With a final-round, 2-under-par 68, Maverick McNealy earned his first victory on the PGA Tour on Sunday, edging a trio of players by one shot at the RSM Classic in St. Simons Island, Ga.
Playing at Sea Island’s Seaside Course, the 29-year-old sank a 5-foot, 5-inch birdie putt on the par-4 18th hole to finish at 16-under 266, just ahead of amateur Luke Clanton (66 on Sunday), Nico Echavarria of Colombia (65) and Daniel Berger (67).
“My mind’s gone blank, honestly,” McNealy said. “It was an unbelievable adrenaline rush there, especially on 18. … It was a moment I will never forget getting to celebrate with my friends, my family, my wife, my team.”
Berger had a shot to force a playoff with McNealy, but he missed his birdie putt after his approach landed about 20 feet from the hole. Despite the loss, Berger finished inside the top 125 of the FedEx Cup Fall standings to secure his full tour status for 2025. Sunday was the final day of the fall series.
McNealy, who opened the week with a red-hot round of 62, entered Sunday tied with Vince Whaley for the 54-hole lead. McNealy had two birdies at Nos. 5 and 8 but missed a par putt at the par-4 14th, the bogey dropping him out of the lead and briefly leaving Echavarria all alone at 16 under.
Echavarria, however, flew his second shot at No. 18 over the green, chipped up to about 9 feet and could not save par, sliding to 15 under for the event after making six birdies. Clanton also started the final hole at 16 under and went on to finish with a bogey after finding a bunker.
That opened the door for McNealy’s big finish. Unlike his competitors, his approach at No. 18 was pure.
“I told (caddie and brother Scout McNealy) 195 6-iron,” McNealy said of his final approach. “A 6-iron is like a 200 club, so I didn’t need to kill it, but I just needed good solid one. 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.”
Meanwhile, Clanton’s T2 finish earned him another point in the PGA Tour University Accelerated program. With 17, the Florida State athlete needs three more points to secure a PGA Tour card.
But Clanton said he was “really not at all” focused on qualifying through the accelerated program.
“I’m trying to win, that’s it,” Clanton said. “I think it’s a great system, of course, to have this opportunity to give us our card and it’s amazing. Again, I think every time we step out here, the one goal we have is to win. I think PGA Tour U’s been a great opportunity for all of us as college players who have these kind of talents and go pro sooner, so it’s awesome.”
J.T. Poston tied for the round of the day with a 7-under 63, forging a tie for fifth with Lee Hodges (67) and Canada’s Mackenzie Hughes (68) at 14-under 268. Eric Cole also had a 63 and finished 11 under.
Whaley finished T8 after shooting 71 on Sunday. Michael Thorbjornsen (69) and Patrick Fishburn (69) also tied for eighth at 13-under 269.
One another player who will go home happy is Joel Dahmen. A fan favorite, Dahmen entered the week No. 124 in the fall standings, right on the cusp of losing his PGA Tour card. He fired a 6-under 64 on Sunday to finish T35 at 7 under and earn just enough points to retain his tour status for 2025.
Dahmen’s bogey-free round featured a hole-out eagle at the par-4 13th and four birdies.
“This is my eighth year out here, I probably made it longer than I ever thought I would,” Dahmen said. “You take it for granted a little bit. It’s been relatively easy, cruise between 50 and 90 on the FedEx Cup every year and enjoy it, and our best friends are out here. Yeah, this is different. Makes you appreciate things a little more when times are tough. I thought a lot about everything. It came down to the last putt this week.”
–Field Level Media
