Check out our preview of the final round of the final PGA Tour event of 2025 – the RSM Classic.
With just 18 holes of PGA Tour golf to play in 2025 we’re faced with another reminder of why golf is more fun when there are multiple winners. More fun for those watching on the sidelines, perhaps, than those actually involved in the business of holding onto a tour card for the next year or finally winning after years and years of trying, but it’s an entertainment and results business so there you go.
Heading into the final round of the RSM Classic at Sea Island the Finn Sami Valimaki leads on 19-under 193 with Ben Coley’s pre-tournament pick Michael Thorbjornsen and Patrick Rodgers two shots back of the leader in a tie for second.
All three are comfortably set up for 2026 which somewhat simplifies the equation for them.
Valimaki wants a first PGA Tour win after landing two victories on the DP World Tour. He’s been something of a lower grade specialist in his first two seasons at this level, finishing second in the Mexico Open and this month’s WWT Championship, fourth in the Houston Open and seventh in the Myrtle Beach Classic. All of those tournaments involved free scoring conditions, as this week, so he’s in something of a sweetspot.
He had a wonderfully batty exchange with someone from the media after this third round. The questioner said: “So I was looking up Finnish athletes today (inaudible) long distance running and whatnot, so good luck.”
“Thank you,” replied Valimaki. Hopefully rally driving, ski jumping and tossing the javelin was part of the inaudible bit. When then asked how many Finns would be tuning in for the fourth round and how many people would be paying attention to the RSM Classic, Valimaki was in even better form than he is on the course. “Hopefully a few hundred at least,” he said. He’s the clear favourite at 13/8.
Thorbjornsen just wants to win and take his career to the next level sooner rather than later. This column often refers to this level of golf as snakes and ladders, and this time of year is when the notion is most appropriate, of course. But Thorbjonsen is a golfer whose desire is to spend his career playing with the slightly different risk and reward. Bigger prize funds and elite level victories. More like Monopoly, then.
In his brief career, he’s found himself in the top 10 eight times going into the final round and on six occasions he has ended the final lap closer the lead than he started it in strokes. The most recent example was one of the exceptions: he carded a 64 to stay remain three shots back. The other was this event last year when he spent all week in the top 10 and a closing 69 left him three back having started two adrift. All in all, it’s solid Sunday work and is due to bear fruit. He’s best price 5/1.
Rodgers has eight top three finishes on the PGA Tour in the last 11 seasons but that tally lacks a win. One of those near-misses was a play-off defeat in this event in 2018 (when he carded 61-62 at the weekend) and he was the joint 54-hole leader at Sea Island when T10th in 2022. He was also sixth in the WWT Championship two weeks ago. He’s 7/1 and that difficulty with winning is the only, if key, question mark over his case.
The three sharing fourth are 16/1 Zac Blair (who has lots of experience scrambling around for crumbs at this time of year and he needs a win to stay on the PGA Tour), 14/1 Johnny Keefer (the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year who is looking to cement his spot inside the world’s top 50 and with it earn major championship starts in 2026), and ANDREW NOVAK also at 14/1.
The latter has had his difficulties when contending on a Sunday. It’s happened nine times on the PGA Tour and he has struggled to break 70. That changed at Harbour Town in the RBC Heritage this April when a 68 earned him a play-off and a week later he teamed up with Ben Griffin to win the Zurich Classic pairs event.
He thrashed a 61 on the Seaside Course in the first round and a 70 there in round three has seen him slip back, but that might work in his favour. He’s three back of Valimaki but only a shot behind second. He has no 2026 worries whatsoever and can just focus on emulating Griffin and winning on his own as well as with a friend. He’s a local, he knows the course well, and he’s also a new dad, giddy after welcoming a first child (a daughter) into the world a fortnight ago.
We’ll add MICHAEL THORBJORNSEN as well.
Hopefully many will be already on-board at 25/1 as advised by Ben. But, if not, this reminds me a little of when he tipped Austin Eckroat late last season in Mexico. He was on the shoulder of the leaders after 54 holes and a touch big in the betting still so we duly joined in.
Below the pace-setters, Ben’s 300/1 pick John Pak is in a six-way share of seventh. Pak needs a win to stay at this level while Seamus Power and Lee Hodges need big finishes. Si Woo Kim, Max McGreevy and Eric Cole have much less to fret about.
Posted at 1010 GMT on 23/11/25
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.
