Draftkings RSM Classic First Round Showdown Picks 11/21/24

This Thursday, Draftkings golf fans will be presented with the first round of the 2024 RSM Classic. Let’s take a look at the first round of this event from a DFS perspective.

Before I discuss my Draftkings player selections, let’s review where the first round of the 2024 RSM Classic will be played.

I wanted to emphasize that the purpose of this article is not to provide an exact DFS lineup.

Having stated that, this article will provide multiple player options in an effort to assist the reader in generating a unique lineup that will hopefully have the potential to win a DraftKings GPP (guaranteed prize pool) contest!

For those readers that are not aware, the rules and scoring for DraftKings single round showdown contests are vastly different than the traditional classic contests offered by the platform.

If you need to review the specific rules for the single round showdown contests feel free to check out the DraftKings website.

*The 2024 RSM Classic is unique in that the tournament is played on two different golf courses over a four-day period. the Plantation and Seaside courses at the Sea Island Golf Resort in Georgia.

Here are my DraftKings player selections for the first round of the 2024 RSM Classic.

2024 RSM Classic Draftkings First Round Picks

J.J. Spaun $8,400

Since the beginning of July, J.J. Spaun has played 12 events on the PGA Tour. In those 12 tournaments just noted, Spaun amassed nine top 30 finishes, including a sixth-place result at the 2024 ZOZO Championship four weeks ago.

The talented American has accumulated three top 29 finishes in his last four events played on the PGA Tour, including a tenth-place result at the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic four weeks ago.

J.J. Spaun is currently ranked 17th in strokes gained approach (0.493), 13th in proximity to the hole (34’10), and 12th in GIR (greens in regulation-71.37%) on the PGA Tour.

Spaun also checks the box for me when it comes to previous event/course history. Let me be more specific. Since 2017, J.J. Spaun has played this week’s PGA Tour event seven times. In those seven tournaments just noted, Spaun has compiled four top 16 finishes, including an impressive second-place result at the 2017 RSM Classic.

Andrew Novak $8,300

Andrew Novak has compiled three top 23 finishes in his last five tournaments played on the PGA Tour, including a second-place result at last week’s 2024 Butterfield Bermuda Championship.

Additionally, Andrew Novak finished 26th at the 2021 RSM Classic.

Henrik Norlander $7,100

Henrik Norlander has accumulated four top 30 finishes in his last seven tournaments played (PGA and DP World Tour combined), including an eighth-place result at the 2024 Omega European Masters.

Due to Norlander’s recent quality finish at the Omega European Masters, I decided to take a hard look at the player statistics for the tournament to see how Norlander fared relative to the field.

Upon completion of four rounds of competitive golf at the 2024 Omega European Masters, Henrik Norlander ranked second in driving accuracy (71.3%), first in strokes gained tee to green (3.547), fifth in strokes gained approach (1.174), and 11th in strokes gained around the green (0.949).

I fully expect Henrik Norlander to continue his outstanding play at this week’s 2024 RSM Classic.

Brando Wu $6,800

The talented American arrives at this week’s 2024 RSM Classic on the heels of two consecutive top 30 finishes on the PGA Tour, including a 23rd place result at last week’s 2024 Butterfield Bermuda Championship.

Additional golfers I like to perform well in the first round (Draftkings price noted): Lucas Glover $8,100:  Sam Ryder $7,000: Tyler Duncan $6,700: Ryan Moore $6,900.