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Valimaki nears first PGA title

Sami Valimaki of Finland ran off four consecutive birdies to close out the front nine on his way to a 5-under 65 that gave him a two-shot lead Saturday in the RSM Classic going into the final round of the final event of the PGA Tour season. So much of this season finale at Sea Island in Georgia is about the last chance to retain a full PGA Tour card for next year. Now it has turned into a chance for players to get their first PGA Tour title. Valimaki was at 19-under 193 and was two ahead of Michael Thorbjornsen and Patrick Rodgers, each with a 68 and both Stanford alumni a generation apart. Rodgers was the No. 1 amateur in the world when he left Stanford in 2014. Thorbjornsen was No. 1 in the PGA Tour University ranking when he finished college in 2024

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