Davis Thompson has achieved a record-breaking result by winning the John Deere Classic and advancing to the 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon.
Thompson's final score of 28-under in Illinois, which surpassed the previous tournament record of 27 set by Michael Kim in 2017, not only earned him his first PGA Tour title but also his debut at the British major championship, which takes place from July 18-21.
The 25-year-old shot a seven-under 64 on Sunday to finish four shots ahead of CT Fann, Michael Thorbjornsen and amateur Luke Clanton, who secured second place in the world rankings going into the Open.
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Entering the final round, Thompson held a two-stroke lead over fellow American Eric Cole and Britain's Aaron Lai, and was never in danger of being caught as he birdied five of his first six holes and turned in a 29 at TPC Deere Run.
The Georgia native, who finished ninth at the U.S. Open in June and tied for second at the Rocket Mortgage Classic last week, saw his lead cut to three shots after a bogey on the 12th hole, while Thorbjornsen recorded six birdies between the eighth and 13th holes.
But Thompson essentially won with a birdie on the 14th, while Thorbjornsen birdied the 18th after a bogey on the same hole to tie Fan and Clanton at 24 under.
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Thompson said CBS: “The open qualifier was just an extra incentive for this. The goal was to get off to a good start and then win the golf tournament, and I was able to finish.”
Oddly enough, the winner of this competition has stayed in the same rental home for three years in a row, with Thompson following in the footsteps of JT Poston and last year's winner Sepp Straka in 2022.
Clanton, who shot six under in the second half, became the first amateur to finish in the top 10 in back-to-back PGA Tour starts since he finished 10th in the 1958 Rocket Mortgage Classic.
Britain's Lai shot a two-under 69 to finish tied for seventh at the John Deere Classic, while Britain's Harry Hall finished a stroke behind with a six-under 65 after eight birdies and a double bogey to finish tied for 12th.
Watch the 152nd Open Championship live at Royal Troon. Sky Sports Golf Starting at 6:30 a.m. Thursday, July 18th.
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