El Finnish Sami Valimaki (-23) has achieved victory at the RSM Classic, the final tournament of the season on the PGA Tour. At 27 years old, the two-time winner on the European circuit opens his record on the American tour, takes home a cheque for 1.26 million dollars, secures playing rights for two more years, and climbs to 51st place in the FedEx Fall, which means he qualifies for the first two designated events of 2026, the AT&T Pebble Beach and the Genesis Invitational.
Starting as the leader in the final round with a two-shot margin, Valimaki managed to withstand the ‘attacks’ of players like Max McGreevy (-22), Ricky Castillo (-21), or the trio formed by Nico Echavarria (-19), Lee Hodges (-19), and Si Woo Kim (-19), tied for fourth place, to maintain his privileged position. With five birdies and a single bogey, the Finnish player closed a great season in which he had already secured his card within the top 100 of the FedEx and achieved a second place, three top 10s, and eight results within the top 25 in 25 tournaments, with only nine missed cuts.
His joy and that of Nico Echavarria and Max McGreevy, who also managed to get into the 51st to 60th positions, gaining access to those first two elevated events of the next year, contrasted with the disappointment of all the players who came to this tournament outside the top 100 in the general autumn calendar. None of them scored enough points to retain their card, so, except for those who had it secured for other reasons (recent victories, etc.), all lose their playing rights for the next season.
Coming up just short.
Lee Hodges misses his final birdie bid and finishes just outside the top 100 at 101st in the #FedExCup Fall. pic.twitter.com/2un2SjCvwR
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) November 23, 2025
One of the most painful cases was that of Ricky Castillo, who, closing the tournament with a brilliant 62, his personal record, was close to achieving the feat. He started the week in 135th place in the FedEx Fall and his solo third place only allowed him to climb to 102nd, a handful of points away from the coveted top 100. Although for disappointment, that of Lee Hodges, tied for fourth, who climbed from 122nd to 101st… and failed to retain the card by missing a birdie putt on the last hole. Jordan Spieth, Jake Knapp, and Kevin Yu are the ones who fall out of the 51st to 60th positions that gave access to the events at Pebble Beach and the Riviera Country Club in February.
