Davis Thompson dominated the field on Sunday on his way to his first PGA Tour title at the John Deere Classic. He became the 24th first-time winner of this competition at TPC Deere Run.
Starting the day with a two shot lead, Thompson rolled in a 40ft birdie putt on the opening hole which would set the tone for his day. Birdies at the 2nd, 4th, 5th and 6th followed to get the 25-year-old Georgian off to the perfect start.
Another birdie on the 9th dropped as he posted a 29 on the front nine, while holing over 120ft of putts on his opening half.
Thompson cruised into the clubhouse with a one-under-par back nine score to finish on -28, breaking the previous record score at the tournament held by Michael Kim (-27 in 2018). He also earns a spot in The Open.
CT Pan (-24) also earned a trip to the Open Championship in two weeks time as two birdies in his final three holes secured him a T2 finish after a final round score of 64. Amateur Luke Clanton (-24) became the first amateur to land back-to-back top 10 finishes on the PGA Tour since 1958, while Michael Thorbjornsen (-24) bagged a top-5 finish after turning professional just a few weeks ago.
The total prize payout at the John Deere Classic might be the smallest of all primary PGA Tour events so far this season, but it is still an impressive $8 million, with the Thompson taking home almost $1.5 million for himself.
JOHN DEERE CLASSIC LEADERBOARD
- -28 Davis Thompson
- -24 CT Pan, Michael Thorbjornsen, Luke Clanton (A)
- -23 Carson Young, Ben Griffin
Hello and welcome to Golf Monthly's coverage of the John Deere Classic final round 2024. Davis Thompson starts Sunday with a two-shot advantage over the chasing pack as he hunts a maiden PGA Tour title, but there are already some impressive scores being generated and a handful of players are making early moves.
Sit back, relax, and enjoy our full coverage of all the key moments as they happen. Thank you for tuning in!
HELLO AND WELCOME
Welcome to live updates from the final round of the John Deere Classic.
It's finely poised at TPC Deere Run for a fun Sunday, with Davis Thompson leading the way and seeking his first ever win on the PGA Tour.
FINAL GROUP UNDERWAY
The final group of leader Thompson, Englishman Aaron Rai and Eric Cole have left the first tee box, meaning every player is now on the golf course.
SPIETH OPENS WITH A BIRDIE AFTER 63 ON SATURDAY
How about this man yesterday? Jordan Spieth caught fire yesterday, firing his lowest round of the season.
He started today in the perfect fashion - a birdie three on the opening hole. He's -1 through two holes and is six back of Thompson.
THOMPSON BIRDIES THE FIRST!
What a start from Thompson!
After finding the centre of the green from the first cut, Thompson rakes in a birdie putt from 44ft. Suddenly his lead has stretched three shots as he jumps to -22.
Playing partners Cole and Rai both make comfortable pars on the par four.
SUNGJAE IM OFF TO A FLYER
Sungjae Im has quickly become a factor in this tournament.
The South Korean birdied the opening five holes and is -5 through six holes, jumping to -18. He sits four behind leader Thompson.
THOMPSON SEEKING HIS FIRST VICTORY, BUT WHO IS HE?
Some of you may be unfamiliar with the 25-year-old as he leads the way in Illinois.
It's a good thing we've written a piece with 15 facts you may not know about Davis Thompson then, isn't it?
AMATEUR LUKE CLANTON CHASING HISTORY
The last time an amateur finished top 10 in back-to-back starts on TOUR was in 1958.Coming off a T10 finish last week @RocketClassic, @PGATOURU's Luke Clanton currently sits T11 @JDClassic. pic.twitter.com/233er1EA36July 7, 2024
Amateur Luke Clanton has had quite a few weeks - a stellar finish at the US Open before a top 10 last week at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
He's just birdied the third hole to move inside the top 10 at -17. He could become the first amateur to bank back-to-back top 10 finishes since 1958 if he can finish strongly.
THOMPSON'S PERFECT START CONTINUES AS HE BIRDIES THE 2ND
He couldn't have scripted it any better.
After missing his second shot to the right of the Par 5 2nd green, Thompson plays a delicate chip to 3ft before tapping in for birdie to move to -23.
Importantly, neither Rai nor Cole could match his birdie. His lead has doubled to four shots after just two holes.
ICYMI: THOMPSON'S LONG RANGE BIRDIE ON THE OPENING HOLE
This is how you start a round after sleeping on the lead overnight!
Thompson held this beauty on the first, and is safely greenside on the Par 3 3rd hole while his partners have outside looks at birdie after successfully finding the green in regulation.
THOMPSON MAKES COMFY PAR ON THE 3RD AS RAI BOGEYS
Aaron Rai caught his tee shot a little fat on the par 3 3rd hole. From the front of the green, his chip rolled to around 8ft and the Englishman fails to make the par putt as he drops to -18 and T4.
Thompson, from the fringe just right of the green, makes a simple up-and-down for his first par of the day. The lead remains four shots.
THOMPSON AND COLE MISS THE FAIRWAY ON THE 4TH HOLE
Thompson watched his drive in disgust as it missed to the right of the 4th fairway. It looks like his lie is ok in the rough, but the ball will be well above his feet.
Eric Cole also missed to the right, but further right than Thompson. He could be in trouble...
COLE FORCED TO LAY UP ON THE 4TH
The camera has found Cole's ball on the 4th.... and he's missed the fairway by about 30 yards. He's the wrong side of a hill with thick rough, but has somehow found a good lie. His recovery shot ends just short left of the green.
RAI LOOKING NERVY AS HE PARS THE 4TH
In the words of on-course commentator Colt Knost: "Of the three guys in this final group, Rai definitely looks the most nervous."
Rai hit a disappointing wedge to 25ft after finding the middle of the fairway and tapped in for par after his birdie putt finished a foot from the hole.
THOMPSON BIRDIES AGAIN!
Magical start for Thompson - he hit his approach from the right rough to around 20ft before rolling in another beautiful putt straight into the heart of the cup. He now has a FIVE shot lead!
Meanwhile, Eric Cole drops a shot after failing to get up-and-down from the front edge of the green. It's all going to plan for Thompson.
SEAMUS POWER MOVES INTO THE TOP 5
He hasn't been featured on the coverage yet, but it's hard to ignore the front nine Seamus Power is putting together.
Birdies on the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 8th mean he's -5 through eight holes and tied for 5th at -18.
CT PAN BREAKS THE -20 MARK
If someone is to emerge and challenge the runaway leader in Thompson, it could be CT Pan.
He holes a lengthy birdie putt on the 5th for his third birdie of the day and moves to solo second at -20.
QUALITY APPROACH SHOTS FROM RAI AND COLE ON THE 5TH
After slow starts, both Rai and Cole need to put some pressure on Thompson to remind him of their presence.
They've both stuck wedges close on the 5th hole from around 120 yards for what should be kick-in birdies for the pair.
Thompson ran through the fairway on the 5th, with his approach shot finding the back edge of the green, so unlikely to find a birdie himself.
THOMPSON CANT MISS AS HE MOVES TO -4 FOR THE DAY!
This is crazy!
Down the slope from the back of the green, Thompson rolls in a 30ft birdie putt on the 5th hole! He's birdied four of the opening five holes as he moves to -25!
ALL THREE OF THE FINAL GROUP BIRDIE THE 5TH
After Thompson's stunning long putt, both Rai and Cole clean up from short range for their birdies.
That's the first birdie of the day for the duo as they both move to -19 and a tie for 3rd.
ICYMI: THOMPSON'S LONG BIRDIE PUTT ON THE 5TH
This is the latest long birdie putt to drop for Thompson today as he surges clear at the top of the leaderboard here at the John Deere Classic.
DOES THE JOHN DEERE CLASSIC HAVE THE COOLEST TEE MARKERS IN GOLF?
I’m serious about the tee markers. pic.twitter.com/nncxoySsVHJuly 7, 2024
We're watching an ad break at the moment, but my mind cannot get away from the tee markers at TPC Deere Ranch.
Maybe my fascination with them proves that I remain a child in a 26-year-olds body...
THOMPSON = FLAWLESS
Guess what...
Thompson has ANOTHER birdie. After playing his approach shot on the 6th to around 12ft, he calmly rolls another birdie putt home to move to -26.
He's putting on an absolute clinic and sits six clear!
THORBJORNSEN ALMOST MAKES EAGLE ON THE 8TH
Hitting out of the rough on the 8th with wedge in hand, PGA Tour rookie Thorbjornsen sticks it to a foot! Hell of a shot - he'll move to -19.
Meanwhile, CT Pan lips out for birdie on the 7th as he looks to be the first player to reach -21 and break away from a three tie for second place at -20.
DENNY MCCARTHY MOVES INTO THE TOP 5 WITH AN EAGLE ON 10
Denny McCarthy has swiftly made his way into a tie for 5th place after holing out from the fairway on the Par 5 10th hole.
He's made his move to -19 as the race for second place heats up!
THOMPSON MISSES BIRDIE PUTT ON THE 7TH
On the 229-yard par 3 7th hole, Thompson found the centre of the green.
Can he keep the birdie streak going....? No, unfortunately, but he gave it a hell of a roll. It's a tap in par for our leader.
Aaron Rai misses a 14ft birdie putt on the high side and remains -19.
COLE AND THOMPSON MISS THE FAIRWAY ON THE 8TH
Eric Cole misses the fairway by one yard and draws a horrible lie, while Thompson missed by 10 yards and has a lovely lie.... golf, eh?
Rai, meanwhile, is in the center of the fairway.
THOMPSON LEFT WITH TESTING UP-AND-DOWN
Thompson misses long, finding a run-off area past the flag. He'll have a tricky chip to save par.
Cole, from his horrible lie, can only hack out into the rough short left of the green.
Rai's approach shot was all over the flag but spins back to around 15ft.
GRIFFIN MOVES TO SOLO SECOND AT -21
With a tap in birdie on the 10th, Ben Griffin is the first to break out of the pack at -20 as he moves into solo second - five back from Thompson.
FIST PUMP FROM THOMPSON AS HE MAKES PAR ON THE 8TH
It's the first time today we've seen Thompson in a vulnerable position.
The Georgia graduate chipped through the fringe grass to 8ft before rolling his important par putt into the middle of the hole. He shows emotion for the first time today, fist pumping as the ball dropped. That felt like an important putt...
THOMPSON HITS ONE CLOSE ON 9
He looks unflappable at the moment, as Thompson fires his approach shot from 160 yards on the 9th to roughly 8ft. That'll be a putt for his sixth birdie of his opening nine.
THOMPSON BIRDIES AGAIN, POSTS 29 ON THE FRONT NINE
This is quite a statement from the former number one amateur in the world.
He rolls in that birdie putt on the 9th (only the third of the day on the hole) to post -6 on the front nine and move to -27. Incredible.
MCCARTHY CHIPS IN ON 13 FOR ANOTHER BIRDIE
Denny McCarthy didn't need his putter on the 10th after holing out for eagle - this time he's holed out for birdie from the side of the 13th.
A perfect bump and run falls into the hole for Denny as he posts -4 for the opening four holes of the back nine and moves to -21.
THOMPSON'S FRONT NINE OFFICIALLY OFFICIAL
Not a bad scorecard when you're gunning for your first ever PGA Tour victory.
120 feet of putts holed, too. Also not bad.
THOMPSON CLOSING IN ON TOURNAMENT SCORING RECORD
Michael Kim won in 2018 at TPC Deere Run with a score of -27.
After firing a wedge from 130 at the flag and finishing 10ft below the hole, Thompson has the chance to surpass that score with eight holes remaining.
RAI'S PUTTER ICE COLD AS HE MISSES ANOTHER BIRDIE PUTT
He's only level par for the day and has one birdie to his name - it's a similar story for Aaron Rai with the putter.
While in contention last week at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, the putter let Rai down on Sunday. It's doing the same today as he misses a 14ft putt for birdie on the 10th.
THOMPSON MOVES TO -28
-7 through ten holes, with the lead.
Running out of superlatives for this performance from Davis Thompson. His 10ft birdie putt on ten wasn't going to go anywhere bar the bottom of the cup.
If he pars his way in, he'll bag the tournament scoring record, but chances are he'll pick up a few more birdies along the way.
THORBJORNSEN HITS A BEAUTY ON THE 12TH
The 22-year-old hits a towering six iron from 220 on the par 3 13th hole to around 6ft.
He's in solo second and looks to create a two shot buffer from the three players at -21.
THE BATTLE FOR SECOND HEATS UP AS GRIFFIN BIRDIES THE 13TH
He's -8 through 13 holes, and Ben Griffin has just rolled in a 12ft birdie putt on the 13th to tie Thorbjornsen for 2nd place at -22.
Griffin has the round of the day going to this point.
Meanwhile, amateur Luke Clanton has climbed to -20 and has hit a beauty into the par 3 12th to 10ft.
THORBJORNSEN MAKES HIS FIFTH BIRDIE IN A ROW
Five straight birdies for the @PGATOURU No. 1 😲 @MichaelT_1 moves to solo second @JDClassic. pic.twitter.com/5aJD6Q4ADiJuly 7, 2024
It's five in a row and seven birdies in his last nine holes for the man who only turned professional a few weeks ago.
Thorbjornsen moves to -23 after rolling in his 10ft birdie putt on the 12th.
ICYMI: MCCARTHY'S CHIP IN ON 13
-4 thru his last 4 holes 🔥@_DennyMcCarthy chips in for birdie on the 13th @JDClassic. pic.twitter.com/dHXeH1NR6zJuly 7, 2024
Here's how Denny McCarthy chipped in on the 13th.
He's stuck another wedge to inside 10ft on the 15th with the opportunity for a birdie to move to -22.
NO BIRDIE FOR MCCARTHY ON 15 AS THOMPSON PARS AT 11
Thompson, from around 30ft, leave his putt half a foot short for birdie. He'll have to settle for par (boooo!).
Up at 15, McCarthy fails to capitalize on a wonderful approach shot as his birdie putt slides and misses low. He'll remain at -21.
THORBJORSEN HAS ANOTHER BIRDIE LOOK ON 13
He found a divot with his tee shot, but it didn't matter for Thorbjornsen as he nips a wedge to around 12ft.
It's an impressive start to his PGA Tour career for the former Stanford University star. You can find out more about the rookie here.
THOMPSON BATTLING FOR PAR ON 12
Now then...
With Thornbjorsen moving to -24, Thompson misses the green on the Par 3 12th before chipping to around 8ft.
If (and it's a big 'if') he misses, his lead will fall to three shots...
THOMPSON BOGEYS THE 12TH
His putt was tracking, but Thompson leaves his par try short. His blemish-free card now has a bogey on it as he drops to -27.
The lead is three from Thorbjornsen.
CARSON YOUNG MOVES TO -23
A 12ft birdie putt falls for Carson Young on the 15th as he jumps to T3 at -23. He's -9 for the day!
COSTLY BOGEY FOR THORBJORNSEN
The rookie misses a short par putt on the relatively easy Par 4 14th hole which all but derailed any opportunity at catching Thompson at the summit of the leaderboard.
Thompson is safely aboard the green at the 13th with a 20ft look at birdie.
RAI FINALLY HOLES A PUTT AS HE BIRDIES THE 13TH
A putt for Aaron Rai finally drops from just over 12ft as he cards just his second birdie of the day to move to -20.
In the same group, Thompson left his birdie putt a foot short before tapping in for a stress free par. It's a four shot lead of the 25-year-old with five holes to go.
BEN GRIFFIN ON 59 WATCH
He's feeling it out there.
Griffin goes flag hunting on the 16th, firing his tee shot on the Par 3 to 10ft.
He needs to shoot -3 on the final three holes, which includes the Par 5 17th, to hit that magic number.
GRIFFIN GETS HIS BIRDIE!
10-under on the day 😳 @BenGriffinGolf will need to play his final two holes 2-under to shoot a 59 @JDClassic! pic.twitter.com/at9frcqUscJuly 7, 2024
The birdie on 16 drops for Griffin as he moves to -24.
He's -10 on the day, and an eagle on 17 or back to back birdies would be enough for a famous 59 - the second of the week at TPC Deere Run after Hayden Springer's -12 day on Thursday.
59 WATCH MIGHT BE OVER FOR GRIFFIN
Griffin hits his tee shot on the 16th MILES to the right. He drops the club in disgust on his follow through as it starts right and continues in that direction, towards a hazard to the left of the 16th green.
It doesn't look good for Griffin, but the cameramen on the ground haven't found his ball yet so maybe he can get a bit of luck.
THOMPSON MISSES RIGHT ON THE DRIVABLE 14TH
Thompson doesn't feel like laying up on the drivable Par 4, but balloons his drive way to the right.
It ends up on the cart path around 40 yards from the green, which is an OK miss. He'll get relief and will have a relatively straight forward chip onto the green from there.
GRIFFIN MAKING A MESS ON 17
He was lucky to find his tee shot given how close he was to a hazard, but Griffin could only chip his ball sideways from there.
He then, with 3 wood in hand, misses short and left of the green and will have his work cut out to get out scratch-free on the Par 5.
THOMPSON CHIPS TO TAP IN RANGE ON 14
That could be the dagger in this tournament.
After taking his free drop from the cart path, Thompson plays a beauty that rolls out about 2ft past the flag.
A beauty, that will no doubt settle any nerves. The lead will become four shots very shortly, and potentially five unless Griffin can get up-and-down from the sand on 17 which looks unlikely.
THREE BIRDS FOR THE FINAL GROUP ON 14 AS THOMPSON GETS BACK TO -28
Three terrific chip shots by Rai, Cole and Thompson on 14 are rewarded with birdies.
Cole gets to -20, Rai to -21, and Thompson to -27.
GRIFFIN BOGEYS 17 AS THE QUEST FOR A 59 ENDS
The tee shot was a killer for Griffin, who misses a 30ft par putt on the Par 5 to fall back to -23.
Thompson's lead is now five as Griffin's hopes of a 59 are all but over.
AMATEUR LUKE CLANTON GUNNING FOR A TOP 5 FINISH
He's playing with swagger out there, and now Luke Clanton has fired a 5 iron into the heart of the Par 5 17th green in two.
He's currently T6, but a two putt would jump him inside the top 5. Another excellent week for the youngster.
ICYMI - THOMPSON'S WONDERFUL PITCH ON THE 14TH
28-under for the week and leader by four. Davis Thompson is all gas and no brakes @JDClassic 💪 pic.twitter.com/VveAlwprQbJuly 7, 2024
This was the shot that put the win beyond doubt.
A hell of a chip shot by Thompson as his first ever PGA Tour win edges ever closer, with just three more holes to navigate.
He's safely upon the green at the Par 3 16th hole.
THOMPSON PARS 16 AS KIM WORRIES HIS RECORD WILL BE BROKEN!
Calm down Davis, no need to break the tournament scoring record or anything… 😂July 7, 2024
It's a stress-free par for Thompson on 16 to remain at -28.
Meanwhile, tournament scoring record holder has tweeted for Davis to "calm down" as he fears his scoring record at this tournament (-27) will be broken!
THOMPSON FINDS THE TREES ON 17...
...but he's OK.
Thompson's ball is rejected by one of the large trees to the left of the fairway and bounces out into the first cut.
He'll have to lay up from there, but he's fine.
NO 59 FOR BEN GRIFFIN AS HE POSTS 62
A par on the final hole means Ben Griffin shoots -9 for the day having needed two birdies on 17 and 18 to shoot 59.
He finishes on -23 which is good enough for T4.
CLANTON BIRDIES THE LAST TO FINISH T2!
The top two who aren't already exempt for the Open Championship will qualify for the final major of the year at this tournament.
Both Clanton and Thorbjornsen bag birdies on the final hole to finish at -24! They currently sit T2, with CT Pan on the fairway on 18. We'll see who'll book their place to Troon shortly...
SPIETH FINISHES HIS WEEK IN PEAK SPIETH FASHION
How about this from the 2015 champion of this very tournament.
It wasn't his week, nor his day today, posting a -1 round to finish -15 for the tournament, but Spieth gave the fans something to shout about with this beauty from behind the trees on the 18th.
CLANTON MAKES HISTORY
4 birdies in his final 5 holes!@PGATOURU's Luke Clanton is the first amateur to finish in the top 10 in back-to-back TOUR starts since 1958 👏 pic.twitter.com/WM2HnQpCyhJuly 7, 2024
This was the putt that may secure a T2 finish for the amateur Luke Clanton.
He also makes history, becoming the first amateur to post back-to-back top 10 finishes since 1958!
CT PAN QUALIFIES FOR THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP
CT Pan pars the final hole to secure his second top 10 of the season and qualify for Royal Troon in two weeks time.
A great boost for the Olympic bronze medalist after what has been a difficult season for him thus far.
THOMPSON ABOARD THE 18TH GREEN
After avoiding the water on his approach shot, Thompson now has five putts from 25ft to claim his first PGA Tour title.
I have faith in him.
THOMPSON POSTS NEW TOURNAMENT RECORD AS HE WINS THE JOHN DEERE CLASSIC
It's a stress free, stunning final round from Davis Thompson as he wins the John Deere Classic for his maiden PGA Tour victory.
Not only does he claim his first tour title, but he also steals the tournament scoring record at -28 - beating Michael Kim's record of -27 from 2018!
THANKS FOR FOLLOWING!
That was a clinic from Davis Thompson. I'm off to practice my putting on the carpet upstairs as I hopelessly try to replicate even one iota of his ability on the greens.
Thanks very much for tuning in for our live text coverage of the John Deere Classic!
