SIMMONS ISLAND, Ga. — Sami Valimaki won the RSM Classic by one stroke, becoming the 17th player to win on tour this season, the 11th in tournament history, and the first Finnish player to win on tour.
It was a gorgeous ribbon perfect for the tour season. The weather was perfect in Georgia’s Golden Isles and the golf was fun. As always at the Sea Island Resort Seaside Course, the issue wasn’t settled until Valimaki two-putted for par on the 18th hole. This is the 11th time in 16 years that the championship has been decided by one stroke in the playoffs.
Quaid Cummins reacts to a shot from the 14th fairway as the tall ship Lynx passes by during day three of the RSM Classic PGA Golf Tournament at the Seaside Course at Sea Island Resort on St. Simons Island, Georgia, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. Sami Valimaki is at the top of the leaderboard heading into the final round at 19 under. (Cory Perine/Florida Times Union)
It’s finally “Silly Season”.
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This was never an official name and was established at a time when events like the Skins Game (scheduled to return next year) and the “Three Tour Challenge” were part of the holiday golf landscape.
The Tour used to use the term “Challenge Season,” but the event now stands alone.
That includes a match hosted by Tiger Woods (which he may play, given his progress in recovery from back surgery in October) and a match he could play with his son Charlie.
There will also be a team tournament between PGA Tour and LPGA players, the return of a popular made-for-TV format, and a skills challenge between the world’s top two players.
Tiger Woods (center) stands on the second tee at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando during the second round of the PNC Championship on December 22, 2024, with his son Charlie (right) and daughter Sam (left), who was his caddy. Tiger and Charlie Woods lost to Bernhardt and Jason Langer in a playoff.
It’s not all about fun. More than 150 players competing for the PGA Tour 5 card will gather in Ponte Vedra Beach for a high-pressure week that will determine their place on the Tour and the Korn Ferry Tour for the 2026 season.
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There’s nothing “ridiculous” about money either. The total value of the five events is over $21 million.
All but one of the tournaments will be held in Florida.
The lineup is as follows:
The return of the skin game
what: skin game.
when: November 28th.
where: Panther National, Palm Beach Gardens.
FedEx Cup champion Tommy Fleetwood will also be among the participants in the resumption of Skins games.
tv set: Prime (starts at 9 a.m. until end of play).
wallet: Each player starts with $1 million, and the amount increases or decreases with each hole.
Field: Tommy Fleetwood, Keegan Bradley, Xander Schauffele, Shane Lowry.
Contents: The Skins Game, once a staple of golf’s holiday season, is returning for the first time since 2008. In this format, each player’s bankroll starts at $1 million and increases or decreases depending on the hole won or lost and the value assigned to that hole. If two or more players are tied on a hole, the amount is carried over to the next hole.
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Tiger Woods hosts Bahamas tournament
what: Hero World Challenge.
when: From December 4th to 7th.
where: Albany Golf Club, Bahamas.
Tiger Woods (left) congratulates Scottie Scheffler after Scheffler wins the Hero World Challenge for the second year in a row on December 8, 2024.
tv set: Golf Channel (December 4th-5th, 1:30pm-4:30pm, December 6th, 12:20pm-2:30pm, December 7th, 11:00pm-1:30pm). NBC (December 6, 2:30pm-5:00pm; December 7th, 1:30pm-4:30pm).
wallet: $5 million ($1 million to the winner).
Contents: Twenty world-class players will gather in the Bahamas to compete for a $1 million first prize. Although it’s an unofficial event, the World Golf Ranking awards points, so you get more than just money.
Scottie Scheffler will return and aim to win back-to-back titles for the first time, and players such as Schauffele, Hideki Matsuyama, Keegan Bradley, Jordan Spieth and Corey Connors will also join.
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Does your list include Tiger? As always, we look forward to hearing from you.
PGA Tour Champions players compete in match play
what: Skechers World Champion Cup.
when: From December 4th to 7th.
where: Feather Sound Country Club, Clearwater.
tv set: ESPN+ (December 4-5, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.). ESPN (December 4-5, 12-4 p.m.; Dec. 7, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.). ABC (December 7, 1-5 p.m.). The players will have a day off starting December 6th.
wallet: $1.35 million ($100,000 for each member of the winning team).
Jacksonville’s Jim Furyk will return to captain Team USA at the Skechers World Championship Cup in Clearwater from Dec. 4-7.
Contents: Three teams of PGA Tour Champions players representing the United States, Europe and international teams will play in three days of match play competition in a variety of formats. Jacksonville’s Jim Furyk is the U.S. captain, Mike Weir is the international captain and Darren Clarke is the European captain. Furyk will be joined by Schwab Cup champions Stewart Cink, Justin Leonard and Steve Stricker, while World Golf Hall of Fame members Bernhard Langer and Colin Montgomery will lead the European team, and major champions Angel Cabrera and YE Yang will lead the international team.
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Last chance to win a PGA Tour card
what: PGA Tour Q School presented by Korn Ferry.
when: From December 11th to 14th.
where: TPC Sawgrass Dies Valley and Sawgrass Country Club.
tv set: Golf Channel (December 13th, 3:00pm-5:00pm; December 14th, 2:00pm-4:00pm).
Ponte Vedra Beach’s Lanto Griffin won the PGA Tour Q School presented by Korn Ferry on Dec. 15, 2024.
wallet: $510,000 ($50,000 to the winner).
Contents: There’s only one chance to earn PGA Tour status in 2026, and that’s at Ponte Vedra Beach. More than 150 athletes took part, some of whom made it to the finals, while others had to struggle through the preliminaries and two further qualifying stages.
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The remaining players after the top five will earn Korn Ferry Tour status based on their finish.
This is not golf where you hit and laugh. Jobs are at stake.
PGA TOUR and LPGA partner up
what: Grant Thornton Invitational.
when: From December 12th to 14th.
where: Tiburon Golf Club.
tv set: Golf Channel (Dec. 13, 1-4 p.m., Dec. 13, 2-3 p.m., Dec. 14, 1-2 p.m.). NBC (December 13, 3-5 p.m., Dec. 14, 2-4 p.m.).
wallet: $4 million ($1 million to the winning team).
Contents: Sixteen two-person teams, each consisting of one PGA Tour player and one LPGA player, will compete over 54 holes in three formats. Defending champions Jake Knapp and Patti Tavatanakit return, while other teams include Jason Day vs. Lydia Ko, Tony Finau vs. Lilia Vu, Nelly Korda vs. Denny McCarthy, and Lexi Thompson vs. Windham Clark. First Coast will be represented by Billy Horschel (playing with Andrea Lee) and Bud Corey (playing with Jessica Korda).
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The first round is a scramble, the second round is an alternate shot, and the third round is a modified four-ball, with each player hitting a drive, exchanging balls, and playing that shot for the rest of the hole.
Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy headline ‘Game’
what: Optum Golf Channel Game.
when: December 17th.
where: Trump National Golf Club, West Palm Beach.
tv set: Golf Channel, USA (7pm to 11pm).
wallet: 6 million dollars (winner’s share to be determined).
Contents: Rory McIlroy and Scheffler will captain a team that will compete in a series of golf skills challenges. McIlroy’s team includes Shane Lowry, Haotong Li and Luke Donald. and Scheffler are Sam Barnes, Luke Clanton and Keegan Bradley.
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The competition will include a timed driving event (players must hit a drive into the grid within two minutes and are awarded points for distance and accuracy), a timed short game competition (chip and putt from around and on the green within three minutes), a 14-club challenge, a timed shootout, and McIlroy will compete against Scheffler in an iron play and short game competition. “Golf Channel Games” is in partnership with PGA TOUR Studios.
Trying to beat Rangers
what: PNC Championship.
when: December 20th-21st.
where: Ritz Carlton Golf Club in Orlando.
tv set: NBC, Golf Channel, Peacock (times TBA).
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wallet: $1,085,000 ($200,000 to the winning team).
Tiger Woods (left) celebrates his son Charlie’s hole-in-one at the PNC Championship on December 22, 2024.
Contents: this will be 28th A version of the old father-son tournament, it is now a pairing of relatives with current or former PGA Tour players who have won a major or The Players Championship. The format is 36 holes of scramble play.
Once again, it’s about beating the Rangers. Bernhard Langer and his son Jason have won four times as a team over the past two tournaments, and Langer has also won twice with his other son Stefan. Last year, Bernhardt and Jason Langer defeated Tiger and Charlie Woods in a playoff.
This article originally appeared in the Florida Times Union: PGA Tour, LPGA, Champions Tour players compete in busy ‘offseason’
