2021 RSM Classic: Top 10 power rankings at Sea Island

Webb Simpson has twice been a bridesmaid at the RSM Classic. Will this be the year he breaks through?

The North Carolinian plays some of his best golf in the southeastern U.S. That includes here at Sea Island where he’s never missed the weekend in eight trips, save for a withdrawal in 2017. Rounds of 67-68 were enough to make the cut, but he WD’d to spend time with his ailing father.

Always the proper family man is Webb.

Simpson owns four top-12s at this event, including solo second in 2011 (63-67-69-66) and solo second in 2019 (65-68-63-67). Both of those close calls were playoff losses to Ben Crane and Tyler Duncan, respectively.

“…it’s usually windy here like Hilton Head so you’ve got to keep your ball on the ground,” Simpson was transcribed by Tee Scripts in 2019. “You have plenty of holes that are crosswinds, so that can be challenging. There’s water everywhere, so there are some similarities. But I love the redesign, he did a great job. There’s a lot of slope in the greens now, so you can really use those slopes to help you and get the ball in the hole.”

The 36-year-old has battled some nagging injuries throughout 2021 that have kept him out of the winner’s circle. He’s still played through it to post some solid results

Simpson owns six top-30s in his last eight starts, including T-14th his last time out at the CJ Cup.

His short game was exquisite in the 2020-21 season. He ranked 10th in strokes gained around the green (.353) and 22nd in putting (.435).

Simpson is not a long hitter, but that’s not a huge disadvantage at a pair of courses this week that barely exceed 7,000 yards.