The Tournament Turns 10!

Events

It’s amazing to see how far the tournament has come and Elegant Island Living is proud to have been a part of it all since the beginning.   

“It’s almost impossible to believe that this is the 10th playing of The RSM Classic,” said Mark Love, the tournament’s Executive Director. “Our event has grown so much – from a fall series event to a tournament with full FedExCup points; from raising a few hundred thousand dollars a year for charity to a few million dollars a year; from 132 PGA TOUR pros in the field to 156; from playing just the Seaside Course to playing the Seaside and Plantation courses. We are so thankful that our Golden Isles community has embraced this event and helped us grow it into one of the premier events on the PGA TOUR.”

In addition to the great golf we have come to expect at the tournament, there will be some new features this year as well:

Redesigned Plantation Course

There’s been a change in the lay of the land on the golf course for this year’s players, so to speak. In the tournament’s opening rounds on Thursday and Friday, the field of 156 PGA TOUR pros will play the newly designed Plantation Course. The course closed after the 2018 RSM Classic for a complete renovation by Davis Love III, his brother Mark and the team at Love Golf Design. Now it’s time to see how it plays!

New Era Saturday Pro-Am at Frederica Golf Club

Due to the popularity and sell-out of the Monday and Wednesday Pro-Ams, the Davis Love Foundation has partnered with New Era to host an inaugural Saturday Pro-Am to be played on the exclusive Tom Fazio designed Federica Golf Club course.  In addition to playing with a pro, the numerous benefits include a Friday night Pro-Am party at Frederica Boat House, exclusive gift package, RSM Classic hospitality tickets and VIP tickets to the Saturday night Cole Swindell concert presented by Southeast Georgia Health System.

Heroes Outpost – Military

Heritage Plastics salutes the men and women who serve and have served in our armed forces. To show support, all active and retired servicemen and women with proper ID will be granted admission to the tournament grounds at no charge, and will have exclusive access to a hospitality venue sponsored by Heritage Plastics located near Seaside’s #9 green. The Heroes Outpost includes complimentary food and non-alcoholic beverages as well as premium golf viewing. In addition, special tournament pricing is available to military veterans.

Heroes Outpost – First Responders

New in 2019, The RSM Classic is partnering with Servpro to support all of our area’s fire fighters, paramedics, EMTs, police officers, rescuers and any other first responders. To show appreciation, all first responders will be granted free admission to the tournament grounds and have access to a hospitality venue sponsored by Servpro located near Seaside’s #9 green.  The Heroes Outpost includes complimentary food and non-alcoholic beverages as well as premium golf viewing.

On tournament week, The RSM Classic grounds don’t open to the public until Wednesday,  November 20 with free admission for Community Appreciation Day. There are some tournament related happenings off-site on Tuesday, November 19 to get you ready for the main event: At the Frederica Academy baseball field on St. Simons Island, PGA TOUR Wives will take on their pro golfer husbands in their annual fiercely competitive and fun game of Wiffle Ball. Gates open at 5:00 p.m., admission to the game is free and it’s always fun! Proceeds benefit Blessings in a Backpack, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which provides food on the weekends to elementary school children who might otherwise go hungry. If you’d prefer a more refined evening, the St. Simons Island Rotary hosts the annual “Meet the Pros” cocktail party in the Mizner Ballroom at The Cloister on Sea Island at 5:00 p.m. Guests enjoy the chance to mix and mingle with top professional golfers over cocktails and heavy hors d’oeuvres. The informal press conference interviewing the participating golfers and the always entertaining Q&A session that follows are highlights of the evening. Tickets for the Meet the RSM Pros event are $100 per person (public tickets) and include one free good-any-one-day ticket to the golf tournament. Proceeds from the event will benefit more than a dozen children’s charities in Glynn County. For more details, visit ssirotary.org.

On Wednesday, November 20, tournament gates open at approximately 7:00 a.m. Take advantage of the free admission on Community Day and come watch the Yamaha Pro-Am Event which will be held on Seaside and Plantation Courses. We encourage you to stay to catch watch what has become one of the EIL staff members’ favorite events of the tournament: the Charity Putting Challenge sponsored by Southeast Georgia Health System. Featuring PGA TOUR pros, Special Olympics athletes, and Boys & Girls Club of Southeast Georgia participants, the Charity Putting Challenge will begin at 4:00 p.m. at the Putting Course near the Golf Performance Center. We love watching the high-fives, big smiles, cheering, and camaraderie between PGA TOUR pro “coaches” and their teams during this event that benefits great causes. At the PGA Tour’s last annual meeting, The RSM Classic was named Best Use Of Players for the way they get players involved tournament week with the Putting Challenge, Wiffle Ball game, and First Tee caddy program.

Rounds One and Two of tournament play will take place on Thursday and Friday, November 21-22 on both Seaside and Plantation courses. Gates open at approximately 9:00 a.m. and tee times will be announced. On Saturday, November 23, play shifts exclusively to the Seaside course for Round Three. It’s Military Appreciation Day as well, so all military service men and women, retirees, and veterans are encouraged to come out and enjoy the day at The RSM Classic. To take advantage of the special ticket pricing for active service members and veterans, visit The RSM Classic website and complete the military verification.

All fans attending The RSM Classic on Saturday can also help raise valuable funds for The Folds of Honor Foundation while testing their golf skills and possibly winning $1 Million by participating in The Folds of Honor Million Dollar Challenge, presented by Bridgestone. Participants will compete in a “Closest to the Pin” contest with a select number of finalists qualifying for a one-shot Challenge Round immediately following the third round of The RSM Classic. The finalist who hits their shot closest to the pin will win a Grand Prize Package and a Hole-in-One is worth $1 Million. C’mon and take a swing!

On Saturday night, November 23, Country singer and Georgia native Cole Swindell will be returning by popular demand to take center stage at The RSM Classic Concert sponsored by Southeast Georgia Health System. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. and the venue will once again be the McKinnon St. Simons Airport. All seats are lawn seating general admission. Tickets for the concert are $40 or $30 for youth ages 17 and under. Combination tickets that include a Saturday grounds ticket for the golf tournament and the concert are available for $50.

On Sunday, November 24, the tournament’s final round of play will take place on the Seaside Course. Gates open at approximately 9:00 a.m. Enjoy the beauty of the grounds and walk with the golfers or grab a good seat to see the remaining golfers finish the day. Shoot-outs and last minute showdowns aren’t uncommon here and they make for an exciting afternoon of final play! The Trophy Presentation takes place on the 18th green immediately following the completion of the tournament.

For more detailed information about The RSM Classic and to purchase tickets to any of the events or to inquire about hospitality packages, visit rsmclassic.com. We hope to see you there to celebrate 10 years of this fantastic community event!