SILVIS, Ill. — Davis Thompson had been working for a moment like this, and he wasn't about to let anything stop him: not a soft golf course that produced the best scores of the week, not the pressure of trying to win for the first time on the PGA Tour.
He started with a two-shot lead. After six holes of Sunday's final round, Thompson had made five birdies, extended his lead to six shots and was on his way to a four-shot victory, a spot in the next three majors and the lowest 72-hole score at the John Deere Classic.
“I'm just thankful that everything went well. I got off to a great start today and was able to take things easy on the back nine,” Thompson said after closing with a 7-under 64. “It was crucial to get off to a good start and I was able to build on the momentum that was coming.”
Thompson, 25, made a 45-foot birdie putt on the first hole for a three-shot lead, and no one came close to him the rest of the way.
The Georgia golfer finished at 28-under 256 to break the John Deere Classic record set by Michael Kim in 2018 by one stroke.
“I just wanted to stay aggressive,” Thompson said. “I knew there were going to be low scores today because the wind died down and the conditions were a little soft. So I knew I was going to have to play well. Luckily, I made a great putt on No. 1 and had a great up and down on No. 2 and kept the ball rolling.”
The win will give him a place in the next three major tournaments, starting with the Open in two weeks at Royal Troon. He will also make his Masters debut next April.
Thompson is the 24th player to earn his first PGA Tour victory at the John Deere Classic, the most at any tournament since 1970.
The final hour was crucial in deciding who would finish second and take the other spot in the Open. The winner was CT Pan of Taiwan, who birdied holes 16 and 17 and finished with a two-putt par from 20 feet for a 64.
But a couple of youngsters made him sweat profusely.
Florida State sophomore Luke Clanton holed a 25-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole for a 63 and was the first to reach 24 under. Michael Thorbjornsen, the No. 1 ranked college player on the PGA Tour after finishing at Stanford, rolled out of a fairway bunker to 18 feet and holed the birdie putt for a 63 to join Clanton.
With a three-way tie for second place, the Open spot went to Pan based on world rankings.
“Honestly, it's going to be hectic organizing all the details of the trip at the last minute, but it's a good problem to have,” Pan said.
Meanwhile, Clanton became the first amateur since Billy Joe Patton in 1958 to finish in the top 10 in consecutive PGA Tour-sanctioned tournaments. Patton was the lowest-place amateur at the Masters and U.S. Open that year. Clanton tied for 10th at the Rocket Mortgage Classic last week.
Clanton's final two weeks would have been worth a little more than $804,000 had he been a pro.
“We came into the week with pretty high expectations, I guess you could say after last week,” Clanton said. “I think I definitely lived up to those expectations. Of course you want to win, but again, to do what I did today was amazing.”
As for the winner, that was never in doubt. In addition to that 45-foot birdie putt to start, Thompson holed a 30-foot birdie putt on the fifth hole and made it seven birdies in 10 holes.
He finally let a shot slip away on the par-4 12th, and Thorbjornsen looked like he had a chance to at least make it interesting. The Massachusetts native made six straight birdies and was playing the reachable par-4 14th. But his drive went well to the right and he hit a heavy chip to about 35 feet. He three-putted for bogey and missed a 4-foot par putt.
Thompson is in his second year on the PGA Tour and last week finished second at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. His hope was to keep the momentum going.
Perhaps your choice of accommodation also played a role.
Several Georgia players have been renting a house near the John Deere Classic for the past few years. JT Poston stayed there when he won the Deere two years ago. Sepp Straka stayed at the house last year and won.
This year Straka brought his wife and young son with him and gave up his room to Thompson.
“I guess I have to pay for the whole house, which is a shame,” Thompson said with a smile. “But I'll be happy to sign the check.”
The win earned him $1.44 million and also allowed Thompson to move up to 22nd in the FedEx Cup standings, virtually ensuring he will be in all of the marquee events next year.
