Sami Valimaki surged to a two-shot lead at the RSM Classic on Saturday, firing a 5-under 65 highlighted by four consecutive birdies to close his front nine. The Finnish player sits at 19-under 193 heading into Sunday’s final round at Sea Island.
What’s making this season finale particularly interesting is how it’s evolved beyond just being a last-chance opportunity for players to secure their PGA Tour cards. It’s now become a battleground for several players seeking their first Tour victory.
Michael Thorbjornsen and Patrick Rodgers, both Stanford alumni from different eras, share second place at 17-under after matching 68s. Rodgers was the world’s top-ranked amateur when he left Stanford in 2014, while Thorbjornsen held the No. 1 spot in PGA Tour University rankings after finishing college this year.
Rodgers has played 311 PGA Tour events without a win, coming painfully close with four runner-up finishes—including a playoff loss to Charles Howell III at this very course in 2018.
“It’s just unfortunately in this game you can’t control the outcomes,” Rodgers said. “I really try hard to control the outcomes, but it doesn’t work. I need to be the best version of myself that I can be, look to build a really quality golf game and trust that that’s going to give me the most opportunities throughout the season.”
Three shots off the lead at 16-under are Zac Blair, Andrew Novak and Johnny Keefer. Blair’s impressive 64 was Saturday’s low round, and he’ll need a win tomorrow to have any chance of cracking the top 100 in the FedExCup standings. Novak, who won the Zurich Classic team event with Ben Griffin earlier this year, is still seeking his first individual title. Keefer, the Korn Ferry Tour player of the year, already has his 2026 card locked up but could secure a Masters invitation by staying in the world’s top 50.
Valimaki’s birdie barrage started with a 12-footer on the par-3 sixth. He followed by reaching the par-5 seventh in two, sticking a wedge to 18 inches on the eighth, and hitting his approach to just 3 feet on the ninth.
“I haven’t had any claps this week so I knew when I heard the claps it should be pretty close,” Valimaki said.
He’s been knocking on the door lately with runner-up finishes at the Mexico Open last year and the World Wide Technology Championship just two weeks ago, where he tied for second behind Griffin.
In the race to secure PGA Tour cards for next season, Seamus Power (65) and Lee Hodges (66) moved into a tie for seventh, giving them solid chances to finish inside the crucial top 100. Meanwhile, Andrew Putnam, currently 119th in the standings, shot 69—which on a day with only mild wind meant losing ground. He dropped ten spots to T17, putting his card status in serious jeopardy heading into Sunday’s finale.
