Up and down at RSM finale
Ludvig Aberg robbed the trophy hunt of any drama by shooting 61 to win by four strokes at the RSM Classic. But the final round at Sea Island Resort’s Seaside Course still had plenty of Sunday drama, thanks to the tournament within the tournament. On the final day of the 2022-23 PGA Tour season, a veteran rallied to keep full status for next season, a bubble boy had his bubble pop and another veteran pro shed tears after the realization that he had failed in his quest to stay in the top 125. Here’s a look at a few players who moved up and down in the late stages:
Ryan Moore: Moore came through in the clutch. Entering the week at No. 128, he shot bogey-free rounds of 62-65 to finish T-8 at the RSM Classic and vault to No. 118 and earn full status for the 2024 season. He was the only player to move into the top 125 in the FedEx Cup Fall standings and will be exempt into all full-field events and the Players Championship next season. One of the differences for Moore this fall was a change in putters to an Odyssey Rossie AI putter.
Carl Yuan: He entered the week as the bubble boy at 125 and remained there heading into the final round. He made birdies on his final two holes but it wasn’t enough as he sprinkled four bogeys on his card and finished with an even-par 70 (T-68) and slipped to No. 126 in the standings. He noted that his back bothered him this week and may have affected his play. “The bed at the Airbnb is just too soft for me, started bugging me on like Thursday night,” he said.
Patton Kizzire: It’s been a stretch for Kizzire, who has had full status since 2015. He shed tears during a post-round interview. “I’ve tried to keep the emotions down, but they’re kind of coming on right now,” he said. “They asked me what I wanted to do when I was in second grade and I said I want to be a professional golfer and I’ve never changed my mind, so here I am.”
Kelly Kraft: He leaped inside the top 150 this week, delivering on Sunday with a 5-under 65, including a clutch birdie at 17. “You never want to be in this position let alone I’m fighting to stay inside the top 150 because I played so terrible the first half of the year,” Kraft said.