Tournament: RSM Classic – Sea Island Resort (Seaside), Sea Island, GA
Hole: 16th – Par 4, 407 Yards
Architect(s): Harry Colt & Charles Alison – 1929
Tom Fazio (Renovation) – 1999

Architectural Summary:

The 16th hole at Sea Island measures 407 yards and emphasizes strategy from the tee to navigate the par 4 hole which features a tidal creek running the entire left side of the fairway. A forced carry over the tidal marsh is required from the tee where competitors will look to challenge the tidal creek, on the left, to achieve a slightly better angle into the green. The lone fairway bunker is located just beyond 300 yards from the tee, prompting players to play a wood or hybrid from the tee pending wind direction to take it “out of play”. Finding the fairway is essential as holding the green is difficult from the thick Bermuda rough. A short iron to wedge will likely be left into the well-protected and slightly elevated green. The shallow, yet wide green measures 40 yards wide by 21 yards deep. Players will tend to favor “misses” going long as a deep greenside bunker guards the front right side of the putting surface in addition to the false front protecting the left side. The green itself slopes from back-right to front-left. Overall, scoring opportunities will be found on the second to last par 4 at Sea Island’s Seaside course, but the difficult green will make par a good score.

Statistical Analysis:

During the 2015 RSM Classic, the 16th hole played as the 4th most difficult hole with a scoring average of 4.06 (49 birdies, 219 pars, 13 bogeys, 13 doubles, and 3 “others”).

Fun Facts:

• The Seaside course record is held by Tommy Gainey, who shot a 60 in the final round of the 2012 tournament. 2015 tournament victor Kevin Kisner shot a new 72-hole record (260) after his six-shot triumph.
• In the previous six editions of the RSM Classic, the eventual winner has recorded a birdie in the final round on the 16th hole 4 out of 6 times. Each of the tournament’s first three winners birdied 16 en route to victory.
• The Sea Island’s Seaside course dates back to 1929 when nine holes were laid out by English architects Harry Colt and Charles Alison. The back nine in the marsh was originally created by Joe Lee in the 1970s. The current routing was created after the 1999 renovation by Tom Fazio.