The Finnish golfer Sami Valimaki (-19), aged 27, leads the RSM Classic leaderboard after 54 holes. A superb round of 65 strokes this Saturday at the Seaside Course, with six birdies and a single bogey, has allowed him to climb three positions to face the final round of the tournament with a two-stroke lead over Michael Thorbjornsen (-17) and Patrick Rodgers (-17). And although all three have secured their card for 2026, they have a lot at stake tomorrow in Georgia.
They are all currently in a position to break into one of the 51st to 60th positions in the FedEx Fall, which would earn them a spot in the first two designated events of the next season, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am and the Genesis Invitational. A very interesting prize considering that these are two of the events on the calendar with high prize funds and a larger bounty of points than the rest of the regular tour tournaments.
A good number of players arrived at this final event of the season on the PGA Tour with their backs against the wall, needing a great result to climb into the top 100 and retain playing rights for 2026. But with 18 holes to go, none are in a position to achieve it. Based on their position in the standings, the one pushing the hardest is Zac Blair (-16), tied for fourth with Johnny Keefer (-16) and Andrew Novak (-16), but for the player from Salt Lake City, 154th in the FedEx Fall, only a victory will suffice.
Seamus Power (-15), tied for seventh, needs at least a third-place tie with two more players to sneak into the 100 players who retain their card. Meanwhile, Matt Wallace (-8), tied for 58th after the first three rounds, needs a solo 43rd to move from 102nd overall to 100th. Tomorrow they will all have the last opportunity to achieve it against the players who remain in the top 100, from which no one is currently dropping out.
