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 in a share of second.
Valimaki has a pair of runner-up finishes to his name, at the Mexico Open a year ago and tied for second in the World Wide Technology Championship to Ben Griffin two weeks ago in Baja, California.
Thorbjornsen and Rodgers, who each returned rounds of 68 on Saturday, are also pushing for what would be their first wins on tour.
Thorbjornsen was No 1 in the PGA Tour University rankings when he finished college in 2024, while Rodgers has played 311 tournaments on the PGA Tour, with four runner-up finishes, over the past decade.
“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 leader 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 in the top 100 in the FedEx Cup, while Keefer, the Korn Ferry Tour player of the year, who already has his PGA Tour card locked up for 2026, is presented with a great chance to stay inside the world’s top 50 and earn a spot at The Masters next year.
Novak teamed up with Griffin to win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, but he has not won an individual title on the PGA Tour.
So much of the season finale at Sea Island is about the race to finish in the world’s top 100 and the last chance to retain a full PGA Tour card for next year.
Seamus Power of Ireland and Lee Hodges are currently in a tie for seventh and so will have a reasonable chance, depending on how players ahead of them fare.
Andrew Putnam, at 119th in the rankings, potentially has more of a fight on his hands after falling 10 spots down the leaderboard to 17th on Saturday.
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.
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