The end is here.
The RSM Classic serves as the final official PGA Tour event of 2025. A 156-player field will vie for part of a $7 million purse, with the winner collecting $1,260,000. However, this is the last chance for players not already exempt for next season to finish inside the top 100 in FedEx Cup points and secure a Tour card for 2026.
From its field, course, history, tee times and how to watch, here’s everything you need to know for the 2025 RSM Classic.
The field has a handful of top-50 players
Despite already having full status for next year, seven players ranked top 50 in the world are are playing this week: Harris English (No. 11), Brian Harman (No. 31), Andrew Novak (No. 33), Michael Brennan (No. 39), Sam Stevens (No. 48), Ryan Gerard (No. 49) and Johnny Keefer (No. 50), who is playing on a sponsor’s exemption as the reigning Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year.
Plus, 10 players in the field have won a tournament this year, including last week’s Bermuda Championship winner, Adam Schenk.
And seven past RSM Classic champions are teeing it up: Chris Kirk (2013), Robert Streb (2014, 2020), Kevin Kisner (2015), Mackenzie Hughes (2016), Austin Cook (2017), Tyler Duncan (2019) and Adam Svensson (2022).
Currently on the FedEx Cup bubble is Karl Vilips (who’s exempt next year due to his Puerto Rico Open win earlier this year) at No. 1. He’s 12 points ahead of Matt Wallace at No. 102 (No. 101 Max Homa is exempt) and 13 points ahead of Beau Hossler. Isaiah Salinda and David Lipsky follow in the standings and all five are in the field this week.
A big finish can move mountains, though. Schenk, for example, was 134th in points before Bermuda.
Also, players who have obtained their cards for next season but are playing this week to finish inside the top 70 earn a spot in the first two signature events of the year are Chris Kirk, Rico Hoey, Nico Echavarria, Patrick Rodgers, Joe Highsmith, Stephan Jaeger, Adam Schenk, Mackenzie Hughes and Steven Fisk.
View the FedEx Cup standings here.
Two player-friendly courses on tap
Players love the Seaside and Plantation courses at Sea Island, in part because of the beautiful views—and the low scores.
Players will play each course in the first two rounds, before the Seaside Course hosts the weekend rounds.
The Plantation Course, redesigned by brothers Mark and Davis Love III in 2019, is a 7,060-yard par-72 that was the Tour’s 28th toughest course in 2024 (out of 50), with a scoring average of 1.999 under par. Its toughest hole last season was the 429-yard, par-4 4th, scoring .282 strokes over par, making it the 33rd hardest hole on Tour. Meanwhile, its easiest hole was the 529-yard, par-5 8th, playing .410 strokes under par, the 91st easiest on Tour.
The Seaside Course, designed in 1929 by Harry S. Colt and Charles Alison and updated in 1999 by Tom Fazio, is a 7,005-yard par-70 that was the 13th toughest course on Tour last year, yielding a scoring average of .017 over par. Its hardest hole is also the 204-yard, par-3 3rd, averaging .158 strokes over par last year to rank as the 133rd toughest on Tour. And its least-difficult hole was the 565-yard, par-5 15th, playing .704 under par as the Tour’s 11th easiest.
See you on Seaside, November 17-23 for @TheRSMClassic. ⛳
— Sea Island Resort (@SeaIslandResort) November 4, 2025
Purchase your tickets at https://t.co/WwTRw7M1Z9 pic.twitter.com/WSvMngAeCD
History: A star is born
It was six months that felt like a lifetime.
Ludvig Åberg was one of the most-hyped prospects in recent memory. He turned pro in June 2023 after playing collegiately at Texas Tech.
In September of that year, the Swede won his first pro event on the DP World Tour and was named to the European Ryder Cup team, the first player to achieve that honor before ever playing in a major championship.
Then, two months later, his maiden PGA Tour win.
Åberg, at 24 years old, shot 61-61 in the final two rounds of the 2023 RSM Classic, winning by four strokes in record fashion.
In just his 11th professional PGA TOUR start, Ludvig Åberg wins @TheRSMClassic 💪 pic.twitter.com/R4jDtDYhsS
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) November 19, 2023
He tied the PGA Tour’s 72-hole scoring record, matching Justin Thomas’s 253 at the 2017 Sony Open. Also, his 61-61 set the record for the Tour’s lowest closing 36 holes.
“Beyond my dreams,” Åberg said afterward. “It’s been six months I’ll never forget.”
And it had people thinking about what could be next.
“I think the sky’s the limit,” Mackenzie Hughes said. “[Åberg’s] got the whole package. Got a good demeanor, doesn’t get too up or down. I’m sure we’re going to see a lot of him for the next few years.”
Sure, there’s been some growing pains, but Åberg has molded into a top 10 player in the world and won the Genesis Invitational earlier this year, one of the Tour’s marquee events.
A breakout 2026 isn’t a crazy expectation.
How to watch (all times EST)
- Thursday-Friday: Noon-3 p.m. (Golf Channel)
- Saturday-Sunday: 1-4 p.m. (Golf Channel)
ESPN+ will have coverage during each round.
First- and second-round tee times
Tee times for the first and second rounds at The RSM Classic pic.twitter.com/GmgdVxBBrd
— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) November 18, 2025
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as RSM Classic Preview: Field, History, Course, Tee Times, How to Watch.
