DAVIS THOMPSON HITS PGA TOUR FIRST AFTER JORDAN SPIETH'S JOHN DEERE CLASSIC COMMENT
Davis Thompson clinched his first PGA Tour win with a record-breaking score of 28-under at the John Deere Classic - the best ever at the competition. He made Jordan Spieth's recent comments about the simplicity of the course for pro golfers look prescient.
Thompson stormed to a four-shot victory over his competitors on Sunday at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois. The course, described by Jordan Spieth as "bottom-half easier," saw Thompson shine during his third round on Saturday, where he shot a nine-under 62, equalling his career-low and securing a two-shot lead.
As he teed off for his final round, Thompson made an impressive start with five birdies in his first six holes. He carded a 29 on the front nine, establishing a six-shot lead that proved unbeatable.
Despite shooting just one-under on the back-nine, the 25 year old's lead was substantial enough to secure his maiden PGA Tour victory.
This triumph has earned Thompson a coveted spot in the British Open, the year's final major, due to take place in two weeks. The event at Royal Troon will mark Thompson's debut at the major championship, and only the fifth major start of his career.
Reflecting on his victory, Thompson said: "I'm just thankful it worked out. I got off to a great start today and was able to just kind of cruise on the back nine," He added, "Getting off to a good start was crucial, and I was just able to ride the momentum coming in."
He remarked: "I just wanted to stay aggressive. I knew there would be low scores out there today because the wind kind of died down and the conditions were a little soft. So I knew I was going to have to go play well. Thankfully, I made a great putt on 1 and had a great up and down on 2 and kept the ball rolling."
In his sophomore year on the PGA Tour, Thompson, the ex-Georgia standout, came into this week hot on the heels of his second-place finish at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit. His triumph on Sunday not only marked his first PGA Tour win but also secured him one of the coveted British Open spots, sharing this achievement with C.T. Pan.
Pan edged out Michael Thorbjornsen and Luke Clanton for the tiebreaker, thanks to his superior Official World Golf Ranking.
Thompson joins an elite group as the 24th golfer to earn his inaugural PGA Tour victory at the John Deere Classic, a record for any tournament since 1970. Spieth snagged his first win at this very event in 2013, and the three-time major winner found success there again two years on, which explains why he's been vocal about his affinity for the course.
After carding a 67 in Friday's round, Spieth remarked: "It's one of the probably bottom-half easier golf courses. It's a great golf course. When it's soft it's one of the easiest ones we play. Yeah, I can make a move, but everyone is going to make a move. So I will try and beat the field average by four or five shots, but that is going to take shooting 8- or 9-under. So it's not like it's a walk in the park. You still have to hit nice shots."
With a score tallying up to 15-under, Spieth ended up tied for 26th place. The golfer, who has three major titles under his belt, is keen to carry this momentum into the Scottish Open and The Open, which are just around the corner this month.
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story.
2024-07-08T03:16:31Z dg43tfdfdgfd