Sami Valimaki Wins RSM Classic for First PGA Tour Victory

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. Sami Valimaki of Finland claimed his first PGA Tour victory on Sunday, closing with a 4-under-par 66 to win the RSM Classic by one shot over Max McGreevy at Sea Island Golf Club. The 27-year-old entered the final round with a two-shot lead over Patrick Rodgers and Michael Thorbjornsen and held firm through gusting winds, securing the title on the Seaside Course and becoming the first Finnish player to win on the tour.

Valimaki, who started the day at 19-under overall, posted five birdies and one bogey in the final round. He birdied the par-5 15th with a precise 3-wood approach to the green and parred the last three holes to finish at 23-under. McGreevy, playing in the group ahead, drained a 30-foot birdie putt on the 18th for a 63, forcing Valimaki to stay sharp down the stretch. Earlier, Ricky Castillo fired a front-nine 28 en route to a 62, briefly appearing poised to climb into the top 100 of the FedExCup standings before McGreevy's birdie pushed him to No. 102.

The victory capped a strong fall stretch for Valimaki, who finished second at the World Wide Technology Championship two weeks earlier and posted nine top-25 results in 26 starts this season....