The RSM Classic delivered drama as Ricky Castillo and Lee Hodges battled to secure their PGA TOUR cards. Relive their final-round charges and gut-wrenching moments on the 18th.
We break down Castillo’s incredible performance, including his clutch birdie putts and mental fortitude, and Hodges’ near-miss that left him just outside the top 100. Plus, we look at other players like Doug Ghim, Beau Hossler, and Matt Kuchar who faced similar fates.
Find out who secured their cards and who’s headed to Q-School. A recap of the FedExCup Fall’s thrilling conclusion!
Heartbreak on the green. How close calls at the RSM Classic left promising golfers just shy of PGA Tour dreams. Imagine pouring your heart into every swing, only to watch your lifelong goals slip away by mere inches. That’s the raw emotion that defined the final day of the RSM Classic. As the FedEx Cup fall series wrapped up with high stakes for securing PGA Tour cards, players battled fiercely on Sea Island’s stunning seaside course. For beginners tuning in, the PGA Tour card is like a golden ticket. Granting full access to the world’s top professional golf events, and finishing in the top 100 of the FedEx Cup standings locks it in for the next season. But here’s where it gets controversial. Does mental toughness alone deserve the credit for near misses? Or is luck a bigger factor in this unpredictable sport? Written by Stephanie Royer, the tension was palpable as Sunday’s action heated up at this pivotal tournament. The last chance in the FedEx Cup fall to clinch those coveted spots for 2026. Finland Sammy Valamaki stole the show by turning his three-shot lead into a historic victory, marking the first time a Finnish golfer has claimed a PGA Tour title. Yet, the real drama unfolded on the bubble where players teetered on the edge of the top 100. Their fates shifting with every birdie. A score better than par on a whole or bogey one over par. It’s a roller coaster that tests not just skill, but resilience under pressure. Spotlight quickly turned to two underdogs starting outside that crucial cutoff. Ricky Castillo, a former University of Florida star making his rookie splash on the tour after grinding through the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour. Think of it as the PGA’s developmental league, where tomorrow stars hone their craft. and Andrew Putnham, a seasoned winner from 2018, who kicked off the week with the scorching first round 61 that had everyone buzzing. Both charged out of the gates, notching birdies on five of the opening seven holes to surge into projected top 100 territory. For context, Castillo arrived at number 135 in the standings and knew he needed at least a three-way tie for second to guarantee his card. Talk about a high bar. He kept the momentum rolling on the front nine, blazing through in a blistering 28 strokes. Putnham, however, hit a wall on the back nine, dropping shots with two bogeies and a costly double bogey on the par414th hole, which pretty much dashed his hopes. With his brother Derek catting, family support can be a gamecher in these high pressure moments. Castillo stayed in the hunt, nipping at Valamaki’s heels until a heartbreaking 3-foot par miss on the short par 312 dropped him to 19 under. If that had happened to me 6 months back, Castillo reflected post round, I might have crumbled to 16 or 17 under total, but I’ve built up my mental game so much that I shook it off, zeroed in on the shot at hand, and came home two under. I’m really proud of that growth. Bouncing back strong, Castillo drained birdies on 15 and 16, highlighted by a gutsy 32 ft putt on the ladder that had the crowd roaring. He closed with pars for a stellar 62 and 21 under. Sharing second with Oklahoma’s Max McGrevy, stepping off the 18th green, projections had him at number 95. Fingers crossed for that tie to hold Ricky Castillo’s 32ft birdie bomb on hole 16 at the RSM Classic. And this is the part most people miss. Golf’s cruel twists. McGrevy wasn’t done. Hauling a clutch 30-footer on 18 to match the lead and push Castillo to solo third, ejecting him from the top 100. Ouch. Max McGrevy’s dramatic 30-foot birdie on the 18th at the RSM Classic. So Castillo heads into 2026 with conditional status, meaning he gets some starts, but has to battle for more through priority rankings and a shot at redemption at the final stage of PGA Tour Q School set for December 11th to 14th at TPC Sawrass Dies Valley course. This qualifying school is infamously tough, like a pressure cooker for aspiring pros, but Castillo’s optimistic. Things have been knocking on the door for ages, he shared. I missed eight cuts by just one shot this season alone. That’s how tight it’s been. Playing alongside Scotty Sheffller in May taught me volumes about his unbeatable mindset. No wonder he’s dominating the world stage year after year. Then there was Lee Hajes, the Alabama standout who ended up as the unlucky number 101. Starting at number 122 and wrapping up his two-year exemption from his breakout 2023 3M Open win, Hajes needed a monster week to stay fully exempt. For shots off the lead at the start, he fired a solid 33 on the front and sprinkled in key birdies on the back to climb the leaderboard. Approaching the 72nd hole at a projected number 102, he nailed his approach to 10 ft. A birdie there could have sealed the deal, but it lipped out by inches, drawing a visceral reaction of agony as he tapped in for par. That miss left him with his third 66 of the week and a tie for fourth. Lee Haj’s heartbreaking near miss on the final birdie putt at the RSM Classic. I drained so many long putts today, Hajes said afterward, blaming that one miss on my putter wouldn’t be fair. It’s been a warrior out there. For newcomers, pudding is often the separator between good and great in golf where a slight read error can change everything. Hajes had a rough patch earlier, cracking a rib in February at the Cognizant Classic and sitting out events, followed by five straight miscuts from April. Now back to full health and form. This top five is his first top 20 since June. A promising sign. Over in the mix was Doug Gim, the Texas Longhorn who snagged his tour card in 2018 and has hung on to it ever since. At number 125 entering the week, he equaled the course record with a 64 on Thursday and wrapped with a 66 for T7 and number 113. It hurts, Gim admitted. I’ve had chances this week and all season, but I control my destiny. Anyone can turn a year around. Look at Garrick Higgo. He started on conditional status, won early at the Corales Pontana Championship, and stayed on tour. Who knows what Q school holds. Veterans Bo Hustler and Matt Cooer also couldn’t quite break through the bubble. Hustler ended at 9 under for T64 and number 104. Coocher at 8 under for T67 and number 118. and in a twist of patience paying off Japan’s Takumi Kanaya, who missed the cut Friday and waited anxiously, sneaked into number 99, the final non-exempt player to grab a card. But here’s a controversial take to chew on in a sport where one putt can rewrite careers. Is the top 100 cut off too rigid, favoring consistency over clutch heroics, or does it keep the field merit-based? What do you think? Should the PGA Tour tweak the system to give more second chances, or is the current setup what makes it thrilling? Drop your thoughts in the comments. I’d love to hear if your team Castillo’s resilience or team Haj’s bad luck.
