedEx standings, with earnings of around $5.5m. And he was rewarded by being named PGA Tour rookie of the year. At 35 years of age, he was the second oldest player to receive this award since its inception in 1990. Only Todd Hamilton, aged 38 in 2004, had been older.

He has missed plenty of cuts this year but has also continued his fine form from last year with five top 10s and 12 top-25 finishes. And he will arrive at Sea Island with plenty of positive memories.

This tournament brings to an end the FedEx Cup Fall Season and, with it, the final chance to secure places in the top 125 in the standings - fall outside that and you are heading back to the Korn Ferry Tour.

It is a time when dreams can die or when they begin. And when all is said and done, golf at this level is all about dreams. 

And two years ago the man whose life was changed by winning this tournament was Canada’s Adam Svensson, who claimed his maiden victory, earned $1.5m and a full two-year exemption.

He did it in style too, closing with a six-under 64. The Canadian was locked in a four-way tie for the lead on the closing stretch at Sea island when he holed an 18-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole, and then hit a tee shot to 10 feet on the par-three 17th for a birdie that gave him a cushion.

For the likes of Martin Laird, Cameron Champ, Nick Watney and Dylan Frittelli, anything other than a win will see them heading back to qualifying school or the Korn Ferry Tour. Pressure? You bet!

The Course:

The tournament is contested at the Sea Island Resort on two courses, the Seaside Course (par 70) and the Plantation Course (par 72). The first and third rounds occur at Seaside, while the second and fourth rounds are contested on the Plantation course. Both courses are located at the peak of St Simmons Island. The Seaside course is a links-style course that took inspiration from St Andrews, while the Plantation course is filled with marsh and forest. Harry S. Colt created the Seaside course, which Tom Fazio later revamped in the late 90s.

Tournament Winners:

It was won in 2015 by Kevin Kisner, in 2016 by Mackenzie Hughes, in 2017 by Austin Cook, in 2018 by Charles Howell III, in 2019 by Tyler Duncan, in 2020 by Robert Streb, in 2021 by Talor Gooch, in 2022 by Adam Svensson and last year by Ludvig Aberg.

Form Guide:

Ludvig Aberg is both the defending champion and the class act in the field. This is his first outing in a while and you can be sure of one thing - he will have been working his socks off. I believe he is a shoo-in.

To Win:

Ludvig Aberg. Class act

Each Way:

Lanto Griffin. Underrated

Each Way:

Kevin Streelman. Can still go really low

Five to Follow:

Ludvig Aberg. Has every shot in the bag

Lanto Griffin. Due a big week

Kevin Streelman. Makes a lot of birdies

Justin Lower. Has turned a corner

Austin Smotherman. Brilliant ball striker

Five Outsiders to Watch:

Martin Laird. On the brink

Cameron Champ. Needs a win - or bust

Nick Watney. On the crest of a slump

Taylor Montgormery. Huge potential

Dylan Frittellii. Big hitter

Prize Money:

The total prize fund is $8.4m with the winner collecting $1.5m and 500 FedEx Cup points.

How to Watch:

Thursday, November 21, Friday, November 22, Sky Sports Golf 5pm; Saturday, November 23, Sunday, November 24, Sky Sports Golf 6pm.