In the Final Race for PGA Tour Cards, Joel Dahmen Survives While Others Fall Short

At the RSM Classic, Joel Dahmen and Daniel Berger were among the success stories while Zac Blair was the first man out at No. 126.

Joel Dahmen's PGA Tour status is secure for next year. / Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

The RSM Classic was the last chance for players to claim their PGA Tour cards for 2025.

One of the players on the bubble coming into the week was Joel Dahmen. With the top 125 in the FedExCup standings securing full status for next season, Dahmen was No. 124 entering the RSM. Then a late double bogey in Round 3 had the affable 37-year-old on the outside looking in.

“Somber, say funeral effect maybe,” Dahmen describe his mood Saturday night.

Then he went to scorched-earth on Sunday, shooting a final-round 64 with no bogeys and a holeout eagle on his fourth hole. He finished the tournament T35 and squeaked back into the 125 by one spot, where he began the week at No. 124.

“Makes you appreciate things a little more when times are tough,” he said after the final round. “I thought a lot about everything. It came down to the last putt this week. I hit thousands of golf shots this year, missed a lot of cuts, had a lot of opportunities to do everything, so I didn’t have to come to this. I was thankful for the opportunity today, but I don’t want to go through this ever again.”

"It's official." 🥹
@Joel_Dahmen was overcome with emotion after finishing inside the bubble to keep his TOUR card and full status for the 2025 season. pic.twitter.com/QPNKQLKwfv

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) November 24, 2024

Last season, Henrik Norlander was the first man out, finishing No. 126 in the standings. He faced déjà vu this year, as coming into the RSM he was on the bubble at No. 125. The 37-year-old, however, placed T17 and moved up to No. 120.

“Last year I finished 127 and then someone went to LIV so I moved up to 126," he said Sunday. “In December was like looking and looking, looking, seeing if anybody else would go and hoping to sneak it.

"It was pretty hard early in the year not getting in any tournaments. I was first alternate on-site in both American Express and out at Torrey (the Farmers Insurance Open) and didn't get in.”

Making only 21 starts, he was able to flip the script from a year ago. Following him on the list to also secure their cards for 2025 were Alex Smalley (121), David Skinns (122), Sami Valimaki (123), Dahmen and Sam Ryder as the last man in at No. 125.

One of the names on the outside looking in entering the week was Daniel Berger. The four-time Tour winner missed 19 months due to a back injury, but finished in a tie for second at Sea Island for his best result on Tour since 2021, propelling him to No. 100 in the FedExCup, safely earning his card.

Some, though, weren't able to duplicate what Berger did.

Zac Blair, who started the week at No. 123, is the first man out at No. 126 after missing the cut. Hayden Springer needed to move up three spots to claim his card, but a T30 wasn't enough. He finished 127th.

“I've dreamed about being out here for a long time,” Springer said. “So it's really cool to be able to have a full season and to be able to do that. It's been awesome and it's really great experience. It's only going to make me better. I think I learned a lot and will come out the other side better no matter what.”

Springer will have conditional status on Tour in 2025, along with those who finished behind him on the points list. Wesley Bryan followed him at No. 128 and S.H. Kim finished 130th. No. 129, Michael Thorbjornsen, is safe for next season by finishing first in the PGA Tour University rankings earlier this year.

However, if this was a year from now, those who finished between 101-125 wouldn't have obtained their cards. For 2026, only the top 100 will earn full status on Tour. So those who squeaked through this year need to make the most of the opportunity in 2025.