Sami Valimaki victorious at The RSM Classic
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Highlights | Round 4 | The RSM Classic
Written by Staff
Sami Valimaki became Finland's first PGA TOUR winner on Sunday when he closed with a 4-under 66 for a one-shot victory at The RSM Classic, the final event of the year.
“It has been a long road, of course,” said Valimaki, a two-time winner on the DP World Tour. “I feel like it’s a really tough year even when I kind of played decent golf, and then to keep pushing and find some good grooves in the last few tournaments, it feels amazing.”
Valimaki, who had made 17 cuts in 26 starts this season with three top-10s coming into The RSM Classic, was runner-up two weeks ago in Mexico at the World Wide Technology Championship. Now he has a two-year exemption on the PGA TOUR and is assured of playing the first two Signature Events of 2026 by finishing at No. 51 in the FedExCup.
Also securing their spots in the first two Signature Events – the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Genesis Invitational – are Max McGreevy and Nico Echavarria. McGreevy, Valimaki and Echavarria bumped Jordan Spieth, Jake Knapp and Kevin Yu, who all chose not to compete at The RSM Classic, out of the Aon Next 10.
Falling short of the top-100 threshold were Ricky Castillo, Lee Hodges, Doug Ghim, Beau Hossler and Matt Kuchar. Japan's native Takumi Kanaya, who missed the cut on Friday at The RSM Classic and had to play the waiting game, became the last player who wasn't already exempt to earn his TOUR card at No. 99 in the FedExCup standings.
Points and Payouts: See what each player earned at Sea Island
Sami Valimaki claimed his first PGA TOUR victory at The RSM Classic, finishing at 23-under to earn $1.26 million and 500 FedExCup points. The win vaulted Valimaki into the Aon Next 10, securing his spots in the first two Signature Events of 2026. See what each player took home from Sea Island Resort.
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