St Simons Island, Georgia, United States: Chinese Taipei’s Kevin Yu Chun-an wrapped up his breakthrough 2024 PGA Tour campaign with a tied 11th finish at the RSM Classic to lock in two additional Signature events starts for early next season.
The 26-year-old Yu, who earned his maiden PGA Tour victory at the Sanderson Farms Championship last month, closed with a final round of four-under 66 at Sea Island Golf Club for a 12-under 270 total and finished four shots back of Maverick McNealy (68).
The rising Asian star moved up from 61st to 58th position in the Aon Next 10 ranking to secure starts in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am and The Genesis Invitational, which are among eight cash-rich Signature events in 2025.
“I knew I had to be maybe top-30 to get into the two Signature events. But honestly, out there I wasn’t really thinking that much. We were just trying to play one good shot at a time. It was a good week. Everything was solid,” said Yu, who is already exempt into the first Signature event of 2025, The Sentry in Hawaii, following his win last month.
A six-time participant in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship between 2014 and 2019, Yu has also guaranteed himself starts at The Players Championship (March), Masters Tournament (April) and PGA Championship (May).
He hit six birdies against two bogeys to keep himself within the Aon Next 10 bracket as McNealy sealed his maiden PGA Tour title by a single shot.
For Yu, who posted four other top-10s to earn over US$3.2 million this season, it was a fitting ending to a memorable campaign.
He will now head home to Taipei to recharge his batteries before beginning the new season in Hawaii at The Sentry. Earning spots at Pebble Beach and The Genesis Invitational also means he can plan his early season schedule as he looks to build on his 2024 season.
“It’s going to be fun. Now, for sure, I know my schedule. I love those two tournaments,” said Yu, who finished top-10 in Pebble Beach in 2023.
Japan’s Ryo Hisatsune concluded his rookie campaign on the PGA Tour with a tied 17th finish after a final round 66. He ended his year with one top-10 and six top-25s to safely keep his Tour card.
With the conclusion of FedEx Cup Fall, Korean SH Kim Seong-hyeon and China’s Carl Yuan, who both missed the half-way cut at the RSM Classic, are poised to sign up for the Final Stage of PGA Tour Qualifying School presented by Korn Ferry in a couple of weeks’ time after finishing outside the top 125 which was the cut off to retain their Tour cards.
They will still retain conditional status on the PGA Tour which guarantees a limited number of starts in 2025.