PGA Tour rookie Davis Thompson explains how he got here up simply brief on the 2023 American Categorical
His child face apart, Davis Thompson didn’t appear like a PGA Tour rookie making his 20th begin for a lot of the week on the 2023 American Categorical.
The 23-year-old Georgia grad led after the primary and second rounds within the Coachella Valley, the place his 5 eagles over 36 holes tied a report for many eagles made in a 72-hole occasion (1983-present). Come Sunday’s closing spherical on the Stadium Course at PGA West in La Quinta, California, he was grouped with 2018 AmEx winner and world No. 4 Jon Rahm and J.T. Poston.
“I had an incredible week,” mentioned Thompson, who finally completed one shot in need of Rahm and what would’ve been a playoff for his first PGA Tour win on Sunday. “Competing in opposition to the most effective on the planet is my dream and I did that at present and proved that I can hold with ’em. It was a variety of enjoyable.
“A number of nerves and I hit a variety of high quality golf pictures underneath stress, which was actually cool.”
Thompson performed the par-5s at 14 underneath over the primary three rounds unfold throughout La Quinta Nation Membership and PGA West’s Stadium and Event programs. On Sunday on the Stadium Course, Thompson performed the 4 par-5s at simply even par following his 2-under effort on Saturday.
“Actually, I don’t know,” Thompson mentioned of the distinction between his two weekend rounds. “I had just a few tee pictures off line. I imply, didn’t actually give myself an opportunity to go for it on 5 and 16 on account of poor tee pictures. In addition to I performed the par-5s all week I type of didn’t actually do this effectively at present.”
“Jon making par on 5, which I believed he was going to make birdie, however he made par on 5 and birdie on 16. That was two pictures,” defined Thompson. “I performed these holes 1 over. In order that was type of a two-shot swing there.”
On Sunday, Thompson was T-62 in fairways hit, 62nd in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and 54th in SG: Across the Inexperienced among the many 69 gamers who made the minimize. However his hardest break of the day got here on the 17th inexperienced, the place Thompson made a heartbreaking par after his birdie putt from 48 ft hit the flagstick and didn’t drop within the gap. The putt would have tied he and Rahm for the lead with one gap to play.
“I normally all the time go away the stick in from a protracted distance. I really feel prefer it helps me with my velocity,” Thompson mentioned of his choice to not pull the pin. “I’ll in all probability play the ‘what if’ recreation in my head for a very long time, sadly.”
The missed likelihood on No. 17 apart, Thompson nonetheless had a shot to chip in for birdie on the ultimate gap after lacking the inexperienced together with his strategy. Regardless of his poor efficiency across the greens on the day, the TV broadcast fawned over Thompson’s effort to hit the tough chip inside two ft and practically gap out.
“I went by about each possibility in my head. I might have hit only a low bump and run, however that hill was so steep,” Thompson mentioned of the present. “I laid my 60 down and I knew I had sufficient, I had a adequate mislead get it up fast. Simply type of goes again to if you wish to make it, you chip it. If you wish to hit it up shut, you putt it. So I used to be clearly making an attempt to make it. Figured would possibly as effectively.”
Thompson has made the minimize in 5 of his six begins thus far this season and completed T-9 on the season-opening Fortinet Championship. He went toe-to-toe with one of many world’s greatest Sunday and didn’t again down underneath probably the most extreme stress. He’s acquired immense expertise for his age. Moxy, too.
Regulate the younger rookie. You would possibly as effectively.