As we play a little thought experiment here, and pretend the top 100 rule was in place for next year, Daniel Berger would be the 100th and final guy to keep his Tour card.
Just missing out? That would be the popular Rickie Fowler.
Here is the list of golfers who finished in Nos. 101 to 125 after the 2024 season:
Name
Rank
Rickie Fowler
101
C.T. Pan
102
Vince Whaley
103
Michael Kim
104
K.H. Lee
105
Mac Meissner
106
Greyson Sigg
107
Nicolai Hojgaard
108
Matt Kuchar
109
Joe Highsmith
110
Brice Garnett
111
Chan Kim
112
Jacob Bridgeman
113
Matt McCarty
114
Ben Silverman
115
Chad Ramey
116
Nate Lashley
117
Ryan Fox
118
Chris Gotterup
119
Henrik Norlander
120
Alex Smalley
121
David Skinns
122
Sami Valimaki
123
Joel Dahmen
124
Sam Ryder
125
Clearly, keeping a Tour card will become more challenging next season, especially for those who don’t win an event, earning the coveted two-year exemption.
ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Maverick McNealy guessed that in his mind he had made a putt to win a PGA Tour over a thousand times. On Sunday, the 29-year-old stuffed a 6-iron from 183 yards on the par-4 18th hole at Sea Island’s Seaside Course to set up a 5-foot, 5-inch putt for his first victory at the 2024 RSM Classic.
“It felt like déjà vu and it came off perfectly,” he said.
His younger brother, Scout, screamed in jubilation after the winning putt dropped: “We’re going to Maui, baby!”
That would be the site of the 2025 Sentry, the first tournament of the new season in January that is a reward for winners. Maverick replied, “Yeah, we’re going to Augusta, too.”
Indeed, McNealy’s maiden victory comes with an invitation the Masters in April, too. McNealy had numerous birdie opportunities down the stretch during the final round, but he made the one that counted the most.
The birdie propelled McNealy to a final-round 2-under 68 and a 72-hole aggregate of 16-under 266, topping Daniel Berger, Nico Echavarria and amateur Luke Clanton by a shot. Berger was in the final group with McNealy and missed a 21-foot birdie attempt, but he moved inside the FedEx Cup top 125 with his runner-up finish at the RSM. (Joel Dahmen closed with a bogey-free 64 to finish No. 124 and Sam Ryder, who missed the 36-hole cut, hung on to No. 125 and the final fully-exempt card for 2025.)
Both Echavarria and Clanton missed par putts on the final hole to drop to 15 under, waiting to see what the final two groups did down the stretch.
McNealy was the first to reach 16 under in the final round but he made a bogey at 14 and his trusty putter started to let him down. “I was definitely leaking oil, that’s for sure,” he said.
Maverick McNealy and his caddie Scout McNealy pose with the trophy after winning The RSM Classic 2024 at Sea Island Resort in St Simons Island, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
He credited his brother, who began caddying for him in August, with breaking the tension on the 17th green, making a joke that had him doubled over in laughter.
“Busting a gut, I didn’t think that was possible in that situation,” McNealy said.
Asked to share the joke, McNealy thought better of it.
“There’s two kinds of jokes,” he said, “there’s jokes that you can share and there’s funny ones, so I’m sorry.”
Added Scout: “I just try to keep him smiling and laughing, and when he’s playing like he is, it’s easy.”
Tied for the lead at the 18th hole, which played as the statistically most difficult hole of the day, he said he told himself, “Let’s hit two great golf shots and I can have the best off-season of my life.”
After a perfect drive, McNealy weighed his options, choosing a 6-iron, and listened to his brother’s advice. “He told me compress it, just smash down, take a divot. Scout’s coaching has been pretty simple lately, he says swing left and take a divot. So I just swung left, took a divot, all came out right online dead center of the clubface and it couldn’t have been a better time for it.”
Growing up, McNealy’s sport was ice hockey and he was a little-known recruit to just about everyone but Stanford’s golf coach Conrad Ray, behind top-ranked junior Jim Liu and Australia’s No. 1 player Viraat Badwhar.
McNealy always joked that Stanford had recruited No. 1 in America. No. 1 in Australia. No. 1 in Portola Valley (Calif). But he blossomed into the Haskins Award winners as the top male collegian, winning 11 times, and was the No. 1-ranked amateur when he turned pro out of Stanford. He made steady progress from the Korn Ferry Tour to the PGA Tour but couldn’t get over the hump for a win.
“I knew all the pieces were there, they just hadn’t fit together,” he said, noting that he was waiting to wait 10-15 years to taste victory if that’s what it took.
McNealy was sidelined for nearly five months last year after tearing the anterior sterno-clavicular ligament in his left shoulder during the 2023 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am.
“I never lost faith that I would be back better than ever,” he said.
He changed his golf swing mechanics to make sure he doesn’t put as much stress on the joint in his shoulder. This season, he satisfied his major medical exemption at the Farmers Insurance Open in Feburary.
McNealy admitted that the RSM Classic hasn’t been a good fit for his game in the past but his wife, Maya, convinced him to play this week because she enjoys staying at The Lodge, the hotel at the Sea Island Resort.
“I think she loves that cookie and milk service at 7:00 p.m. She’s like, ‘We’re playing Sea Island.’ I’m like, ‘OK, we’re playing Sea Island,’ ” he said.
McNealy opened with an 8-under 62 at the Seaside Course to take the lead, calling his play an A+ on Thursday.
“It was as good as it has ever been,” McNealy said. “it kind of affirmed all the work that our team’s been putting in and the changes we made this year.”
Then the task at hand became more difficult and he hung on through the worst of the windy weather on Friday to shoot 2-under 70 at the Plantation Course. A 66 on Saturday gave him a share of the 54-hole lead.
Clanton, a junior at Florida State University, nearly became the second amateur to win on the Tour this season. The T-2 gives him another point in the PGA Tour University Accelerated program, moving him to 17. That’s three points from earning a PGA Tour card.
“It’s going to be a tough one to definitely take, for sure, after bogeying the last, but I think it’s proven to me that out here I can win, so I’ll be training for that,” he said.
Instead, it was McNealy, who finally proved he had what it takes to win on the PGA Tour.
“The cool thing about professional golf is that you have the chance to change your life any given week and it doesn’t matter what happens the week before, two weeks before,” McNealy said. “Rafa Campos (last week’s winner in Bermuda) is an amazing example of that. It takes all year to have a bad year and it takes one week to have a great year.”
Catch up on the action from St. Simons Island here.
Since missing the cut in his first two starts of the FedEx Cup Fall, Maverick McNealy has played high-level golf. He finished T-16 at the Shriners, T-6 at the World Wide Technology and T-17 at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. Now, he’s 18 holes away from claiming his first PGA Tour win at The RSM Classic.
McNealy signed for a 4-under 66 on Saturday, good enough to earn him a share of the 54-hole lead alongside Vince Whaley — we’ll get to him in a minute.
The former Stanford star made two bogeys on his front nine, but cancelled them out and then some with three birdies to make the turn at 1 under. Over his final nine holes, McNealy poured in three birdies, including this beauty on the par-3 17th.
Maverick McNealy ties the lead with an excellent birdie putt on 17. 💪
McNealy has long been one of the best putters in the world, so to see him at fifth in Strokes Gained: Putting through three rounds isn’t unexpected. But the putter isn’t the only thing clicking for McNealy this week. The 29-year-old is ranked 21st in SG: Off the Tee, fourth in SG: Approach and 22nd in SG: Around the Green.
The 67th-ranked player in the world has finished runner-up twice in his career. We’ll see if he can finally get it over the finish line on Sunday.
If you missed any of Saturday’s action, no worries, we have you covered. Here are some notes from Day 3 at Sea Island Golf Club.
Notes from third round of RSM Classic
Vince Whaley tied for the lead
Vince Whaley plays his shot from the third tee during the third round of The RSM Classic 2024 on the Seaside course at Sea Island Resort. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Whaley grabbed a share of fifth at last week’s Butterfield Bermuda Championship, and at last year’s RSM, he tied for 13th. So taking into account form and tournament history, it’s not a big surprise to see Whaley at the top of the leaderboard with 18 holes to play.
He shot 67-68 over the first two days, but turned it to another level on Saturday with a 7-under 63.
The 29-year-old from Kentucky made four birdies on the front nine and three more on the back, while keeping squares off the card. In fact, he’s only made three bogeys through 54 holes.
“Yeah, it feels awesome,” Whaley said when asked how it feels to be tied for the lead. “I’ve obviously played some good golf to this point, so just excited for the opportunity.”
A birdie at the last and a bogey-free round gives Vince Whaley a share of the lead @TheRSMClassic 🐦
Daniel Berger of the United States acknowledges the crowd on the 12th green during the third round of The RSM Classic 2024 on the Seaside course at Sea Island Resort on November 23, 2024 in St Simons Island, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Berger, once ranked 12th in the world, is still making his way back from an injury that kept him sidelined for 19 months. He’s seen some mixed results this year — 16 made cuts in 24 previous starts — but thanks to a third-round 7-under 63, he’s in position to win for the first time since 2021 — AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am — and fifth time overall.
Berger made four birdies in a six-hole stretch on his front nine to make the turn with a 4-under 31. On his way home, the 31-year-old sandwiched a bogey on 14 with birdies on Nos. 12, 13, and 15 before adding another on 18 to close out his day.
“I hit it in the fairway, I hit it on the green and I made a lot of putts today, so that’s a recipe for a good score,” Berger said.
He entered the week No. 127 in the FedEx Cup, so a solid final round should move him safely inside the top 125.
But a win would take care of that and whole lot more.
Top 10 and odds to win
Position
Player
Score
Odds to win
T-1
Vince Whaley
14 under
(+360)
T-1
Maverick McNealy
14 under
(+240)
T-3
Daniel Berger
12 under
(+850)
T-3
Mackenzie Hughes
12 under
(+650)
T-3
Michael Thorbjornsen
12 under
(+750)
T-3
Patrick Fishburn
12 under
(+900)
T-7
Luke Clanton
11 under
(+900)
T-7
Lee Hodges
11 under
(+2500)
T-9
Nico Echavarria
10 under
(+4500)
T-9
Michael Kim
10 under
(+4500)
[gambcom-standard rankid=”3413″ ]
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Hossler had seven birdies and an eagle Friday after making six birdies Thursday.
JACKSON, Mississippi — David Skinns woke up Friday morning atop the leaderboard at the Sanderson Farms Championship after shooting a course record 12-under par 60 on Thursday.
He’ll wake up Saturday in a three-way for third place at 13-under − two shots behind leader Beau Hossler, who shot an 8-under 64, and one shot behind Daniel Berger.
“I’m thrilled,” said Hossler, who had seven birdies and an eagle Friday after making six birdies Thursday. “Just feel like I made it relatively stress-free. Certainly a few holes I had to grind a little bit.
“All in all, ball’s been in the fairway or close and on the green or close, and I’ve putted pretty well. I’ve read the greens pretty well from seven to 20 feet.”
Hossler has two more days to try to make sure his name is the one on the $1.37 million check that goes to the winner.
1. Beau Hossler (-15) 2. Daniel Berger (-14) T3. Jacob Bridgeman (-13) T3. Keith Mitchell T3. David Skinns T6. Hayden Springer (-12) T6. Gary Woodland T6. Lucas Glover T6. Martin Laird T6. Kevin Yu T6. Michael Thorbjornsen
Hossler twice qualified for the U.S. Open as a teenager, including in 2012 when he finished tied for 29th and held the lead halfway through the second round.
Berger, along with many others, though, would like to make sure Hossler’s doesn’t get the tournament’s top spoils.
“I’m just trying to have some fun and enjoy myself,” said Berger, who has 14 birdies − seven each round − and zero bogeys. “Seems to be working so far. My dad was out here earlier with me this week, so just felt kind of like a normal week at home.
“That’s usually when I play my best.”
Paul Skrbina is a sports enterprise reporter for the USA Today Network. Reach him at pskrbina@gannett.com and on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter) @paulskrbina.
‘I know the whole club is hurting. I know all the members are going to miss him.’
JUPITER, Fla. — The guilt, even for casual friends, can be overwhelming when someone takes their life.
What could I have done? What could I have said? Could I have in some way prevented this tragedy?
This is what PGA Tour professional and Jupiter residentDaniel Bergeris feeling today, since learning fellow professional golferGrayson Murray died by suicide May 25.
Berger had lunch with Murray at Colonial Country Club on the Tuesday before the Charles Schwab Challenge. Two days later, they each played their first round of the tournament in Texas.
On the following Saturday, Murray was back at his home in Palm Beach Gardens after withdrawing from the event the day before. That morning, he took his life.
Now Berger, who is 31 and was born the same year as Murray, wonders if there is anything he could have done to help Murray.
“What if I could have said one thing,” Berger said Monday at the Bear’s Club after qualifying for next week’s U.S. Open. “If I asked him is there anything you needed. Maybe that could have made a difference.”
Daniel Berger at the 2024 Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida (Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports)
Murray was a member atDye Preserve Golf Clubin Jupiter. Dye’s roster includes several professionals who live in the area, like Berger.
Several of Murray’s peers from Dye and from the area played Monday’s final qualifying at Jack Nicklaus’ Bear’s Club and remembered their friend.
Luke Donald,who lives in Jupiter, was one of the first to react to the news on social media, saying how devastated he was and how Murray recently asked him for advice on how to play Augusta National, site of the Masters.
Donald said Monday that conversation was at Dye Preserve.
“He came over and just started asking me,” Donald said. “It was his first Masters and it was a few week before Augusta. He wanted to know a lot about how I prepared and what I did, what’s the secret to be successful around there. I shared some of the stuff I thought was helpful.
“He looked like he was in a good spot.”
Dean Burmester, the LIV golfer who lives in Jupiter, met Murray at Torrey Pines when they were playing on the Korn Ferry Tour. He describes Murray as “a grinder.”
“It’s tough,” said Burmester, a Dye Preserve member who also qualified Monday for the U.S. Open. “You miss seeing him on the range. He was a grinder. He found a way to practice pretty often. I know the whole club is hurting. I know all the members are going to miss him and all the pros are going to miss him a lot.”
Dye member Joaquin Niemann from North Palm Beach had not practiced with Murray at the course, but spoke with him a few weeks ago at the PGA Championship in Louisville.
“It’s a big loss,” Niemann said. “It’s kind of like a weird feeling. You know someone, you saw him there, you competed against him and all of a sudden you see the news. It’s super sad.”
Murray was open about his mental health issues, revealing in 2021 his struggles with anxiety, depression and alcohol. His peers were aware of his past, but some said he appeared to have overcome those issues in recent months.
“Everybody is fighting their demons,” Niemann said. “He was obviously fighting his demons and he was able to stand up to them. He was able to play good golf and win a golf tournament.”
Murray won his second PGA Tour event in January at the Sony Open in Hawaii.
“It looked like he was on a good path,” Donald said.
Andrew Kozan got to know Murray while on the Korn Ferry Tour. The two then started playing rounds together at Dye.
“He was always fantastic to me, always checking to see how I was playing, always wanting me to play if we were in town,” said Kozan, who lives in Jupiter. “I felt like he really cared about me, always cared about others.
“It’s definitely tough. He was a great guy, great friend, great person. Definitely made everyone better around him.”
Tom D’Angelo is a senior sports columnist and golf writer for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at tdangelo@pbpost.com.
Many golfers saw some wild fluctuations between their Thursday and Friday scores.
The field of 144 at the 2024 Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches is down to 68 after the cut came on Saturday morning at PGA National.
Play was halted for darkness after each of the first two rounds, and that meant 13 golfers had to return to the course Saturday morning to finish their second rounds. There were actually 14 who hadn’t played 36 holes by Friday night but Chandler Phillips withdrew with one hole to go. He was 6 over.
The tournament, in its first year with a new name, has $9 million up for grabs, with $1.62 million going to the winner. Chris Kirk is the defending champion and he’s tied for 24th. Bud Cauley is the solo leader after two days. He’s at 11 under. The cut was 2 under.
There is a slew of others not so lucky after a windy Friday at PGA National, many of due to some wild fluctuations between the score they signed for Thursday compared to their scores on Friday.
Check out the list of big names who are heading home (or to Pebble Beach) earlier than expected.
SAN DIEGO — Eight of the top 20 players in the Official World Golf Ranking made the trip to this week’s PGA Tour stop along the California coast, and five made the 36-hole cut, the only time this season there will be a Thursday cut.
While most of the top-ranked players in the field earned tee times for the South Course at Torrey Pines on Friday and Saturday, a handful of well-known players will be heading home (or up the road to Pebble Beach) earlier than planned from the 2024 Farmers Insurance Open.
In all, 79 players made the cut, leading to threesomes going off both the 1st and 10th tee.
Here are the notable PGA Tour players (and southern California club professionals) who are heading home early after missing the cut – which came in at 3 under – at Torrey Pines.
Daniel Berger is returning to the PGA Tour but the better story may be who will be carrying his bag.
HONOLULU – Daniel Berger is set to make his return to the PGA Tour after an 18-month absence Thursday at the American Express in La Quinta, California. But the better story may be who will be carrying his bag.
Berger is set to have veteran caddie D.J. Nelson, who was on the bag for Heath Slocum when he won the 2009 Barclays, working for him in the desert. Nelson, who also has caddied for the likes of Chad Campbell and Hudson Swafford in the past, however, hasn’t been caddying on Tour for several years.
So, why did Berger turn to Nelson, who began caddying in 2001?
Here’s where the story gets good. Berger phoned Nelson and attempted to hire him. According to multiple sources – Berger didn’t return a call for comment at publication of this story – when Nelson accepted, Berger expressed surprise and asked, “So, you’re going to give up doing the TV?”
A perplexed Nelson responded, “Who do you think you’re talking to?”
“John Wood,” Berger said.
Wood, of course, is the former caddie of Hunter Mahan and Matt Kuchar, among others, turned NBC/Golf Channel on-course reporter. One of the most respected caddies in the game, he retired and joined the TV world in 2021 and said this week at the Sony Open, where he’s been working, that he’s happy with his new gig carrying a microphone instead of 14 clubs.
When Berger realized his mistake in dialing the wrong number, he didn’t blink and offered Nelson the job – at least for one week at the AmEx.
As one former caddie put it, “Classic Berger.” But maybe Berger knew something after all: Nelson has a good track record at PGA West including being on the bag for Swafford when he won there in 2017.
The 30-year-old Berger, a four-time Tour winner, has been sidelined with a back injury since missing the cut at the 2022 U.S. Open. He had been nursing the injury, which he described to the Associated Press as being a slight bulge in a lower disc and deep bone sensitivity, for most of that year. He signed up for U.S. Open qualifying in June but pulled out before he hit a shot.
Berger was a member of the victorious U.S. Ryder Cup team at Whistling Straits that year and was sorely missed in Italy in September. He was ranked No. 25 in the world when he last played and has since dropped to No. 634. He still has exempt status through 2024 from notching his last win at the 2021 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, but isn’t qualified yet for the signature events or majors.
“When I come back, I’ll come back with fire in my belly,” he told the AP in May.
After a few weeks in Hawaii, the PGA Tour is back on the mainland next week for The American Express at PGA West in La Quinta, California.
World No. 1 and 2023 Player of the Year Scottie Scheffler headlines the field. Joining him will be Justin Thomas, Tom Kim, Jason Day, Rickie Fowler, Sam Burns and Min Woo Lee, among many others.
Berger hasn’t played since the 2022 U.S. Open at The Country Club.
According to a report from Golf Channel, Daniel Berger, who hasn’t played on the PGA Tour since the 2022 U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, due to a back injury has entered the field for the American Express, Jan. 18-21, in La Quinta, California.
Berger now ranks 634th in the Official World Golf Ranking and will be playing of a major medical extension.
The 30-year-old has four wins on Tour with the latest coming at the 2021 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He’s also represented the United States at two team events, the 2017 Presidents Cup and the 2021 Ryder Cup.
Berger has recently been posting videos practicing again on social media.
Daniel Berger (Back) is out practicing again. Last we heard from him he planned on returning to the PGA Tour at the beginning of the 2023 Fall Swing. 🤷 @NUCLRGOLFpic.twitter.com/W7Psbd5UJS
