Storylines to Keep An Eye on During The 2024 RSM Classic

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After a long hard eleven months, the final tournament of a memorable season is upon us with the RSM Classic. 

In recent years the RSM Classic has acted as the year’s final showpiece and as well the majority of the field wanting to end the year on a high, for several players this week this toughest represents the final opportunity for them to secure their PGA futures.

Only those who finish in the 125 in the final FedEx standings will earn a full PGA Tour playing card for next year, with those missing out facing an uncertain future.

Ahead of what is set to be four thrilling days of drama, here are some of the storylines that are likely to dominate the headlines. 

The courses 

The players this week will head down to the Sea Island resort in Georgia where the best players in the world will play two courses, the Seaside Course and the Plantation Course. 

The way the tournament will work is that over the first two days the players will rotate between the Seaside Course and Plantation whilst on the final two days of the tournament the action will take place solely on the Seaside Course.

The Seaside Course is the shorter of the two messaging at 7,005 yards. A par 70, the course is right on the tip of the Atlantic Ocean and as well as offering stunning seaside views, it offers a myriad of intriguing bunkers and the weather can play havoc with the field. 

The Plantation Course is longer and plays as a Par 72, whereas the Seaside Course has a links feel to it, Plantation is more of a Parkland course. 

With the fairways lined with trees, players are required to be accurate, but if they are the greens are wide and generous and there should be plenty of scoring opportunities to take advantage of. 

courses 


The return of Ludvig Aberg

During the FedEx Fall Series of tournament it’s normally rare that a player at the upper echelons of the game makes an appearance, the world’s best are usually using this time to rest and recover, but this year it will be slightly different.

Ludvig Aberg won this event last season to land his first ever PGA Tour title and the easy swinging Swede is back for more and will look to defend the title that he won so effortlessly twelve months ago. 

Ranked 5 in the world, Aberg has been off the course since due to an injury and he was forced to miss the end of the European Tour season.

Looking to shake off the rust ahead of what is bound to be a spectacularly busy 2025, Aberg is looking to head into the offseason in good form and will hope to build a solid platform this week.  

Beware some other big names 

The RSM contains a deep field and although it is Aberg who will start as the bookies favourite, there are plenty of other high profile players who could be worth keeping a close eye on. 

One of those names is former Open Champion, Brian Harman. Compared to the dizzy heights of 2023, 2024 has been fairly sedate for the Georgian but he will be hoping that a return to his home state will inspire him to victory this week.

Now ranked 24 in the world, Harman failed to qualify for the season ending Tour Championship and saw his Playoff bid end at the BMW Championship.

Often struggling to find his best form, Harman is without a title this season, with his best effort coming when he finished second at the Players Championship back in March. 

Hoping to show the golfing world that his Open victory in 2023 was no fluke and with his family and friends set to be in attendance, this could be the week that Harman has been seeking all year. 

At slightly bigger odds, one man who is likely to prove popular in the betting is Austin Eckroat. One of the PGA Tour’s most improved players, Eckroat has enjoyed a career year and has been able to get his hands on two titles this season. 

His first arrived at the Cognizant Classic at Palm Beach, with his second coming at the World Wide Technology Championship two weeks ago. 

Now up to 35 in the world, Eckroat is playing the best golf of his career and there won’t be anybody in this field who will intimidate him. 

With many expecting Eckroat’s career to go from strength to strength in 2025, he will definitely be a danger to all in the field this week. 

big names


Plenty of players are battling for their PGA futures 

Not finishing in the top 125 in the FedEx rankings has the ability to be devastating. Not only will a player be able to play in just a handful of events, but they are likely to earn far less money and will need to play exceptionally well if they are to force their way back into the PGA Tour’s elite group of players when those rare opportunities do come about. 

Despite the emergence of the LIV Tour, the PGA Tour is by far the most competitive Tour in the world and due to its phenomenal strength in depth, there are several big name players who need to produce the goods this week to keep the wolves at bay. 

Arguably the biggest is Joel Dahmen. Whilst Dahmen hasn’t won a plethora of titles or championships, he has become one of the most recognisable faces on the PGA Tour thanks to his starring role in Netflix’s golf documentary, Full Swing. 

Starting the week just inside the cut line at 124, Dahmen has it all on the line this week. With the challengers stacked in behind him, he knows a good week is a must and failure to make the weekend could be terminal to his overall chances of keeping his tour card for next season. 

Whilst Dahmen himself is likely to be a picture of calm, inside his brain will be ticking and it will be fascinating to see how he handles the overall occasion. 

Another man who has it all to do is Daniel Berger. Berger is a five time PGA Tour winner and has won the prestigious St Jude Championship twice. 

Starting the week at 127, just two places below the 125 cut off, Berger will need to use all of the experience that took him right to the top of the game just a few years ago. 

Clearly capable on his day, bad form and injury issues have derailed his career. With the pressure at its absolute maximum it will be interesting to see how he absorbs it over the next few days. If he misses the cut, any chances he has of breaking into the top 125 will be over.