ST SIMONS ISLAND, GEORGIA – NOVEMBER 20: Joel Dahmen of the United States reacts after playing a shot on the sixth hole during the first round of The RSM Classic 2025 at Sea Island Resort Plantation Course on November 20, 2025 in St Simons Island, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)
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The final event of the year crowned a new first-time PGA Tour winner in Sami Välimäki, but with every victory comes disappointment. As the 2025 season closed at the RSM Classic, several well-known players narrowly missed maintaining their PGA Tour cards for 2026. Here are five of the most notable names who finished on the wrong side of the points line.
Lee Hodges – Ranked 101
Hodges narrowly missed a putt on Sunday that would have secured his Top-100 status. The former 3M Open champion will instead begin the 2026 season with conditional status.
“I made so many putts out there today of distance,” Hodges said. “To miss one (on No. 18) and say it’s that’s fault, that’s unfair to my putter.”
Joel Dahmen – Ranked 117
Internet favorite and Netflix star Joel Dahmen missed the cut at the RSM Classic, costing him his card heading into 2026. Dahmen entered the event with a newborn at home and acknowledged that family was top of mind.
“My mind’s at home a lot, honestly, this week,” Dahmen said. “If I’m not playing 25 weeks a year, then I get to hang out with a couple amazing kids and my wife… there’s no real downside to it. It’s just less golf.”
As a fan favorite, Dahmen is likely to receive multiple sponsor exemptions next year. He began the season strongly with three Top-10 finishes but faded late, missing six consecutive cuts. He also made news mid-season after splitting with longtime caddie Geno Bonnalie.
Matt Kuchar – Ranked 118
Matt Kuchar has been a staple on the PGA Tour since 2007. With nine career victories, he is arguably the biggest name to lose full status this season. Despite making most cuts in 2025, his lone Top-10 finish at the John Deere Classic didn’t earn enough points. At age 47, the Champions Tour may soon become his competitive focus.
“Been a long time since I lost my job,” Kuchar said. “I’d like to keep it … I still love doing it, I still feel like I’m a junkie for the game of golf.”
ST SIMONS ISLAND, GEORGIA – NOVEMBER 17: Sam Ryder of the United States reacts to his shot from the ninth tee at Sea Island Resort Plantation Course on November 17, 2022 in St Simons Island, Georgia. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)
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Sam Ryder – Ranked 108
Sam Ryder, known for one of golf’s most creative sponsorship tie-ins with Ryder Transportation and Logistics, missed two cuts during the FedEx Fall, ultimately falling short of retaining full status. He also failed to post a Top-10 finish in 2025, a sharp contrast from 2023, when he recorded five.
“Definitely very aware of the cut, aware of my lack of ability to get the ball to go where I want it to go consistently enough, so it was just kind of a grind,” Ryder said.
Camilo Villegas – Ranked 164
Camilo Villegas’ story had the makings of one of golf’s great comebacks. Following the heartbreaking loss of his daughter Mia to brain cancer at 22 months, Villegas nearly stepped away from the sport, appearing to shift focus to road cycling in 2019–2020. Instead, he fought back and won again in 2023 at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship.
In 2025, he posted two Top-10 finishes but missed 11 cuts.
Reflecting on his 2023 victory, Villegas said: “Tough to put in words, what a ride man. I love this game, it’s given me so many great things. But in the process it kicks your butt.”
Works Cited (MLA)
“Camilo Villegas Wins Butterfield Bermuda Championship 2023.” Golf Digest, Condé Nast, https://www.golfdigest.com/story/camilo-villegas-wins-butterfield-bermuda-championship-2023.
Castillo, Ricky. “How the FedExCup Fall Top 100 Bubble Unfolded on Sunday.” PGA Tour, https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/latest/2025/11/23/how-fedexcup-fall-top-100-bubble-unfolded-sunday-round-4-the-rsm-classic-ricky-castillo-lee-hodges-matt-kuchar.
“Joel Dahmen Misses Cut at RSM Classic.” The Mirror, Reach PLC, https://www.themirror.com/sport/golf/joel-dahmen-cut-rsm-classic-1521039.
“RSM Classic 2025: Who Made the Cut and Who Was Sent Home.” Golfweek, USA Today Sports, https://golfweek.usatoday.com/story/sports/golf/pga/2025/11/21/rsm-classic-2025-who-made-the-cut-who-was-sent-home-at-pga-tour-finale/87404318007.
Hossler, Beau. “Beau Hossler and Matt Kuchar Keep Tour Card Chances Alive.” PGA Tour, https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/latest/2025/11/21/beau-hossler-matt-kuchar-make-cut-to-keep-tour-card-chances-alive-joel-dahmen-misses-the-rsm-classic-fedexcup-fall-sea-island.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/break80/2025/11/24/who-lost-their-pga-tour-cards-in-2025-five-notable-players-just-miss-the-cut/
