2025 RSM Classic Recap

on November 23, 2025

Sami Valimaki Earns First Win at PGA Tour Fall Finale

St. Simons Island, GA – Sami Valimaki (-23) won the 2025 RSM Classic to earn his first career PGA Tour victory. The big Finn has been close before, losing out to Jake Knapp in Mexico last year and occasionally showing up at the top of the leaderboard in weaker fields. Now, he has secured his PGA Tour future with a big win at a key moment over a host of hungry players.

Valimaki beat out Max McGreevy by one stroke after he charged up the leaderboard with a final round 63. Young American Ricky Castillo finished in solo third, one behind McGreevy after a scorching round of 62. Unfortunately for him, it wasn’t quite enough to secure his full status for the 2026 season as the FedEx Fall series of events came to a close.

Nico Echavarria, Lee Hodges, and Si Woo Kim finished T4, two shots behind Castillo. A massive group of 11 players finished one behind them, T7 at -18.

A number of other players were in similar positions to Castillo, needing high finishes to secure their schedules for the coming year. Hodges was one of them, the man who won on the PGA Tour just a couple of years ago had a very makeable putt for birdie to climb inside the top 100 but unfortunately could not get it to drop.

Doug Ghim is another perennial PGA Tour pro who failed to secure his fully exempt status despite playing well, ending up one of the players in that logjam at T7. Two other familiar faces who will have to rely on making the most of their chances and the occasional potential sponsor exemption were Matt Kuchar and Beau Hossler.

The PGA Tour will now take a break until the Sony Open in Hawaii in January. The HERO will take place as well as Q School in the interim.

Sami Valimaki What’s In The Bag

Driver: Titleist GT3 8° (Project X HZRDUS Smoke Red RDX 70 TX)

Mini Driver: TaylorMade R7 Quad 13.5°

7 Wood: TaylorMade Qi35 21°

Irons: PING Blueprint S 4-9 (True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 46°-10F, 50°-08F, 56°-10S, 60°-04T (True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100)

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG 2-Ball

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Dylan Thaemert

Contributor at Plugged In Golf

Dylan Thaemert is a clinical mental health therapist living in the Twin Cities area. He is passionate about travel, the arts, and is always searching for ways to increase his knowledge of the game of golf.

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