ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. — Sami Valimaki became Finland’s first PGA Tour winner on Sunday when he closed with a 4-under 66 for a one-shot victory in the RSM Classic, the final event of the year, which saw hopes rise and fall over the final hour at Sea Island.
Valimaki, who had two runner-up finishes over the past two seasons, used putter from below the green on the 16th and then holed an 18-foot putt putt. He was steady over the closing holes even as the wind abruptly changed direction with a little more force late in the day.
Far more dramatic was everything going on in front of him.
The top 100 in the FedEx Cup standings — down from 125 players in previous years — have full PGA Tour cards for a 2026 season when the fields will be smaller.
Ricky Castillo shot 28 on the front nine and closed with a 62, and when he finished, it looked like that would be enough for him to move from No. 135 inside the top 100. But then Max McGreevy holed a 30-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a 63, moving him into second place alone.
That bumped Castillo down to No. 102 by fewer than 10 points.
Right after McGreevy holed his putt, Lee Hodges had a 10-foot birdie attempt that narrowly missed and cost him a chance to move into the top 100. The par for a 66 left him at No. 101 in the FedEx Cup standings by about two points.
When the RSM Classic ended, the players at Nos. 95 to 100 going into the final event were unchanged.
And there was Valimaki, a two-time winner on the European tour who was runner-up two weeks ago in Mexico. Now he has a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour and is assured of playing the first two $20 million signature events of 2026 by finishing at No. 51 in the FedEx Cup.