Sami Valimaki wins RSM Classic to become Finland's first PGA Tour champ
Garry Smits- Sami Valimaki became the first Finnish native to win on the PGA Tour at the RSM Classic.
- Valimaki finished at 23-under par, one shot ahead of Max McGreevy.
- Ricky Castillo shot a front-nine 28 but finished third, falling short of earning full Tour status.
Sami Valimaki held off first Ricky Castillo and then Max McGreevy to became the first native of Finland to win on the PGA Tour when he captured the RSM Classic by one shot over McGreevy and two over Castillo at the Sea Island Resort Seaside Course on Sunday
Valimaki (66) finished at 23-under par 259. McGreevy (63), who was staying loose on the practice range after posting a 22-under nearly an hour before, birdied three of his last five holes, capped by a putt of 29-8 at No. 18. Castillo (62) finished solo third at 21 under.
Valamaki, a native of Nokia, Finland, briefly lost his lead to Castillo but regained it with a short birdie putt at No. 10, two-putted for birdie at the par-5 15th hole and then dropped an excruciating par putt of 18 feet, 8 inches at No. 16 to preserve his lead.
He two-putted No. 17 from 17 feet, then hit the fairway and played a safety shot to within 30 feet at No. 18. Valimaki lagged his first putt within inches and tapped in for the victory.
Valimaki earned $1.26 million and 500 FedEx Cup points. He went from 74th on the FedEx Cup Fall points list to a projected 51st, while McGreevy jumped from 89th to 60th.
Nico Echavarria (65), Lee Hodges (66) and Si Woo Kim (66) tied for fourth at 19-under. Sam Stevens (63) made the first hole-in-one at the RSM Classic since 2023 when he used a 6-iron from 198 yards out to ace the third hole.
The tournament ended the PGA Tour season with four players winning their first career title during the FedEx Cup Fall. Valimaki is the 11th first-time winner in the 16-year history of the RSM Classic.
Ricky Castillo made the biggest early run
Castillo, the former University of Florida All-American and a Jacksonville resident, made the earliest run at Valimaki's 54-hole lead with an impressive display of ball-striking and putting on the front nine.
Castillo birdied his first two holes, on putts of 21 and 8 feet, and went on to break the tournament's nine-hole scoring record with a 7-under 28. Castillo birdied five in a row, from Nos. 5 to 9, never requiring a putt longer than 13 feet.
He had eight one-putt greens on the front, and 10 putts in all.
However, Castillo was 1-over for the first five holes of the back, recovered with birdies at Nos. 15 and 16 (the latter on a 32-foot putt). His solo third fell short of what he needed to remain fully exempt on the PGA Tour card for 2026, which was projected to be a three-way tie for second of better.
Castillo is projected to finish 102nd, which will earn him conditional PGA Tour status.