I think it’s a bit premature to anoint Davis Thompson (Titleist Pro V1) as the next Scottie Scheffler (Titleist Pro V1), but he certainly did impress with a tour de force effort in his first PGA Tour victory. He won the Rocket Mortgage Classic with a record 28-under par.
During the broadcast of the event, CBS’ Ian Baker-Finch repeatedly compared Thompson to Scheffler in terms of physical stature, serious demeanor and sheer talent. Thompson cried after his win, revealing that part of reason for emitting a flow of tears was his wife, Holly. They had been scheduled to wed at the end of 2023 but had to move up the date to May because her mother was battling cancer. She passed two months later.
It was the latest example of how sports is the ultimate reality show, as I have often noted.
I had picked Thompson as one of my two selections in the PG Golf tournament – Sunjae Im (Titleist Pro V1x), who finished tied for 10th, was my other choice – so I was able to enjoy his maiden PGA Tour victory. He impressed last year placing second to Jon Rahm (Callaway Chrome Soft X) in The American Express in his rookie year on the PGA Tour.
But honestly, the John Deere Classic has become the stepping stone for many PGA Tour players winning for the first time. And the reason is simple: the top players are taking time off in preparation for The Open. The only player of note in the John Deere Classic was Jordan Spieth (Titleist Pro V1x), winner of the event in 2013 and 2015. Spieth made a run in the third round but fizzled on the final day and finished tied for 26th.
Thompson won by four strokes, carding a seven-under par in the final round, which was essentially a runaway. He carded seven birdies in his first 11 holes. It was really a matter of who would finish second. Three tied for the runnerup spot – CT Pan (Titleist Pro V1x), Michael Thorbjornsen (Z-Star XV) and amateur Luke Clanton. The 20-year-old junior at Florida State He became the first amateur in the event’s 53-year history to finish in the top-10. He also became the first amateur to post two consecutive top-10 finishes in 66 years. The previous week he finished 10th at the Rocket Mortgage. He is third on the World Amateur Golf Ranking, having won three consecutive college tournaments this year. I guess the big question is, when does turn pro? He indicated after the John Deere that turning pro is not his immediate priority. He wants to win a national championship with Florida State. Clanton is getting some decent odds to win the ISCO Championship this week in Kentucky, which runs parallel to the Genesis Scottish Open. If he wins, will he stay true to his desire to not turn pro? Look what happened to amateur Nick Dunlap (Titleist Pro V1) after he won the American Express this year. That said, Dunlap missed the cut in the John Deere Classic, the fourth time he failed to qualify for weekend play since turning pro, albeit two of those were the Masters and U.S. Open. He tied for 10th in the Rocket Mortgage Classic leading up to the John Deere Classic.
Thompson tipped his hand with a tie for ninth in the U.S. Open and tie for second in the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Overall this season, he’s played 20 events and has missed the cut five times. But it’s been reported that since The Masters, in which he did not qualify but will for 2025 by virtue of his win on Sunday, he’s made some equipment changes. He’s had four top-10 finishes since.
