SILVIS, Unwell. — Davis Thompson had been working towards a second like this, and he wasn’t about to let something cease him — not a gentle golf course that produced the very best scores of the week, not the strain of making an attempt to win for the primary time on the PGA Tour.
He began with a two-shot lead. Six holes into the ultimate spherical Sunday, Thompson had 5 birdies, had stretched his result in six pictures and was on his approach to a four-shot victory, a spot within the subsequent three majors and the bottom 72-hole rating within the John Deere Basic.
“I am simply grateful it labored out. I bought off to an ideal begin as we speak and was capable of simply form of cruise on the again 9,” Thompson mentioned after closing with a 7-under 64. “Getting off to a very good begin was essential, and I used to be simply capable of trip the momentum coming in.”
Thompson, 25, made a 45-foot birdie putt on the primary gap for a three-shot lead, and nobody bought nearer to him the remainder of the way in which.
The golfer from Georgia completed at 28-under 256 to interrupt by one stroke the John Deere Basic document set by Michael Kim in 2018.
“I simply needed to remain aggressive,” Thompson mentioned. “I knew there could be low scores on the market as we speak as a result of the wind form of died down and the circumstances have been a bit gentle. So I knew I used to be going to need to go play nicely. Fortunately, I made an ideal putt on 1 and had an ideal up and down on 2 and saved the ball rolling.”
The victory will get him into the subsequent three majors, beginning with The Open in two weeks at Royal Troon. He additionally will make his Masters debut subsequent April.
Thompson is the twenty fourth participant to get his first PGA Tour win on the John Deere Basic, probably the most of any match relationship to 1970.
The ultimate hour was all about who would end second and earn the opposite spot in The Open. That went to C.T. Pan of Taiwan, who birdied the sixteenth and seventeenth holes and completed with a two-putt par from 20 toes for a 64.
However a pair of kids made him sweat it out.
Florida State sophomore Luke Clanton holed a 25-foot birdie putt on the 18th gap for a 63 and was the primary to get to 24 underneath. Michael Thorbjornsen, the No. 1 participant within the PGA Tour College rating after ending at Stanford, hit out of a fairway bunker to 18 toes and made the birdie putt for a 63 to affix Clanton.
With a three-way tie for second, The Open spot went to Pan based mostly on the world rating.
“Truthfully going to be hectic to rearrange all of the journey particulars final minute, however will probably be a very good drawback to have,” Pan mentioned.
Clanton, in the meantime, turned the primary novice since Billy Joe Patton in 1958 to complete within the high 10 in consecutive PGA Tour-sanctioned tournaments. Patton was low novice on the Masters and the U.S. Open that 12 months. Clanton tied for tenth on the Rocket Mortgage Basic final week.
Clanton’s final two weeks would have been price simply over $804,000 if he had been professional.
“We got here into the week with fairly excessive expectations I suppose you might say after final week,” Clanton mentioned. “I believe I form of reached that expectation for certain. In fact you wish to win. However once more, to do what I did on the market as we speak was superior.”
As for the winner, that was by no means doubtful. Together with that 45-foot birdie putt to start out, Thompson rolled in a 30-foot birdie putt on No. 5 and had seven birdies by way of 10 holes.
He lastly dropped a shot on the par-4 twelfth, and Thorbjornsen regarded to have an opportunity to not less than make it attention-grabbing. The Massachusetts native ran off six straight birdies and was taking part in the reachable par-4 14th. However his drive went nicely to the proper and he hit a heavy chip to some 35 toes. He three-putted for bogey, lacking a 4-foot par putt.
Thompson is in his second 12 months on the PGA Tour and he was a runner-up final week on the Rocket Mortgage Basic. His hope was to maintain the momentum going.
Maybe his alternative of lodging performed a job, too.
A number of gamers from Georgia have been renting a home close to the John Deere Basic for the previous few years. J.T. Poston stayed there when he gained the Deere two years in the past. Sepp Straka stayed in the home final 12 months and gained.
Straka introduced his spouse and younger son with him this 12 months and gave up his room to Thompson.
“I believe I’ve to pay for the entire home, which is unlucky,” Thompson mentioned with a smile. “However I am going to gladly write the test for that.”
The victory was price $1,440,000. It additionally strikes Thompson to No. 22 within the FedEx Cup standings, all however assuring he might be in all of the signature occasions subsequent 12 months.
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