Thompson takes home 1st PGA Tour title at John Deere Classic | The Sunday Swing

The Sunday Swing
July 7th, 2024

Welcome back to another edition of the Sunday Swing presented by 2nd Swing Golf. As the nation celebrated the 4th of July this weekend, the golf world was relatively quiet. The LPGA Tour was off this week, but the PGA Tour still hosted the John Deere Classic, a staple on the PGA Tour. 

John Deere Classic - Tournament History

The John Deere Classic is a professional golf tournament that has been a part of the PGA Tour since 1971. It is held annually in Silvis, Illinois, at TPC Deere Run. The tournament was originally called the Quad Cities Open, and it has undergone several name changes over the years, but John Deere has now become the 2nd longest active sponsor on tour at 25 years. The event has a rich history of great golf and has been won by many notable players including Jordan Spieth (became the youngest player to win a PGA Tour event at age 19 in 2013), Steve Stricker, Payne Stewart, and Roger Matlbie. It also has a strong tradition of charitable giving and community involvement in the greater Quad Cities area.  The course itself was designed by architect D.A. Weibring and golf course designer Chris Gray and opened in 2000. TPC Deere Run features a challenging yet playable layout with picturesque views and strategic bunkering. The course is known for its well-manicured fairways and demanding yet rewarding greens. Players have to take it low again this week as we typically see a winning score somewhere in the 20-under range. With its natural beauty and very playable design, the course provides an enjoyable experience for golfers of all skill levels, and is open to the public when not hosting the John Deere Classic. The previous five winners of this event are as follows: 

2024 - Davis Thompson (-28)
2023 - Sepp Straka (-21)
2022 - J.T. Poston (-21)
2021 - Lucas Glover (-19)
2019 - Dylan Fittelli (-21) 

The Big Swing 

This week the Big Swing belongs to Davis Thompson. The 25-year-old who debuted on the PGA Tour last year out of the University of Georgia has been playing impressive golf of late. Thompson’s last two starts heading into the week included a T2 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, and a T9 at the U.S. Open – his best major finish. Clearly trending in the right direction, Thompson arrived at the John Deere Classic this week with the goal of securing his spot at this year’s Open Championship in a couple of weeks. To do so, he would need to finish top-2 amongst the players who have not yet earned their spots. 

Thompson proved he was up for the challenge on Thursday as he continued his impressive play by carding an opening-round 63. Even so, Thompson still found himself four shots behind as Hayden Springer joined the 59 club after a remarkable opening round of 12-under par. With a plethora of players shooting low scores, it was clear that this year’s John Deere would be a shoot out yet again. 

Another big story this week was that of 20-year-old amateur Luke Clanton. Clanton made his first start on the PGA Tour last week at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, where he finished inside the top-10. Looking to capitalize on another exemption this week, Clanton opened with rounds of 63 and 67, setting himself up for another high finish on the PGA Tour. 

After Springer was unable to replicate his Thursday magic only posting even par 71), Thompson continued moving up the leaderboard, shooting 4-under 67 to post 12-under at the halfway point. C.T. Pan and Aaron Rai were also playing well, both shooting rounds of 65 and 63 and setting the pace at 14-under. 

As the third round began, Jordan Spieth showed everyone that, once again, low scores were up for grabs. Spieth went out early and made nine birdies on his way to a third-round 63, making a nice move into the top-15. 

As Thompson began his round, it was clear he was going to be a problem for the rest of the field. The youngster opened with a front-nine 30 after making five birdies. On the back nine, Thompson continued his march after birdies at 12, 13, 14, and 17 saw him get to 9-under on the day leading to a 62. His bogey-free round put him at the top of the leaderboard by two for the first time in his career heading to the final round. 

The final round proved to be more of the same, with players making birdies seemingly everywhere. Pretty much everyone on the golf course was shooting somewhere in the 65 range, and making pars would result in losing ground. As Thompson began his round, he was able to drop a 45-foot birdie putt on the first hole, settling any nerves he may have been feeling. In the blink of an eye, Thompson’s 2-shot lead had grown to 6 when he made birdies at Nos. 2, 4, 5, 6, and 7. Firing on all cylinders, Thompson cruised to a front-nine score of 29 and never looked back. His back nine consisted of a couple more birdies and one lone bogey, resulting in a final-round 64 that looked rather effortless. In the end it would be a four-shot victory at 28-under par, a new tournament scoring record. Pan, Clanton, and Michael Thorbjornsen all finished in a tie for 2nd at 24-under par. Clanton becomes first amateur since the 1950s with back to back top-10s on the PGA Tour, while Thompson becomes 24th first time winner at John Deere Classic. 

Winner’s Bag - Davis Thompson 

Davis Thompson did a lot of things on Sunday. He won his first PGA Tour title, qualified for his first Open Championship, and set a new tournament scoring record. This week he discussed how recent equipment changes have really made a difference for him, and his bag now consists of a fun mix. At the top of the bag, Thompson plays the Titleist TSR3 Driver (9 degrees). He carries a pair of PING G430 Max fairway woods that includes a 3-wood (15 degrees), and a 7-wood (21 degrees). One thing that makes his bag unique is that he plays two different brands of irons, including a PING i210 4-iron and Titleist 620 MBs (5-9 iron) in the rest of the set. Thompson is also amongst the players who carry four wedges. Two of them are Vokey SM10s (46 & 50 degrees), and two are Vokey WedgeWorks (54 & 60 degrees). On the greens, Thompson plays the Odyssey White Hot OG #7.

Key stats

Strokes Gained: Off the Tee- 11th

Strokes Gained: Approach to Green- 29th 

Strokes Gained: Around the Green- 4th

Strokes Gained: Putting- 5th

Strokes Gained: Total- 1st