BlogThe RSM Classic Preview and Picks

The Buzz:

About the rest of the year.

This is the last event left on the calendar year.  There is an off week for Thanksgiving, so for marquee names, they are off resting on some sunny beach.  Then there is the Hero Challenge returning after a year off.  Other than that, we are going into a quiet period in the game, and there will be very little interest between now and the Sentry Tournament of Champions in the first week of January.  As for us, I am taking the next week off and returning for a preview of the Hero Challenge.  Now the European Tour begins its season in South Africa next week and we will have performance charts for each of those events. We are also going to get ready for the 2022 season with some new stuff that we will introduce at Kapalua. This is your time to send your ideas for things you like to see in the future, remember you can get me at Golfersal@aol.com or Sal@Golfstats.com

Other than that, I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving.

Carlos Ortiz is on the wounded list

Amazing how a player could do well, but not be 100%.  That was the case in Mayakoba when Carlos Ortiz finished 2nd, four shots back of winner Viktor Hovland.  Despite the good play, Ortiz was nursing a sore left shoulder.  Seems that he hurt it in Japan and was forced to withdraw after shooting rounds of 68-73.  He played in Mexico with pain and visited his doctor just after and was told to take the rest of the season off to recover.  So it forced him to withdraw from Houston, where he was the defending champion.  Ortiz got his first PGA Tour win in Houston last year and finished the year 48th in the FedExCup standings.  So for Ortiz, it was back home to Dallas and put his clubs away for the next four weeks.  Ortiz said that he fully expects to be ready for the West Coast swing in January.

Look at how I did with my six DraftKing picks at Mayakoba

Time to see how my six DraftKing picks did

In the $300K flop shot I was one of 23,529 entries and my six picks ranked 2,778.  The game cost $15 and with my 347 points earned $25.  Have to say was really disappointed with this outcome because all players made the cut.  But the big disappointment was that after the first round Talor Gooch and Marc Leishman with a first round 65 were among the co-leaders. Adam Long with his 66 was T-6th and with Lanto Griffin shooting 68 he was T-18th.  After the first round I ranked 39th and was looking for some serious coin.  But reality set in quickly as Leishman shot 70 and Gooch hot 74, Long was my only good grace as he shot 67 and was T-3rd.  The good news all six of my guys made the cut, but the bad news they didn’t play well over the weekend.  Long shot 73-70 to finish the best at T-11th, while Marc Leishman shot 71-72 and finished T-19th.  Mackenzie Hughes shot 69-71 on the weekend to finish T-29th and Aaron Wise came back after a first round 73 to finish up with a 66-71-69 to finish T-26th.  The biggest disappointments was Griffin, who shot 78-74 to finish T-64th and Gooch shot 75-72 to finish 60th.  So I dropped back to rank 2,778 which made $25.

The winner was JTJT55 with 470,5 points, he did it with picks of Jason Kokrak winning, Kevin Tway finishing T-2nd and Sam Burns finishing T-7th.  Still it was disappointing that it started so strongly only to die on the vine over the weekend.

So here are the results of my six guys:

• Talor Gooch – $9,300 he finished 60th with 49 points
• Aaron Wise – $9,200 he finished T-26th with 63 points
• Marc Leishman – $8,700 he finished T-19th points with 64.5 points
• Lanto Griffin – $8,100 he finished T-64th with 42.5 points
• Mackenzie Hughes – $7,900 he finished T-29th with 57 points
• Adam Long – $6,800 he finished T-11th with 71 points

Remember the golden rule, you pick six guys that play 72 holes you will win something.

The RSM Classic

The RSM Classic is an event in a small resort town or, should we say, an island in Georgia, which has been well received since it started in 2010.  Davis Love III got behind it, and his charities are the benefactors of this event.  Love also gets behind the tournament to get his friends and fellow players to attend.  The event also has a great sponsor in RSM, which is a tax and consulting firm.  The good thing is that folks like Matt Kuchar, Zach Johnson, Harris English, Chris Kirk, Kevin Kisner, Hudson Swafford, and Brian Harman, who live in Sea Island, are playing.  This event has been held at different times during the fall swing, but returns as the last fall event for this fall season.  Five years ago, the field was increased from 132 players to 156 as another course (the Plantation) is used in the first two rounds, so players are on the Seaside Course for three rounds.

• Seaside Course information:
• Sea Island, Ga.
• 7,005 yards     Par 35-35–70

The Seaside course is part of the three courses at Sea Island Golf Club.  The Seaside course which is the venue of the McGladreys is a classic Harry Colt and Charles Alison design dating from 1929. Tom Fazio completed a renovation in 1999. It’s another of those hidden gems that not many people know about, it’s a true Scottish links course near the Atlantic with ocean views that plays fast and firm.

The main challenges could be in the greens, which are nearly impossible to read. The layout features other notable challenges like the bunkering which is old fashion and truly memorable. They offer a variety in size and shape but they are all strategically placed to deliver a formidable test for even the most experienced players.

The first nine go out and back in a counterclockwise fashion while the second nine follow a clockwise direction. Each of the four par-3s faces its unique direction which is unique for any course, so players get a different feel on each par 3 when it’s windy which is always the case at Sea Island.

The course meanders through marshlands and lakes with water or marshes coming into play on most of the holes.  There are only 40 sand bunkers on the course, but they are all in strategic spots to catch drives and wayward shots to the greens that are an average size of 7,000 square feet.  The course has bermudagrass all through it with a 72.3 rating and a slope of 137.

It’s been the venue for some significant amateur competitions over the years including the US Senior Amateur and the US Senior Women’s Amateur.

• Plantation Course informational
• Sea Island, Ga.
• 7,060 yards     Par 36-36–72

The Plantation is the first course at Sea Island, it was a nine-hole course that opened in 1928.  Built by Walter Travis, it opened when ferry service was first introduced to bring people over to Sea Island.  A year later the Seaside course was built.  The land on which the course was built was a working plantation.  Some of the oak trees that are on the course were planted over two hundred years ago.  In 1998 the ownership of Sea Island brought in Rees Jones to upgrade the original course.  The course was turned into a “parkland by the sea” course as it has views of the Atlantic but is parkland in nature.  It’s totally different than the Seaside Course which is links nature.  The Plantation course will play at 7,060, has a 74.8 rating with a slope rating of 138, and to a par of 72.  It does have wide-open fairways but lakes come into play on 10 of the 18 holes so it will present a different challenge for players.

Let’s take a look at vital stats that are important for those playing at the Sea Island Resort

This is based on the most vital stats from the Seaside Course at the Sea Island Resort based on data from last year’s RSM Classic and using data from all the players in the field with stats from this year.
The Seaside Course at the Sea Island Resort has been the home of the RSM Classic since the tournament was started in 2010. The Seaside course is one of those gems that has been around since the early 1930s and renovated in 1999. It’s a true Scottish Links that is close to the Atlantic with plenty of ocean views along with windy conditions that give the players something that isn’t experienced much on the PGA Tour. In order to get a full field of 156 players with limited daylight this time of year, in 2016 the tournament used the neighboring Plantation Course for one of the four rounds, so 54 of the 72 holes are played on the Seaside Course. For this statistical look, we will use just stats from the Seaside course. The course has bermudagrass all through it with a 72.3 rating and a slope of 137.

Last year the course played to a 68.69 average score (a full shot under its par 70) and was the 39th toughest course of the 51 courses used last year. (the plantation course, used for one round played to a 71.34 average but since it’s a par 72, it was three-quarters of a shot under par and was the 25th hardest course) The wind is an important factor on if the course will play tough or not, last year the wind blow 10 to 15mph every day. In 2019 when the course played to a 68.84 average, the wind blew the same 5 to 10 mph average. In 2018 the course played to a 69.24 average and the winds blew 10 to 15 mph. In 2017 the course played to a 68.89 average, the lowest the course has ever played, one of the reasons is the benign conditions due to the lack of wind. In 2014 when the wind blew, the course played to a 70.25 scoring average the hardest it has ever played. Conditions for this week are calling for windy conditions each day, it being 13 mph Thursday through Saturday and calmer to 9 mph on Sunday. Weather will be close to perfect in the mid-60s each day, with partly cloudy skies and winds blowing 6 mph on Thursday but then blowing 17 mph on Friday and Saturday, going down to 11 mph on Sunday.

This course is a lot like British Open rota courses. Just like at Royal St. George’s last summer, each day had wind of 8 to 20 mph which made the course play tougher. But if you can get the conditions at Royal Birkdale in 2018, lack of wind helps make the course a bit of a pushover for players since the fairways are very generous with very little rough. So with the yardage being short, the greens are easy targets as a lot of birdies are made on a course that only has two par 5s. In looking at the eleven winners of this event all of them, with the exception of Charles Howell III is short hitters. An example of that is last year’s winner Robert Streb. For the year he was 164th in Strokes Gained Off-the-Tee as he ranked T-139th in driving distance and 131st in fairway accuracy. In 2020 Tyler Duncan was T-87th in Strokes Gained Off-the-Tee as he ranked 173rd in driving distance and 6th in fairway accuracy The same for shotmaking, of the eleven past champions only 2019 winner Charles Howell III is the only great ball striker. So basically the course allows a person that hits it short and is an average shotmaker to win. But in looking at the stats, the thing that does strikeout is that scrambling and putting is what has made most of the champions at the RSM Classic.
We think that this is still important so below is a look at the last eight winners and how they ranked in those key stats on or around the greens for the week:

Scrambling
2014 – Chris Kirk was 5th
2015 – Robert Streb was 25th
2016 – Kevin Kisner was 3rd
2017 – Mac Hughes was 2nd
2018 – Austin Cook was T-1st
2019 – Charles Howell III was T-70th
2020 – Tyler Duncan was 1st
2021 – Robert Streb was 5th

Strokes gained putting
2014 – Chris Kirk was 11th
2015 – Robert Streb was 2nd
2016 – Kevin Kisner was 3rd
2017 – Mac Hughes was 3rd
2018 – Austin Cook was 13th
2019 – Charles Howell was 24th
2020 – Tyler Duncan was 14th
2021 – Robert Streb was 9th

Overall putting average
2014 – Chris Kirk was 10th
2015 – Robert Streb was T-1st
2016 – Kevin Kisner was 3rd
2017 – Mac Hughes was 1st
2018 – Austin Cook was T-12th
2019 – Charles Howell was T-54th
2020 – Tyler Duncan was T-10th
2021 – Robert Streb was T-16th

One-putts
2014 – Chris Kirk was T-27th
2015 – Robert Streb was T-1st
2016 – Kevin Kisner was 3rd
2017 – Mac Hughes was 1st
2018 – Austin Cook was T-8th
2019 – Charles Howell was T-45th
2020 – Tyler Duncan was T-34th
2021 – Robert Streb was T-13th

Putting inside 10 feet
2014 – Chris Kirk was T-33rd
2015 – Robert Streb was T-6th
2016 – Kevin Kisner was T-8th
2017 – Mac Hughes was 26th
2018 – Austin Cook was T-34th
2019 – Charles Howell was T-53rd
2020 – Tyler Duncan was T-20th
2021 – Robert Streb was T-12th

The average distance of putts made
2014 – Chris Kirk was 10th
2015 – Robert Streb was 3rd
2016 – Kevin Kisner was 5th
2017 – Mac Hughes was 1st
2018 – Austin Cook was T-17th
2019 – Charles Howell was 17th
2020 – Tyler Duncan was 45th
2021 – Robert Streb was 13th

One other stat that we feel is important is something that is rarely looked at but should on this course, Strokes Gained Total which basically looks at all the number of strokes for the player on the same course and event
2014 – Chris Kirk was 1st
2015 – Robert Streb was T-1st
2016 – Kevin Kisner was 1st
2017 – Mac Hughes was T-2nd
2018 – Austin Cook was 1st
2019 – Charles Howell was T-13th
2020 – Tyler Duncan was 1st
2021 – Robert Streb was T-11th

So we see how a long hitter like Howell has broken things up a bit, but that happens in golf and you have to believe that what has happened so many times in the past will happen again this year, the good scrambler and putter will be the guy to pick this week.

So in looking at our four categories, we are putting a lot of efficiencies in those stats around and on the greens. Our first stat is Strokes Gained Putting because this is the most important stat that everyone has figures on showing who is putting the best. Now courses don’t average Strokes Gained stats so we looked at the overall putting average for the seaside course and last year it ranked 4th on the PGA Tour. Our 2nd stat is scrambling because again the past winners showed the importance of this stat and it ranked 35th best on the PGA Tour last year (remember that means players do very well in getting it up and down). The third category that we are using is greens hit, this shows the importance of making sure to hit greens, it ranked 49th last year (again showing a lot of players hit greens). Our last category is birdie average because it’s important to make a lot of them last year the Seaside course averaged 3.77 birdies per round and ranked 29th last year.

*Strokes Gained Putting: A way to see how many strokes gained or lost putting

*Scrambling: Who gets it up and down the most of anyone in the field

*Greens in Regulation: How many greens are hit from the fairway.

*Birdie Average: Who has the lowest average of birdies per tournament

147 of the 156 players from this year’s field with stats from this year:

Click any column title in the table header to sort columns.

Here is a link to all 147 player stats for 2022.

DraftKings tips

*Here are the guys that cost the most on DraftKings this week:

• Scottie Scheffler – $10,900
• Webb Simpson – $10,700
• Louis Oosthuizen – $10,400
• Cameron Smith – $10,300
• Harris English – $10,100
• Corey Conners – 9,900
• Joaquin Niemann – $9,700
• Russell Henley – $9,600
• Alex Noren – $9,500
• Talor Gooch – $9,300
• Kevin Kisner- $9,200
• Adam Scott – $9,000

The field is a lot weaker than last year when it wasn’t up against Dubai and was the week after the Masters.  So this week is going to be a bit harder because not as many marquee names.  First I agree with Scottie Scheffler at $10,900 because he has played well of late  T-2nd in Houston, 4th at Mayakoba along with finishing T-5th in his only RSM start in 2020.  Webb Simpson at $10,700 is also a good choice since he loves this event and area, he was 2nd in 2020, 3rd in 2019, and T-37th last year.  The last time he played was T-14th at the C.J. Cup o think he is in good shape.  Louis Oosthuizen at $10,400 is a hard choice because this time of year he is usually playing in South Africa.  He played in 2011 and finished 4th, but missed the cut last year.  He is such a good putter I think that this should be a tournament right up his alley so he is a yes.  Cameron Smith at $10,300 is the same problem, he usually plays in Australia this time of year and is playing in RSM for the first time.  His game is in good shape, finished T-9th at C.J. Cup and T-15th in Houston.  On the surface he likes firm, fast courses so look for good things from him this week.  Harris English at $10,100 is a tough go, first, he has had back problems in the last six months and before his T-6th finish last year had a terrible time at the RSM Classic.  I will not pick him because he has struggled in his two starts of 2022 and feel his back could be the problem.  Interesting choice of Corey Conners being valued at 9,900.  I know he finished T-10th last year, but in 2022 has finished T-40th at the Shriners and T-17th at Sanderson so he is a no for me.  Joaquin Niemann at $9,700 is also a hard decision.  In his two times playing at the RSM was T-44th last year and T-65th in 2019 so this doesn’t give us confidence in him.  I know that he finished T-5th at Mayakoba, but missed the cut in Houston so I am saying no to him.  Russell Henley at $9,600 has shown he can play well in this event, he was T-4th in 2015, T-6th in 2016, and T-10th in 2017.  But since then missed the cut in 2020 & ’19 and was T-30th last year.  He did finish T-7th in Houston and does play well on Bermuda and in windy conditions, but the price is too high to take him.  The Same with Alex Noren at $9,500, his value is based on finishing T-10th at RSM in 2020 and T-16th last year.  His 2022 has been ok but not enough to spend $9,500.  Talor Gooch at $9,300 will catch a lot of folks based on the point that he has played well in 2022.  But I don’t like that he has struggled at RSM missing three out of four cuts.  Also despite great play going into the Houston Open, he was ugly the last three rounds playing them in 11 over so I would pass on him.  Now I like Kevin Kisner at $9,200, he has five top-tens in ten starts including 2nd last year.  He also won this event in 2016 and you have to take him based on this alone.  His 2022 hasn’t been the best.  Each time Adam Scott plays he is overpriced and this week is $9,000.  Has never played in this event, thinking says he is good on links courses and in the wind, he also finished T-5th at the C.J. Cup and 2nd at Wyndham, but these aren’t enough to make me spend $9,000 on Scott.

*Players in that $7,500 to $8,900 price range, which ones are worth the money?:

I am a bit intrigued over Justin Rose being priced at $8,800.  On the surface have to wonder why he didn’t fly over to Dubai and picked to return to Sea Island despite missing the cut last year in his only start.  So he is a big no for me.  Many will take Mackenzie Hughes at $8,600 based on his 2017 win.  But since then has struggled on the course.  He has been solid in his four starts in 2022 and he is a toss-up pick.  Now Brendon Todd at $8,400 is a good pick.  He was T-37th last year in the RSM but 4th in 2020.  Like his good play in 2022, he was T-11th at Mayakoba.  This could be Chris Kirk’s week at $8,000.  Has mixed results at Sea Island, but he was T-4th in 2017, T-4th in 2014, and won the event in 2014.  For the year he has made four cuts with a T-14th at C.J. Cup.  Feel his price is right and could be a good pick.  Danny Lee at $7,700 is a good pick, yes hasn’t played in the RSM since 2018 and his four starts aren’t anything to write about.  But like that, he was T-2nd in Bermuda and T-7th at Mayakoba.  The price is right and I have to think he will be strong this week. Could Jason Day be good at $7,600?  In his two RSM starts his best was last year when he was T-12th.  For this year he hasn’t played great but made the cut so he is worth the try at a low price. I like Adam Long at $7,500 even though he has a lukewarm record at the RSM Classic.  His best finish is T-30th last year, but I like that he was T-11th last week and feel he could be better this week.  Last in this price range is the defending champion Robert Streb at $7,500.  He has not played that bad in 2022, was T-9th at C.J. Cup, and T-7th in Houston.  Normally don’t like the defending champion but for this week it is worth taking him.

*Some of the “bargains” this week at the RSM Classic

Could this be Hayden Buckley’s week at just $7,300?  He has not played at RSM but has played great in 2022 and feel this could be his week.  Could Tyler Duncan at $7,200 shine again?  He won the event in 2020 but missed the cut last year.  In 2022 he was T-14th at Sanderson Farms, T-45th at Mayakoba and T-29th at Houston with a final round 66.  The big question for both Buckley and Duncan, are we sure they can make the cut at worst, I think both will make the cut.  Keith Mitchell at $7,200 is in the same boat, can we for sure feel he will make the cut?  This is a boy that does well in Florida and in windy conditions, I think despite him playing just ok at RSM and just ok in 2022 he is worth the gamble.  Also how about Patton Kizzire at $7,100?  He was T-10th last year at RSM and has shown some good golf in 2022 but hasn’t been very consisted.  While we are looking for guys that can make the cut, how about Lucas Glover at $7,000.  He is steady and makes a lot of cuts, he has played ok at the RSM making seven of eight cuts and made the cut in all his 2022 starts, he is a good buy at a low price.  Talking about some pros that make the cut regularly, Zach Johnson at $6,900 fits the bill.  He lives at Sea Island, has three top-tens in his last four starts in the RSM and after a rough start to 2022 make the cut in Houston.  Another gamble is Camilo Villegas at $6,800.  He was T-6th last year at the RSM and has make two of four cuts in 2022 his best finish was T-34th in Bermuda.  This could also be a good pick for Rory Sabbatini at $6,800.  He was T-12th last year at the RSM and has made six of seven cuts.  For 2022 missed the cut at Sanderson and Mayakoba and was T-3rd at Shriners.  Have to hope he is in the same mode this week as he was in Las Vegas.  After reviewing all of the choices in the bargain section, best to go with experience in making cuts, guys like Sabbatini, Glover and Zach Johnson.

*So who are my six DraftKings picks for this week?

• Scottie Scheffler – $10,900
• Kevin Kisner- $9,200
• Danny Lee – $7,700
• Jason Day – $7,600
• Adam Long – $7,500
• Lucas Glover – $7,000

Here are some of the secrets of what it takes to play well at The RSM Classic:

The key stat for the winner:

• This is a true links course so players will have to be able to play firm fast fairways and be good in the wind.  Hitting into the greens tends to be very tricky and for those that miss the greens getting it up and down is a key.  In looking at the first three winners they aren’t among the leaders in scrambling, Slocum in 2010 was T20th, Crane in 2011 was T41st and Gainey was T35th in 2012.  But the three have one big stat in common, and that is they all led the scrambling from the fringe stat, while 2014 winner Chris Kirk was 5th in scrambling, the 2015 winner Robert Streb was 25th, 2016 winner Kevin Kisner was 3rd, 2017 winner Mac Hughes was 2nd in scrambling and 1st in scrambling from the fringe and 2018 winner Austin Cook was T-1st in Scrambling so this is an important stat.  In 2020 Tyler Duncan was 1st in scrambling so that is a good stat to look at, last year’s winner Robert Streb was 5th in scrambling.  Or for those wondering if I forgot 2019 winner Charles Howell, he was the worst of the winners ranking T-70th in scrambling  In going to the page on PGA Tour.Com it’s the leaders from this year’s scrambling category.  Look, and you will see guys like Louis Oosthuizen, Rory Sabbatini, and Charles Howell III in the top ten, they could be sleeper picks for this week.

Here are some more key stats to look to for this week:

• One of two stats is key, you either have to hit a lot of greens or putt really well.  Look at the eleven winners, Slocum in 2010 was T7th in greens hit and 39th in Strokes Gained putting.  Crane in 2011 was T26th in greens hit but 2nd in Strokes gained putting while Gainey in 2012 was T23rd in greens hit but 3rd in Strokes Gained putting.  In 2014 Chris Kirk was T15th in greens hit, and T11th in Strokes Gained putting, while in 2015 Robert Streb was T-47th in greens hit but 2nd in Strokes Gained putting.  In 2016 Kevin Kisner was T-9th in Greens hit and 4th in Strokes Gained putting while Mac Hughes was T-11th in greens hit and 3rd in Strokes Gained putting in 2017.  2018 champion Austin Cook was T-2nd in Greens hit and 13th in Strokes Gained putting.  2019 winner Charles Howell III was 1st in Greens hit and 24th in Strokes Gained putting  So you can see what is important to win this week.  Last year winner Robert Streb hit 60 of 72 greens and ranked T-7th
• All eleven winners had one thing in common, and that was the ability to play the par 4s.  In 2010 Slocum was 11 under on them, the next closest player was 9 under.  In 2011, Crane was 12 under, the next closet was 11 under, and in 2012 Gainey was 12 under the next closet was 11 under.  In 2014 Chris Kirk was 6 under, in 2015 Robert Streb was 7 under the best for the week was 8 under.  In 2016 Kevin Kisner was 15 under (the best of anyone in the history of the event), in 2018 Mac Hughes was 9 under on the par 4s, in 2019 Austin Cook was 11 under, and in 2019 Charles Howell was 9 under. In 2020 Tyler Duncan was 7 under on the Par 4s while Robert Streb was 10 under on the par 4s. So if it’s Sunday and you’re looking for someone with the edge look at that stat.
• Driving accuracy means nothing on the Seaside Course that makes sense since it’s a resort course.  Last year it was 44th, in 2020 it was 40th while in 2019 it was 47th. In 2018 it was 48th, in 2017 44th, in 2016 it was 47th, in 2015 it was 43rd while in 2014 it was 42nd.  In 2012 it was 44th in driving accuracy, while it was T43rd in 2011 and 38th in 2010 so poor drivers could do well this week.
• Most people disregard putts per round, but this is something of importance on this course.  As you don’t have to drive the ball straight on this course to succeed, you do have to take the least amount of putts.  In the putts per round category Seaside was 4th last year and in 2020, T-6th in 2019, 6th in 2018,  7th in 2017 and 4th in 2016, 2015, and 2014.  It was 2nd in 2012 and 2011, 3rd in 2010.  In a way, this is because it’s a resort course but still putting is important.
• Look for a good mix of players from Sea Island, Jacksonville, and Ponte Vedra to be in the field, a bit of local knowledge.
• We find a course that is completely Bermuda and that is important because it takes a special player to win on Bermuda grass.  Last year Robert Streb was the winner for a second time.  He was born and raised in Oklahoma and lives in Kansas but he is still a player that loves Burmuda. In 2020 Tyler Duncan was a Florida guy living in Ponte Vedra Beach so we can see he plays a lot on Bermuda.  The same with 2019 winner Charles Howell III, who was from Orlando (via Augusta, Ga), in 2018 Austin Cook was from Arkansas, so both were used to Bermuda. Of course, Mac Hughes, who is from Canada and lives in Charlotte ruined this stat but in the other years, it was very interesting.  In 2016 Kevin Kisner won and he was from up the road in Aiken, South Carolina, and knows how to play on Bermuda. Robert Streb won in 2015 and he is from Kansas, which has bermudagrasses.  But previously Chris Kirk (born and lives in Atlanta), Gainey (born and lives in South Carolina) and Slocum (born in Louisiana and lives in Georgia) are southern boys that have been around Bermuda all of their lives.  Ben Crane was born in Portland and went to school in Portland, Oregon which isn’t a place to learn Bermuda, but look at Crane’s wins, three of the four have come on courses with Bermuda and he does live in Texas today.  The point is, look for a player that does well on Bermuda courses.  Of course Mac Hughes ruined the trend in 2017 but you have to think that someone born or raised in the North or Midwest has very little chance of winning.