Sweden’s Sagstrom shoots sizzling 62 to grab LPGA lead

Opportunity knocks for short game wizards and first-time winners this week as the TOUR wraps up the 2022-2023 portion of the schedule on St. Simons Island, Georgia, at Sea Island Golf Club for The RSM Classic. After a week of navigating the difficult Memorial Park municipal course in Houston the TOUR will exhale to end the 2022 grind on the resort courses of Sea Island. Birdies better be on shopping list before the holidays as scoring returns to the forefront again this week. Barely stretching over 7,000 yards each, both Seaside (host) and Plantation will provide excellent scoring chances. As is usually the case with shorter courses, everyone is in with a shout when distance off the tee doesn’t factor. Of the last seven winners, only Kevin Kisner has started inside a 40 to 1 chance pre-tournament. Seaside’s par-70 was run over last year with the course record 60 posted twice. The tournament scoring record (22-under) was also equaled. Plantation provides two extra par-5s on its par-72 layout. Each course will be used once before Seaside hosts the weekend. The average winning score since the amalgamation is almost 20-under so rounds in the 60s will be the focus this week. Large TifEagle Bermuda greens provide excellent targets for wedged approach shots. Once on the surface the pure and true greens rolling upwards of 13 feet have no problem accepting well-struck putts. Sand and water frame the two courses and will cause a spot of bother if found. The good news is scoring opportunities abound so get up and down and move on. Key Statistics Only players listed are competing this week; click stat headline for additional players; Stats from 2021-22 completed season. Greens in Regulation Less yardage on the scorecard means more loft on approach! Tons of fairways get hit here (and so do GIR) because less than driver can feature from the tee box. The last five winners and six from seven have all ranked in the top 10 for GIR. Even if the fairway is missed two inches of Bermuda shouldn’t bother these guys. Big targets need to be hit to amass scoring chances! Rounds in the 60s Low scoring is paramount as the average winning score approaches 20-under. Going low can open the floodgates or increase the pressure. I’m looking for guys who embrace festivals of birdies. Scrambling Keeping bogeys off the card this week will take the pressure off of making birdie somewhere else. Of the last seven winners, six have ranked in the TOP FIVE in this category. Don’t compound the error of missing big greens in regulation! Birdie or Better Conversion Percentage Big greens should equal GIR, right? Now, who’s going to take advantage of those opportunities? Seaside is stingier on the greens than it appears, ranking in the top 15 annually in most difficult, but the winner will crack the code. Only one of the last seven winners has fallen outside of the top 17 and five were inside the top 10. Cash those chances! The Bottom Line It’s easy to see why longshots have prevailed here. The door is open for all shapes and sizes this week. Keith Mitchell (Win: +2800; Top 10: +260; Top 20: +120) pops after a top 10 last week in Houston so he’s on my radar as is Tom Hoge (Win: +2200; Top 10: +225; Top 20: +100) and Denny McCarthy (Win: +3300; Top 10: +260; Top 20: +130). I could even stretch for Davis Riley (Win: +4000; Top 10: +333; Top 20: +160). Good luck! Responsible sports betting starts with a game plan. Set a budget. Keep it social. Play with friends. Learn the game and know the odds. Play with trusted, licensed operators. CLICK HERE to learn more at HaveAGamePlan.org

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Want to take a friend for a round of golf with Justin Thomas at Medalist Golf Club right after getting a lesson from his father Mike? How about taking on Lake Nona with Ian Poulter? Or Pinehurst with Webb Simpson? California more your scene? How does the ultimate Pebble Beach experience, hosted by Jim Nantz, sound? All of these and more incredible and unique golf experiences are available via the “Chipping Inâ€� COVID-19 Relief Charity Golf Auction and Sweepstakes but time is running out. April 30 is the final day to get involved. Click here for the auction, and here for the sweepstakes before 9 p.m. ET on April 30. The Acushnet Company stable of brands – Titleist, FootJoy, Scotty Cameron, Vokey Design, Links & Kings and KJUS along with their brand ambassadors have combined to offer these awesome prizes. One hundred percent of the proceeds are set to benefit the CDP COVID-19 Response Fund, the Golf Emergency Relief Fund, and the United Way chapters of Greater New Bedford and San Diego County where the majority of Titleist and FootJoy associates work. It continues the efforts from Acushnet to help out during the pandemic which has included donating more than 100,000 masks and other PPE supplies to hospitals and those in need and retrofitting processes in their Massachusetts manufacturing facilities to produce PPE items and components, including protective face shields. The company is also donating 15% of all purchases made Titleist.com, FootJoy.com, ScottyCameron.com, Vokey.com and Kjus.com, from April 8-30, to the CDP COVID-19 Response Fund. Auction experiences include: Ultimate Pebble Beach Experience – You and three friends head to Pebble Beach for a personalized adventure from local resident Jim Nantz. Includes breakfast at The Gallery, a pre-round putting contest, personalized live and recorded introductions from Nantz on the first hole of 18 at Pebble Beach Golf Links. Concludes with visit to Nantz’s home to hit balls on his now famous par-3 hole – a replica of Pebble Beach’s seventh, a special “Our Tribute” bottle from Jim’s wine brand The Calling, and numerous opportunities to add a plaque in your name to “The Rock of Fame” – where only the 16 who have aced the hole are permanently enshrined. The winner of the ‘closest to the hole’ competition will also receive a custom set of Titleist clubs. Ian Poulter Experience – Lunch and golf for you and two friends with Poulter at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club. Mike & Justin Thomas Experience – You and a friend enjoy a lesson from PGA Master Professional Mike to prepare you for 18 holes at Medalist Golf Club with him and his son, Justin. Brad Faxon Experience – You and three friends get private putting lessons from eight-time PGA TOUR champion and FOX golf analyst Brad Faxon at Old Marsh Golf Club. Michael Breed Experience – You and a friend get lunch, world-class instruction and golf with this renowned teacher at the Michael Breed Golf Academy at Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point. Butch Harmon Experience – You and two friends get two hours of lesson time, lunch and nine holes with Harmon at the Butch Harmon School of Golf at Rio Secco in Las Vegas. Peter Kostis Experience – You and two friends get personal Kostis swing analysis at the Peter Kostis Golf Academy at Grayhawk GC that also includes Peter’s son, John, a Golf Digest “Best Young Teacher Under 40.â€� Includes a round at Whisper Rock. Cameron McCormick Experience – You and two friends can learn from McCormick at Trinity Forest GC in Dallas, where he will provide lessons, join you for lunch and round out your foursome for 18 holes. James Sieckmann Experience – You and two friends will join the No. 1-rated short game coach in the country for three hours of private instruction before 18 holes at either Shadow Ridge in Nebraska or at a Phoenix golf course arranged by James. Scotty Cameron Experience – Enjoy the TOUR treatment and get fit at the Scotty Cameron Golf Gallery in Encinitas, Calif. Includes a Scotty Cameron meet and greet, a personally selected Cameron gift bag, a two-hour world-class fitting, a one-of-a-kind prototype Scotty Cameron carry bag and your own custom-fit Scotty Cameron MOTO putter. Bob Vokey Experience – You and two friends work with their own fitter at the world-class Titleist Performance Institute in Oceanside, Calif., as Vokey, shares his expertise about bounce fitting, yardage gapping and wedge selection. Includes three hand ground, hand stamped, custom made Vokey Design wedges and 18 holes with Vokey rep Aaron Dill at LaCosta Resort & Spa. If the auction items prove out of your reach you can join the sweepstakes that give you a chance to play with major champion Webb Simpson at the legendary Pinehurst No. 2. The winner and two friends join Simpson for the round plus lunch and the experience includes a one night stay for each at the Carolina Hotel; a round at The Cradle, Pinehurst’s 9-hole short course; and a gift certificate for dinner at the Pinehurst Brewing Company. There will be four additional winners, who will receive valuable gift packages from each of the participating brands, including: a Titleist Dream Bag Set-Up; a complete Head-to-Toe FootJoy offering; the newest rain suit technology, Gemini from Kjus; and a luxurious Links & Kings gift package.

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