The First Look: The RSM Classic

This week marks the 47th – and final – event of the 2024 PGA TOUR season.

The stakes, for so many in the field, have never been higher.

With it being the FedExCup Fall finale, that means the cut off to earn spots in early Signature Events, PGA TOUR cards and conditional status all happen Sunday night at The RSM Classic.

This week also marks the return of defending champion Ludvig Åberg to the PGA TOUR.

Here’s everything else you need to know as the PGA TOUR returns to Sea Island.

FIELD NOTES: Ludvig Åberg will be in the field to defend his title at The RSM Classic, which will mark his return to the PGA TOUR after having knee surgery earlier in the fall. His status was to be determined after going under the knife in early September to repair a torn medial meniscus in his left knee. Åberg last teed it up at the TOUR Championship in August, where he finished 16th on the season-long FedExCup. He looks to become the first back-to-back winner in RSM Classic history … Rafael Campos will tee it up at The RSM Classic after breaking through for his first TOUR victory Sunday at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. Campos’ wife was induced a week ago Monday and gave birth to a baby girl so Campos could tee it up in Bermuda, looking to secure PGA TOUR status for 2025 (he was No. 147 in the FedExCup Fall heading into the week). He did more than that, however, but is looking to keep the momentum going in Georgia … This is the biggest week of the year for so many on the PGA TOUR, with the cut-off point for the top 125 in the FedExCup Fall occurring at the tournament conclusion. Wesley Bryan currently sits No. 125 in the standings and has chosen a fabulous time to go on his best run of golf all year. He hasn’t missed a cut through five starts in the FedExCup Fall and has four top-25 finishes … Joel Dahmen sits at No. 124, just two points ahead of Bryan … Sam Ryder finished T5 and moved inside the top 125 after the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, from No. 135 to No. 122 … Henrik Norlander (No. 122 to No. 126), Daniel Berger (No. 124 to No. 127) and Hayden Springer (No. 125 to No. 128) moved outside the magic number. Bryan, Dahmen, Ryder, Norlander, Berger and Springer are among those hovering around the bubble who are teeing it up at The RSM Classic, trying to put a successful bow on their seasons … Another key cut-off mark is No. 150 in the FedExCup Fall standings, as Nos. 126-150 will earn conditional status for next year. Erik Barnes is currently No. 151, just two points back of Ryan Moore at No. 150, and both are in the field.

SPONSOR EXEMPTIONS: Luke Clanton is back in action on TOUR after last teeing it up at the Procore Championship in September. It will mark his eighth TOUR start in 2024. He’s recorded three top 10s, including a T2 at the John Deere Classic in July… Steven Fisk will make his PGA TOUR debut. Fisk finished fourth on the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour Points List on the back of a win and two runner-ups … Jacob Modleski, a sophomore at Notre Dame, received a spot in the field via his win at the Jones Cup Invitational in January. He helped guide the Fighting Irish to their first NCAA national championship since the “regional” format was adopted in 1989 … Paul Peterson, who won the Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation on the Korn Ferry Tour in September and finished 17th on the Points List to earn a PGA TOUR card, will make his RSM Classic debut. Peterson and his family are residents of the Golden Isles. His last TOUR start came at the Wyndham Championship in 2019 where he finished tied for 36th … Another long-time Sea Island resident, Jonathan Byrd, is also in the field on a sponsor invite along with Kyle Westmoreland and Christo Lamprecht, who finished tied for 23rd at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship last week. Lamprecht has a chance to earn exempt Korn Ferry Tour membership for 2025 via the PGA TOUR University Total Points List, as long as he finishes in the top three of the standings after this week. He’s less than 12 points back of Austin Greaser, who currently holds the No. 3 spot.

SIGNATURE EVENT STORYLINES: As part of the Aon Next 10, players ranked Nos. 51-60 through the FedExCup Fall will earn their way into two early-season 2025 Signature Events – the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Genesis Invitational. The RSM Classic marks the final event to try to qualify … With his T29 at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, Nico Echavarria – who won the recent ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP – moved from No. 61 to No. 59 in the standings. The rest of the golfers ranked Nos. 51-60 remained the same, with Kevin Yu moving from No. 60 to No. 61. Yu trails Justin Rose by just four points. Yu is in the field this week at The RSM Classic … Campos’ win in Bermuda moved him from No. 147 to No. 80 in the standings and within shouting distance of No. 60 … Andrew Novak, who finished runner-up in Bermuda, moved from No. 93 to No. 70, while Mark Hubbard, who finished T3, went from No. 71 to No. 63 and will look for another big week this week.

The current standings are:

• No. 51: Mackenzie Hughes
• No. 52: Maverick McNealy
• No. 53: Patrick Rodgers
• No. 54: Harris English
• No. 55: Seamus Power
• No. 56: Ben Griffin
• No. 57: Tom Kim
• No. 58: Nick Taylor
• No. 59: Nico Echavarria
• No. 60: Justin Rose

FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 FedExCup points.

The RSM Classic is the final event of the FedExCup Fall and the PGA TOUR’s 2024 season finale. At the end of the FedExCup Fall, those that rank from 126-150 on the final FedExCup Fall Points List will have conditional status for the 2024 PGA TOUR Season. All players outside the top 125 can improve or regain TOUR status via PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry.

COURSE: Sea Island Resort (Seaside Course), 7,005 yards, par 70; Sea Island Resort (Plantation Course), 7,060 yards, par 72. Golfers will once again tee it up on the Plantation and the Seaside courses for the first two days before the Seaside takes on hosting duties through the weekend. In 1999, Tom Fazio was charged with redesigning the Seaside Course, a links-style layout adjacent to the ocean. The Plantation Course was re-done by tournament host Davis Love III and his brother Mark in 2019.

72-HOLE RECORD: 253, Ludvig Åberg (2023)

18-HOLE RECORD: 60, Tommy Gainey (fourth round, 2012, Seaside), Sebastián Muñoz (first round, 2021, Seaside), Tyler McCumber (fourth round, 2021, Seaside), Mackenzie Hughes (third round, 2023, Seaside)

LAST TIME: Åberg captured his first PGA TOUR title in record-setting fashion, firing a 29-under 253. His aggregate score tied for the lowest 72-hole total in PGA TOUR history, while he also set the record for the lowest score over a tournament’s final two rounds (61-61). Additionally, his final 54 holes set a TOUR record for lowest score over three consecutive rounds. Hughes finished second by four shots thanks to a third-round, course-record-tying 60 (he just missed a 16-foot birdie try on 18 to shoot 59). To Hughes’ credit, his 25-under total would have won every other RSM Classic contested in the tournament’s history. Tyler Duncan and Eric Cole finished tied for third at 22-under.

How to follow (all times ET)

Television

• Thursday-Friday: noon-3 p.m. (Golf Channel)
• Saturday-Sunday: 1-4 p.m. (Golf Channel)

PGA TOUR Live:

PGA TOUR Live is available exclusively on ESPN+

• Main feed: Primary tournament coverage featuring the best action from across the course
• Marquee group: New “marquee group” showcasing every shot from each player in the group
• Featured groups: Traditional PGA TOUR LIVE coverage of two concurrent featured groups
• Featured holes: Combination of par 3s and iconic or pivotal holes

PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and free at PGATOUR.COM/liveaudio:

• Thursday-Friday: 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
• Saturday-Sunday: 11 a.m.-4 p.m.