The RSM Classic Round 3: Sami Välimäki Takes Command With Four Straight Birdies

Sami Välimäki spent most of Saturday at Sea Island waiting to hear something. The galleries at Seaside had been quiet for him all week, so when the applause finally came, it told him exactly how close the shots were finishing. By the end of the day it was also telling him something bigger: he is 18 holes from becoming the first Finn to win on the PGA TOUR.

Välimäki shot 5-under 65 on the Seaside Course to reach 19-under 193 and take a two-shot lead at The RSM Classic. Michael Thorbjornsen and Patrick Rodgers, both with 68s, are tied for second at 17 under. Zac Blair, Johnny Keefer and second-round leader Andrew Novak are three back at 16 under, and six more players sit at 15 under. Per the PGA TOUR, 12 players are within four shots.

Four Straight to Close the Front

The round did not start the way Välimäki wanted. Välimäki said as much afterward, pointing to the third hole as the turnaround. From there, the iron play took over. He made birdie from 12 feet at the par-3 sixth, reached the par-5 seventh in two for another, stuck a wedge to 18 inches at the eighth and hit an approach to 3 feet at the ninth. Four straight birdies to close the front nine moved him from contender to leader.

"I haven't had any claps this week so I knew when I heard the claps it should be pretty close," Välimäki said, per the AP.

The 65 carried just one bogey, per Golf Today. Välimäki has been knocking on this door lately. He was runner-up at the Mexico Open a year ago and tied for second with Ben Griffin at the World Wide Technology Championship in Mexico just two weeks before this event. No Finnish player has ever won on the PGA TOUR, and that piece of history now sits in front of him.

The Stanford Pair

The two chasers share an alma mater and very different résumés. Thorbjornsen, the No. 1 player in the PGA TOUR University ranking when he finished at Stanford in 2024, shot 68 with one bogey. Rodgers, who was the world's No. 1 amateur when he left Stanford in 2014, also shot 68, with two bogeys.

Rodgers' history is the heavier storyline. The AP noted Rodgers has played 311 PGA TOUR events with four runner-up finishes and no win, and one of those near misses came at Sea Island, a 2018 playoff loss to Charles Howell III. "It's just unfortunately in this game you can't control the outcomes," Rodgers said. Rodgers came into the week at No. 63 and is projected into the Aon Next 10, which would guarantee starts in the first two Signature Events of 2026. Thorbjornsen is chasing the same reward and his first title.

Novak Blinks

Novak's lead disappeared in the middle of the round. Novak shot an even-par 70 that included a double bogey at the par-4 10th, per Golf Today, the same hole that cost a penalty drop on Thursday. Novak is still very much in it at 16 under, only three back, though the free-swinging leader of Friday now has to chase.

Keefer, the Korn Ferry Tour player of the year, shot 67 to stay three back. Keefer already has a 2026 card, and the AP noted Keefer has a chance to finish inside the top 50 in the world and qualify for the Masters.

Survival Golf at 15 Under

Blair's back-to-back 64s are the most dramatic numbers on the board because of what they need to become. Blair started the week at No. 154 in the FedExCup Fall standings, and the PGA TOUR's bubble update said only a win would earn full status. Blair has finished 126th twice, in 2017 and 2024, one spot outside the old cutoff each time, and now the cutoff is 100. Blair said the plan was simple: go have the best round of the season.

John Pak is in the same spot. Pak came in at No. 168, also needs a win, and matched the day's low with a 64 to get to 15 under. Pak described having a nothing-to-lose mentality.

Lee Hodges has the clearest math among the bubble players. Hodges entered at No. 122 and, per the PGA TOUR, needed at least a three-way tie for fourth to lock up a card. A 66 left Hodges at 15 under in a big tie for seventh with Pak, Si Woo Kim, Séamus Power, Max McGreevy and Eric Cole. Power shot 65 and is chasing the top 100 as well.

Doug Ghim, the first-round co-leader at No. 125, bounced back with a 67 and is five back at 14 under. The TOUR said Ghim needs at least a solo fourth to have a chance at the card. "I know that I'm tough enough," Ghim said. Andrew Putnam went the other way, a 69 dropping him 10 spots into a tie for 17th while still sitting at No. 119 in the standings.

Sunday Stakes

There are two tournaments going on at once. One is for a trophy, with Välimäki two clear and the Stanford pair right behind. The other is for jobs, with a cluster of players at 15 and 16 under who need the round of their lives to stay on the PGA TOUR. Välimäki said the goal is a good start and steady birdies, knowing the players behind will come fast. On a course that has given up 60, nobody believes a two-shot lead is safe. Full scoring is on the official PGA TOUR tournament page (opens in a new tab), and the TOUR's Round 3 recap (opens in a new tab) and bubble update (opens in a new tab) have more. Catch up with our Round 1 and Round 2 recaps.

Sources: PGA TOUR (Round 3 recap, bubble update, leaderboard), AP, Golf Today, CBS Sports. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: PGA TOUR.