What to watch at 2025 RSM Classic as players compete for PGA Tour cards

At last year’s RSM Classic, Joel Dahmen rolled in a 6-foot par putt on the 72nd hole to retain his full-time playing privileges on the PGA Tour. The one-time PGA Tour winner, who has become more well-known for his role in Netflix’s “Full Swing” than his on-course playing, eked inside the magic number amid an emotional week on St. Simons Island.

It was a feel-good story. Dahmen is a popular figure in the game thanks to his outgoing personality, and while his golf has perhaps not yet reached a similar level, it has generally kept him on or around the bubble of being a full-time PGA Tour member.

But it almost did not happen.

Dahmen made another 6-foot par putt earlier in the week, this time on Friday, to make the cut. He started his final round on the Seaside Course at Sea Island Golf Club on the back nine and turned in 30 thanks in large part to a hole-out eagle. The only footage of the shot came from a shot link tower, and the video was grainier than some Bermuda grass runoff areas that are deadly enough to cause golfers to wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat.

All of this pushed Dahmen into a share of 35th place in the RSM Classic, 124th in the FedEx Cup standings — one slot inside the top 125, all of whom earn full-time PGA Tour status.

This year, Dahmen arrives at the RSM Classic in a familiar position despite being inside that key number. The 37-year-old is No. 117 in the FedEx Cup standings — a place that would have been safe 365 days ago — in need of a massive week to squeeze his way inside the magic number yet again. This time, however, that number has tightened and shifted to the top 100.

With the PGA Tour making a concerted effort to trim the fat via fewer full-time PGA Tour cards, fewer Korn Ferry Tour graduates receiving PGA Tour cards, smaller fields and the elimination of Monday qualifiers, this week’s RSM Classic has become even more cutthroat.

Someone like Dahmen needs 100 FedEx Cup points, a shot and a prayer to climb inside the top 100. At the same time, he needs to maintain his place inside the top 125 to secure conditional status, although that is not without some caveats as well.

2026 PGA Tour Priority Ranking

How playing opportunities are divided among those who earn exempt status. Those who meet categories in bold receive PGA Tour cards in 2026, while those in italics have conditional status.

While discussions this time of year are rightfully around the top 100 and those earning full-time playing privileges, the secondary cut-off point beyond that number is just as intriguing. Those who finish Nos. 101-110 at the end of the RSM Classic will find themselves much better off than those who finish Nos. 111-125, even if both tiers are only obtaining conditional status.

So for someone like Dahmen, a move from No. 117 to, say, No. 109 holds weight. It’s more attainable. Less outside help is required. Fewer starts than he made in 2025 may be the result, but an upward movement would give him more starts in 2026 compared to if he stays in the same position. 

With this in mind, let’s look at some of the names at all of those cut-off points — Nos. 100, 110 and 125 — at the onset of the final PGA Tour event of the 2025 season.

Players on FedEx Cup bubbles