The end is here.
The PGA Tour's last official event of 2024 is the RSM Classic, contested at Sea Island Golf Club in St. Simons Island, Ga.
Since its inception in 2010, the tournament has boasted winners such as Ludvig Åberg, Adam Svensson, Talor Gooch, Mackenzie Hughes, Kevin Kisner and Chris Kirk—to name a few.
With this being the last chance for players to secure their Tour cards for 2025, many players are hoping to add their names to that list while collecting a chunk of the $7.6 million purse, with the winner earning $1,368,000.
Here's what you need to know for the 2024 RSM Classic.
A champion's return
Ludvig Åberg will make his first start since August to defend his maiden PGA Tour title. The 25-year-old Swede underwent surgery in early September for a torn medial meniscus in his left knee.
Last year, Åberg capped off an exhilarating half-year by claiming the RSM Classic in record fashion. At 29-under 253, he tied the Tour's 72-hole scoring record, matching Justin Thomas from the 2017 Sony Open.
Six months prior, Åberg turned pro after sweeping all of college golf's top awards at Texas Tech. He earned a Tour card by finishing No. 1 in the PGA Tour U standings.
Åberg then won his first pro event at the DP World Tour's Omega European Masters in September 2023, helping him notch a spot on the European Ryder Cup team and become the first player to play in a Ryder Cup before competing in a major championship.
"These experiences that I've had over the last six months has been beyond my dreams and I'll never forget it," Åberg said after winning the RSM.
Åberg is still chasing a second victory but in 2024 showed the golf world he's no slouch, despite battling knee issues throughout the season. The world's fifth-ranked player made 19 starts and recorded three runner-ups and eight top-10s, tied for the fourth most on Tour this season. He's also sixth on Tour in strokes-gained total (1.178).
Now healthy again, Åberg hopes to return to the winner's circle in 2025. But first, he'll try to close out 2024 with a victory at Sea Island.
The course
Players love the Seaside and Plantation courses at Sea Island. The beautiful views have something to do with that, but so do the low scores the course provides.
Players will play each course the first two rounds, then after the cut the weekend rounds will be on the Seaside Course.
The Plantation Course, redesigned by brothers Mark and Davis Love III in 2019, is a 7,060-yard par-72 that ranked 41st out of 50 courses during the 2022-23 season, with a scoring average of 1.535 under par. Its toughest hole last season was the par-3 3rd, scoring +.195 over par, 115th highest on Tour.
The Seaside Course, designed in 1929 by Harry S. Colt and Charles Alison and updated in 1999 by Tom Fazio, is a 7,005-yard par-70 that was the 35th toughest course on Tour last season, yielding a scoring average of 1.014 under par. Its hardest hole is also the par-3 3rd, averaging +.205 over par last year to rank 106th toughest on Tour.
One last chance
The Tour's anchor stop presents one final opportunity for players to claim their cards for next year.
Those within the top 125 in the FedExCup standings will notch full status for 2025, with the top 150 obtaining conditional status.
Wesley Bryan is currently on the bubble in the 125th spot. With the exception of No. 121 Sami Valimaki, all player from Nos. 120-130 are in the 156-player field.
Some notable names on the outside looking in are Daniel Berger (127), who missed 19 months due to a back injury, Pierceson Coody (129), Garrick Higgo (135) and Gary Woodland (139).
Meanwhile, Joel Dahmen (124), Zac Blair (123) and Sam Ryder (122) are currently safe for next season, but hanging by a thread.
Also in the field are major champions Zach Johnson, Francesco Molinari, Brian Harman and tournament host Love III, along with the seven winners from this fall: Patton Kizzire, Kevin Yu, Matt McCarty, J.T. Poston, Nico Echavarria, Austin Eckroat and Rafael Campos.
Many players have already obtained their cards for next season, but are looking to get into the top 60, which secures a spot in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and Genesis Invitational. Tom Kim (57), Nick Taylor (58) and Justin Rose (60) aren't playing this week, but Echavarria (59), Kevin Yu (61), Lucas Glover (62), Mark Hubbard (63) and Jake Knapp (64) are.
Last week, the Butterfield Bermuda Championship showed that all it takes is one week to completely change a career. Campos came into the week ranked No. 147 in the FedExCup but then earned his first Tour win, notching him a two-year exemption and a trip to the Masters.
View the full FedExCup standings here.
How to watch
All four rounds will be on Golf Channel, with Thursday and Friday from noon to 3 p.m. ET and the final two rounds from 1-4 p.m.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Four Things to Know for the RSM Classic, the PGA Tour's Last Official Event of 2024.
