We made it. We're almost to Thanksgiving, but what began in Hawaii in January 2018 will end this week in Georgia. This week's RSM Classic is the last official PGA Tour event of the season with both The Match between Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods as well as Tiger's Hero World Challenge -- both unofficial events -- upcoming after that.

Let's take a look at this week's contest.

Event information

What: RSM Classic | When: Nov. 15-18
Where: Sea Island Golf Club -- St. Simons Island, Georgia

Ranking the field (odds)

  1. Webb Simpson (9-1): He's had the best year of anybody in the field and has the best pedigree of anybody, too.
  2. Cameron Champ (20-1): Here for it. He followed up his win in Mississippi with a T28 in Las Vegas and a T10 in Mexico last week.
  3. J.J Spaun (20-1): Wait, J.J. Spaun?! Sure, he finished solo second here last season and T3 last week in Mexico. Trending going both ways!
  4. C.T. Pan (25-1): The lesser Spaun. He was T16 last week and T13 last year. I love his game, and could easily see win No. 1 coming here this week. 
  5. Chesson Hadley (25-1): Two top 10s in his last three starts. It feels odd to put him ahead of major winners like Zach Johnson and Lucas Glover, but he's been solid for the last year-plus.
  6. Joaquin Niemann (33-1): In this field, give me a top-five talent, even after that T60 last week.
  7. Lucas Glover (28-1): Top 10 so far this season in strokes gained tee to green, which is obviously a delight to me. 
  8. Sam Ryder (50-1): Another guy who's currently top 10 in strokes gained from tee to green. Two top fives in four starts so far. 
  9. Austin Cook (28-1): He'll try to win two of these in a row after finishing the season nicely with top 10s at Memphis and Greenbrier, and no missed cuts after June (he also missed a cut this season at Shriners a few weeks ago).
  10. Luke List (35-1): One of my potential breakout stars of the year was cut last week and didn't play this tournament last year. Trust the ball-striking (which is currently top 10)!

Field strength -- D: Not good! There's some intriguing young talent -- Champ and Niemann -- but overall it's one of the weaker fields of the year.

Three stories to watch

1. Champ the champ: A one-off win would be one thing, but Champ chased it with another top 10 last week in a field that included Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler. He's one of the more fascinating, under-the-radar (?) storylines heading into 2019, and I'm excited to watch him one final time before the calendar flips.

2. Hawaii awaits: I enjoyed this nugget from PGATour.com about how all eight winners of this event have won their first event of the season here, which means they've gotten to go to Kapalua for the season-opening Tournament of Champions in January. That streak will likely continue as only a handful of golfers in this field already have a win in 2018.

3. Webb's capper: Simpson finished T15 in his only start so far this season at the Shriners a few weeks ago. It followed a season in which he had nine (!) top 10s, a Players Championship victory and lit a fire for the United States at the Ryder Cup in Paris. For a tournament favorite who just had arguably the best season of his career, a win in Georgia this weekend would be a nice holiday sendoff.

Past winners

  • 2017: Austin Cook
  • 2016: Mackenzie Hughes
  • 2015: Kevin Kisner
  • 2014: Robert Streb
  • 2013: Chris Kirk

RSM Classic picks

Winner: I'm in. I'm not sure if I'm all the way in, but I'm definitely in. Plus, who doesn't want to see Champ notch two titles before heading off to Hawaii in January and what could be a fascinating freshman campaign for the former Texas A&M Aggie? Odds: 20-1   
Top 10: There's a reason he's pretty easily the favorite here. He's among the top five historically in strokes gained at this event, and I trust his game more than anybody else in the field this week. Odds: 9-1   
Sleeper: Cauley hasn't missed a cut this season since returning from injury, and has one top 10 in that time. Immense talent that's probably a little undervalued at that number. Odds: 50-1