All gasoline, no brakes.
That’s the watchword for the first two rounds of the 2025 RSM Classic, held at the Seaside and Plantation courses at Sea Island Resort on St. Simons Island, Georgia.
The field of 156 turned the tournament into a wedge and putting contest thanks to near-silence, receptive greens, and a bit of roughness. On Friday, the cut for the final FedEx Cup fall round was 7-under 135, making it a high-stakes affair. This was the lowest 36-hole cut of the season in relation to par, the lowest in tournament history (the previous lowest was 5-under 138 in 2017), and the lowest on tour since the 2024 ISCO Championship (8-under 136). A total of 73 professionals and one amateur booked tee times for the weekend.
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Adam Hadwin entered the week ranked 138th in the season points rankings, with job security as his top priority, and after a few ups and downs to the final par on the Seaside Course, he shot a bogey-free 6-under 64 and was delighted to have achieved this number. Hadwin was seemingly on the cut line all season, but he has missed the cut line in seven of his past 10 starts.
Canada’s Adam Hadwin hits a shot on the fourth hole during the first round of the RSM Classic 2025 at the Sea Island Resort Plantation Course in St. Simons Island, Georgia on November 20, 2025.
“I was definitely nervous coming into it. The last three or four holes I was a little bit off,” said Hadwin, who doesn’t need a better than a T-2 to break into the top 100 and is projected to finish 139th. “Every point counts, every point counts. Even if I end up with non-exempt status, I’m an extra player who can jump first, so maybe I can play in one more tournament.”
“I’ve accepted this situation. I don’t think I’m happy with this situation. I don’t want to be in this situation. It’s the worst. For the first time in 11 years at the Tour, I don’t necessarily have a place to call home next year. I’m working hard to get through this situation and thinking about how to get through this situation. Like I said, I’ve accepted it, but I have two more days to try to calm down. Talk to me then.”
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Another player on the cut line is Sam Ryder, who has found himself in this position nearly every year of his career with one exception. The rider will compete in this number and is expected to finish 122nd.
“I was definitely very conscious about my cuts and also aware that I lacked the ability to get the ball to where I wanted it to go consistently, so it was a little tough,” he said.
How did you feel when you found out you needed two more rounds to improve your ranking? The rider said, “I was relieved.” “We don’t know exactly what the schedule will be or how the fields will fill up. I think it’s kind of a learning process for all of us to know how deep some of the fields are going to be. I feel like the players that fall into the 100-125 category have a chance to get a pretty good start.”
Another player fighting to win the weekend who got the job done was Bo Hossler, who entered the week ranked 103rd and shot a 5-under 67 on Friday at the Plantation Course. Hossler knows he will need a big weekend to secure full status for next season. No one is expected to be in the top 100 after 36 holes.
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“You’re going to have a much better chance of getting into the top 100 than just passing through,” Hossler said.
Beau Hossler of the United States hits a shot from the bunker on the 9th hole during the second round of the RSM Classic 2025 held at the Sea Island Resort Plantation Course on St. Simons Island, Georgia, on November 21, 2025.
Not everyone is as lucky as Hadwin, Hossler, and Ryder.
Lant Griffin took an eagle on the eighth, the penultimate hole, but could only manage a par at the end, posting a bogey-free 65 at Plantation, which ended up being one shot too many. He started this week in 122nd place, but is expected to drop to 126th and miss out on conditional status. The same goes for Frankie Capan III, who is projected to drop from 123rd to 128th. Carson Young birdied his final two holes, but his 65 at Plantation wasn’t enough to end the weekend. He is projected to finish 130th.
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With the departure of Griffin and Capan (along with Brandt Snedeker, who entered the field at 8 under), there are only three players ranked inside the top 125: Grayson Sigg, Sheamus Power and Ricky Castillo.
Justin Lower and Joel Dahmen were both aiming to break into the top 100 but want to maintain their conditional status this season after missing out on the cut. Coach Lower expressed his disappointment not only with his own play, but also with the reduction in the number of card-carrying players and field size starting next season.
“I understand the need for change. Do you agree with that? No,” he said. “I don’t think our product is so bad that we have to destroy everything. That seems to be the case.”
Adam Schenk, who won last week’s Butterfield Bermuda Championship, and fellow fall winner Stephen Fisk were sent packing. Some of the top 50 players in the field, including Jacob Bridgman, Ryan Gerrard, Brian Harman and Tom Hoge, were not at their best and their season ended prematurely. The same goes for past RSM Classic winner Kevin Kisner and Sahis Segala, who remains exempt next season.
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The final two rounds will be held exclusively on the seaside course, so a good start will be important. On the first two days, the first nine holes at the Seaside course were all played under par.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: RSM Classic 2025: Who qualified for the PGA Tour finale and who went home
