At last year’s RSM Classic, Joel Dahmen sank a 6-foot par putt on the 72nd hole to retain his full-time spot on the PGA Tour. One PGA Tour winner, better known for his role on Netflix’s “Full Swing” than his play on the course, hit the magic number during an emotional week on St. Simons Island.
It was a pleasant story. Dahmen is a popular figure in the game because of his outgoing personality, which has generally kept him at or around full-time PGA Tour member status, although his golf probably hasn’t reached a similar level yet.
But that almost never happened.
Dahmen made another 6-foot par putt earlier this week, this time on Friday, to qualify. He started the final round on the back nine at Sea Island Golf Club’s Seaside Course, turning 30 thanks to a hole-out eagle. The only shot footage came from the ShotLink tower, which was grainier than some of Bermuda’s grass runoff areas, which can be so dangerous that golfers wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat.
All of this pushed Dahmen to a share of 35th in the RSM Classic and 124th in the FedEx Cup standings, with one spot in the top 125 and all of them earning full-time PGA Tour status.
This year, Damen will appear at the RSM Classic in a familiar position, albeit inside that important number. The 37-year-old is 117th in the FedEx Cup standings — a safe position 365 days ago — but needs a huge week to get back within the magic number. However, this time, the number has decreased and it has moved into the top 100.
This week’s RSM Classic is even tougher as the PGA Tour makes a concerted effort to trim fat through fewer full-time PGA Tour cards, fewer Korn Ferry Tour alumni receiving PGA Tour cards, smaller fields, and the elimination of Monday qualifying.
For a player like Damen to break into the top 100, it takes 100 FedExCup points, a shot, and a prayer. At the same time, he must maintain a position within the top 125 to secure conditional status, which comes with a few caveats.
2026 PGA Tour Priorities
How playing opportunities are distributed among players who have achieved exempt status. Those who meet the categories in bold will receive a PGA Tour card in 2026, while those in italics are given conditional status.
tournament winner | Includes multiple season exemptions |
top 70 | through the FedEx Cup Playoffs |
No.71～100 | Through RSM Classic |
DP World Tour Top 10 | Top 10 Race to Dubai athletes (if not excluded) |
Korn Ferry Tour Top 20 | |
Q School Top 5 | |
PGA Tour University | Ranking 1st and accelerating |
Top 70 non-members | Non-members who earned 70th place or higher in FedExCup points in the 2025 FedExCup |
Top 30 (2nd year) | 2024 FedEx Cup Top 30, otherwise non-exempt |
career money | Top 25 and 50 |
lifetime membership | |
No.101～110 | Through RSM Classic |
300 career cuts | |
Korn Ferry/DP World Tour winner three times | |
massive medical expansion | |
No.111～125 | Through RSM Classic |
Non-exempt medical extensions | |
Beyond No.150 | Past champions and veterans who finished above 150th in FedEx Cup |
past champions | |
special temporary member | |
veteran member |
The discussion this time of year is naturally about the top 100 and the players who have earned the right to play full-time, but the secondary cut-off points beyond that number are just as interesting. Those who finished 101-110 at the end of the RSM Classic would likely do much better than those who finished 111-125, even if both tiers only achieved conditional status.
So for someone like Damen, the transition from number 117 to, say, number 109 is significant. more achievable. No need for outside help. It may be a result of him starting fewer games than he did in 2025, but if there is an upward trend, he will start more games in 2026 compared to if he stayed at the same position.
With this in mind, let’s take a look at some of the names for all of these cutoff points (No. 100, No. 110, No. 125) as we begin the final PGA Tour event of the 2025 season.
