Sami Valimaki holds a two-shot lead at the RSM Classic heading into the final round as the 27-year-old Finnish golfer eyes a maiden PGA Tour title.
Valimaki rattled off four straight birdies to close out his front nine, carding a five-under 65 that pushed him two clear of Michael Thorbjornsen and Patrick Rodgers, who share second.
Valimaki has two runner-up finishes: the Mexico Open a year ago and a tie for second to Ben Griffin at the World Wide Technology Championship two weeks ago in Baja, California.
RSM Classic: Latest leaderboard and tee times [external]
Got Sky? Watch PGA Tour on the Sky Sports app 📱
Not got Sky? Stream golf and more with no contract 📺
Thorbjornsen and Rodgers each returned rounds of 68 on Saturday and are also chasing their first PGA Tour wins. Thorbjornsen finished college as No 1 in the PGA Tour University rankings in 2024, while Rodgers has played 311 PGA Tour events over the past decade with four runner-up finishes.
“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.”
Trailing Valimaki by three strokes are Zac Blair, Johnny Keefer and Andrew Novak, all tied on 16 under.
Andrew Novak is tied for fourth, three off the lead, heading into the final round
Blair must win to have any chance of finishing inside the FedEx Cup top 100, while Keefer, the Korn Ferry Tour player of the year who already has his PGA Tour card secured for 2026, has a chance to remain inside the world’s top 50 and earn a spot at The Masters next year.
Novak teamed with Ben Griffin to win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, but he has yet to claim an individual PGA Tour title.
Much of the season finale at Sea Island revolves around the race to finish inside the world’s top 100 and the last chance to retain a full PGA Tour card for next year. Seamus Power and Lee Hodges are tied for seventh and have a reasonable chance depending on how those ahead fare. Andrew Putnam, 119th in the rankings, fell 10 spots down the leaderboard to 17th on Saturday and faces a tougher fight.
Watch the RSM Classic throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage continues on Sunday from 6pm on Sky Sports+. Stream golf and more with no contract.
Get the best prices and book a round at one of 1,700 courses across the UK & Ireland (Golf Now)