Morfit: Putting a bow on last FedExCup event of 2024, The RSM Classic

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – There was so much happening in the final event of the 2024 PGA TOUR season, The RSM Classic, that it was hard to keep track of it all.

Maverick McNealy striping a 6-iron to just inside 6 feet for birdie on the last hole, then draining the putt that he’d dreamt about his entire life, took center stage.

But there were other huge storylines playing out that should not go unnoticed, from the continued emergence of Florida State University junior Luke Clanton to the stellar fall play of Nico Echavarria to the resurgence of Daniel Berger and Joel Dahmen.

Here are some final takeaways from Sea Island Golf Club.

Luke Clanton is going to be a handful

Luke Clanton, the top-ranked men’s amateur, is a towering talent. What was striking at Sea Island, where he bogeyed the 72nd hole to card a 4-under 66 and tie for second, was how he could flight his approach shots to be anything but towering – even with lofted clubs. This did not escape the notice of world No. 5 Ludvig Åberg, with whom Clanton played over the windy first 36 holes at Sea Island.

“On (hole No. 1), I hit a 9-iron maybe 5 feet off the ground,” Clanton said Friday. “He looked at me and said that was crazy. It was kind of cool to kind of get a compliment from him, but he's just an awesome guy and an awesome player.”

Clanton’s T2 was his third top-five finish on the PGA TOUR this year (T2 John Deere Classic, fifth Wyndham Championship) and the best finish by an amateur at The RSM Classic.

Flighting a ball that way with a short iron, as Clanton did again at the par-4 16th hole Sunday to set up a birdie from 14 1/2 feet, is a rare talent and comes in especially handy in the wind. Meanwhile, Clanton seems to have an extra gear with the driver, where his shot trails can also look cool as he flights the ball through the wind.

Clanton picked up his 16th and 17th points in PGA TOUR University Accelerated, the program by which high-achieving freshmen, sophomores and juniors can strive to meet the 20-point threshold and earn their PGA TOUR card. It’s a matter of time until he does just that, and, most likely, only a matter of time until he wins.

“It was another good week,” he said. “It's hard, man. It's a hard loss, for sure. I think God's given me a great talent and to be out here in general, just to be in contention again, it's awesome. It's going to be a tough one to take, for sure, after bogeying the last, but I think it's proven to me that out here I can win, so I'll be training for that.”

Nico Echavarria was a fall revelation

Nico Echavarria of Colombia shot up from 110th in the FedExCup to 54th after playing all eight events of the FedExCup Fall – and playing them very well.

It was by far the biggest move of any player to play his way into the Aon Next 10 (Nos. 51-60) and thereby earn starts at next year’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Genesis Invitational, both Signature Events.

Echavarria, who bogeyed the last hole from just inside 9 feet to tie for second with Clanton and Daniel Berger (67), banked his second PGA TOUR title at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP amid a handful of other solid fall results, among them a T11 at the Black Desert Championship and T6 at the World Wide Technology Championship.

“It's gratitude,” Echavarria said of his mood Sunday. “How I said it, winning a tournament is hard, but I had a chance to win with – I'm not going to say my B-game, but putter was A-plus and the rest was B to C-plus. Just happy with where the game is and happy to rest the next few weeks.”

Daniel Berger looks like his old self

Daniel Berger finished just short and in a three-way tie for second at The RSM Classic, but that was only because the putts didn’t drop. He missed a birdie putt from just inside 4 feet at the par-5 15th hole, and another great birdie opportunity from just inside 8 feet at the par-4 16th hole.

In the bigger picture, though, he played his way into the top 125 in the FedExCup, going from 127th to 100th to leave no doubt about his TOUR card for next season. And although he raised a few eyebrows in saying he’d be fine if he played to just a fraction of his ability, he may have been right. Berger again looks like the flusher who won four PGA TOUR titles before back problems compelled him to take much of the last two years off to recuperate non-surgically.

“Regardless when I play well, I'm going to be fine,” he said after a third-round 63. “If you think about it, when you miss that much amount of time, it takes a while to get back. I know people are like, you know, why isn't he playing good and this and that. It's just a matter of being patient and eventually good things come around.”

Joel Dahmen was clutch

Geno Bonnalie, the caddie for Joel Dahmen who became famous through the “Full Swing” exposure (he appears in both seasons of the popular Netflix docuseries), likes to say his boss plays best with his back against the wall.

But there’s saying it, and then there’s doing it. Dahmen, who entered the week at a precarious 124th in the FedExCup Fall standings, did it twice.

First, he converted a nervy par putt from 5 1/2 feet to make the cut Friday, giving himself a chance on the weekend. Then, after a blah Saturday left him at a projected 128th and needing something special in the final round, Dahmen delivered again.

He holed out from 110 yards for eagle on his fourth hole Sunday and shot a 6-under 64 that vaulted him 26 spots on the leaderboard, from T61 to T35. And after all that, where did it leave him? Still FedExCup No. 124.

Sometimes you have to run pretty hard just to stay in place.

“That’s probably the most alive I’ve felt on the golf course,” Dahmen said. “Especially the last nine holes, for sure … because I care. I think I was portrayed maybe in a TV show where I didn’t care as much as people think, or I didn’t put in the time or the effort. But I have amazing people around me, my wife, my caddie Geno, my coaches, my friends; they’re just a special group of people who care about me.

“I really wanted to do it for them, and I wanted to keep this ride going,” he added.

Maverick McNealy’s grandma takes no sass

Upon hoisting his first PGA TOUR trophy, an exultant Maverick McNealy gave shout-outs to his current caddie, kid brother Scout, and his former caddie, Travis McAlister. The winner also spoke glowingly of others in his inner circle, which also includes his wife, Maya (they eloped nearly one year ago); his parents, Scott (co-founder of Sun Microsystems) and Susan (in tears as they FaceTimed); and his grandma, 97-year-old Marm McNealy, who lives in an assisted-living place in Portola Valley, California.

Grammie, who sometimes tells Maverick and Scout to stop making so many bogeys, was reportedly too nervous to watch the final putt.

“I haven't got to talk to her yet,” McNealy said after a victory that seemed to be slipping away from him when he missed a 4-foot birdie putt on the 15th hole. “I had a deal since my days on the Korn Ferry Tour where if I make $50,000 in a given week, I had to send her flowers. She doesn't seem to mind that that happens a lot more with PGA TOUR purses than on the Korn Ferry Tour.

“It's kind of her bragging rights around the retirement home,” he added with a smile.

McNealy survived the windy first 36 holes at Sea Island Golf Club largely because he changed his swing under the tutelage of instructor Scott Hamilton.

And, at Grammie’s insistence, he avoided the bogeys.

She’ll want to be checking the mail.

“Then top-10s she gets chocolates,” he said. “My grandma's a witch. If I forget to send her flowers, weird things happen. Food poisoning, clubs snap, balls crack, it's the weirdest stuff ever, so I've got to stay on that. I should probably get her something a little extra special for winning. She's my biggest fan.”

Memo to the assisted living place: If you see Grammie, tell her the kid jarred it.