ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Andrew Putnam needed something special this week at The RSM Classic to keep his PGA TOUR card. He delivered on Thursday.

Putnam shot 61 in the first round on Sea Island’s Seaside Course, one short of the course record, which vaulted him into early contention at The RSM Classic. Putnam began the week No. 119 in the FedExCup standings. At minimum, Putnam needs a solo-sixth finish or better to have a mathematical chance of climbing into the top 100.

Putnam opened in 6-under 29, quickly accruing birdies in bunches. Putnam holed putts of 13, 22 and 24 feet to grab three birdies in his first four holes. Putnam finished his front nine with three straight birdies, then added another at the lengthy par-3 12th, sticking his approach shot to 8 feet and converting the putt.

Putnam briefly scared a possible 59 after grabbing birdies at 15 and 16. Needing to go 2-under over his last two holes, Putnam narrowly missed his 30-foot birdie putt on No. 17 and settled for another par on the 18th hole. After the morning wave, Putnam trailed co-leaders Davis Thompson and Rico Hoey by one, who both carded 10-under 62 on the Plantation Course.

After comfortably keeping his card in each of the last four seasons, Putnam’s play dipped in 2025. The one-time TOUR winner finished the FedExCup Regular Season at 97th in the standings and had missed three of six cuts this fall with zero top-30 finishes. Putnam has managed just two top-10s, which came in consecutive weeks at the RBC Canadian Open and Rocket Classic.

Putnam, 36, has maintained a regular schedule on TOUR since winning his lone event – the 2018 Barracuda Championship – though he could be headed to a year of uncertainty if he can’t maintain his pace at The RSM Classic, balancing conditional TOUR status and a full schedule on the Korn Ferry Tour.

Putnam hopes to avoid those conversations altogether. It was always going to take something special in Sea Island. So far, so good.