No Dirt Thursday: The RSM Classic at Sea Island
Date: Nov 20–23, 2025
Course: Sea Island Golf Club, St. Simons Island, Georgia
Seaside Course: Par 70, 7,005 yards
Plantation Course: Par 72, 7,060 yards
Purse: $7,000,000
Welcome [back] to No Dirt Thursday.
Each week we give you the quickest, cleanest briefing on the PGA TOUR stop: last three editions, a snap history, what the course asks, and a few only-here nuggets.
This week the FedExCup Fall finale hits the Georgia coast at Sea Island. Players are chasing a trophy, a two–year exemption, and full status for 2026. Early on Thursday, Sea Island is already giving up low ones, with Rico Hoey (pictured below) and Andrew Putnam setting the pace as they torch Plantation in the morning wave.
Last three editions (before this year)
2024 (watch it here)
Winner: Maverick McNealy
Score: 266, minus 16
Margin: Won by 1 over Daniel Berger, Nico Echavarría and amateur Luke Clanton
2023 (read about it here)
Winner: Ludvig Åberg
Score: 253, minus 29
Margin: Won by 4 over Mackenzie Hughes
That 253 tied the all time PGA TOUR 72 hole aggregate scoring record that Justin Thomas set at the 2017 Sony Open and Scottie Scheffler matched at the 2025 CJ Byron Nelson.
2022 (read about it here)
Winner: Adam Svensson
Score: 263, minus 19
Margin: Won by 2 over Brian Harman, Callum Tarren and Sahith Theegala
If history holds, anything in the high teens to high twenties under par is in play.
Quick tournament history
First played in 2010 as the McGladrey Classic, always at Sea Island Golf Club.
Hosted by Davis Love III and run by the Davis Love Foundation, which has raised more than 42 million dollars for charities that support children and families.
Rebranded as the RSM Classic when the title sponsor changed in 2015.
Since mid 2010s it has used both Seaside and Plantation courses on Thursday and Friday, then Seaside only on the weekend.
In the modern calendar it is the FedExCup Fall finale, where players fight to finish inside the top 100 for full cards and chase the Aon Next 10 slots into early season Signature Events.
This is the last official stop before the Hero World Challenge and the short December swing.
About the hosts: Seaside and Plantation
Seaside Course
Par 70, 7,005 yards, links style along the marsh and St. Simons Sound. 1
Originally designed in 1929 by Harry Colt and Charles Alison, later tied together and refined by Tom Fazio in 1999.
Open, windswept, with tidal marsh framing many holes and short grass runoffs around tight TifEagle greens.
Plantation Course
Par 72, about 7,060 yards, a parkland and coastal hybrid.
Roots with Walter Travis, then significantly reworked by Rees Jones and most recently redesigned by Davis and Mark Love, reopening before the 2019 RSM.
Water is in play on roughly ten holes, fairways are generous, and angles into greens matter more than brute length.
What the setup asks
Off the tee: You can hit plenty of driver, but positioning into the right side of fairways is key. Seaside rewards players who shape tee shots into the wind and away from marsh.
Approach play: Small, firm coastal greens mean that wedges and short irons decide everything. Misjudge wind or spin and you are chipping from tight, closely mown runoffs.
Short game and putting: TifEagle style coastal greens put a premium on clean lies and precise contact. The Sea Island regulars often separate themselves on and around the greens.
This is a ball strikers birdie fest. You cannot fake your way to minus 20 here, even if the scoreboards make it look easy.
Only at Sea Island storylines
Åberg’s 253 clinic: In 2023, Ludvig Åberg closed 61 61 for 253 and minus 29, earning his first PGA TOUR win and joining Thomas and Scheffler in the 72 hole scoring record club.
First timers flourishing: Adam Svensson (2022) and Maverick McNealy (2024) both turned Sea Island into their breakthrough wins, leaning on elite iron play rather than raw power.
Home game vibes: A whole crew of pros lives or trains at Sea Island, including names like Brian Harman, Zach Johnson and Harris English. That local knowledge turns into serious expectation pressure when they arrive at their home locker room.
Card on the line: As the FedExCup Fall finale, this week is a career inflection point. Several recognizable names hover around the top 100 bubble and need a big week to keep full status for 2026, while others chase the Aon Next 10 ladder into early season Signature Events.
Today’s pulse: The morning wave has already shown how low Plantation can play when the wind is kind, with Rico Hoey firing a blistering opener to join the early lead and reset everyone’s target number before they even make the turn at Seaside.
Numbers to watch this week
7,005 and 7,060
Yardages for Seaside and Plantation in the tournament setup. Seaside is the closing test, Plantation sets the tone.
253 and minus 29
The scoring records that every hot hand is secretly chasing after Åberg’s 2023 masterpiece.
4 par 5s
Plantation offers more scoring chances. Seaside’s two par 5s on the back nine decide whether a round is solid or special.
Top 100 and the Next 10
Status for 2026 and early season Signature starts get locked in by Sunday night. A back nine at Seaside will feel tighter than most majors for the guys living on the number.
Here marsh and wind are the real rough.
Clean grooves, clear head, and as always, no excuses.