Davis Thompson, despite his baby face, didn’t look like a rookie on the PGA Tour. He was making his 20 th start at the 2023 American Express.
After the first and second rounds of the Coachella Valley round, the 23-year-old Georgia grad was in command. His five eagles in 36 holes tied the record for the most 72-hole events (1983-1983). He was paired with the 2018 AmEx winner, J.T. 4 Jon Rahm, J.T. Poston.
Thompson said that he had a “great week” and finished just one shot behind Rahm. This would have been a playoff to win his first PGA Tour victory on Sunday. “It is my dream to compete against the best and I was able to do that today and prove that I can keep up with them. It was great fun.
“It was a lot nerves, and I hit a lot quality golf shots under pressure. It was really cool.”
Thompson was able to play the par-5s at 14 over in the first three rounds. He played them across La Quinta Country Club, PGA West’s Stadium Course and Tournament courses. Thompson finished the Sunday round at the Stadium Course with four par-5s, just one short of his Saturday 2-under performance.
Thompson stated that he didn’t know the difference between his weekend rounds. I had a few tee shots online. Poor tee shots meant that I didn’t have a chance to play on the 5 and 16 holes. Even though I was playing the par-5s for most of the week, I didn’t do as well today.
“Jon made par on 5. I thought he was going make birdie. But he made par 5 and birdie 16. Thompson explained that it was only two shots. I played the holes 1 over. It was a two-shot swing.
Thompson finished T-62 in fairways hits, 62nd overall in Strokes Gained Off the Tee, and 54th overall in SG: Around The Green. He was one of 69 players to make the cut. Thompson’s toughest break came on the 17 th green. His birdie putt of 48 feet from the flagstick missed the hole and Thompson made a devastating par. With one hole remaining, the putt would have tied him and Rahm for first place.
It’s a cruel game.
Davis Thompson was SO close to tieing the lead on 17 @TheAmExGolf. pic.twitter.com/Ygj9MURRvJ
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR January 22, 2023
“I almost always leave the stick in when I’m walking a distance.” Thompson stated that he felt the pin helped him speed up. I’ll likely play the “what if” game in my head for a while, unfortunately.”
Thompson missed the No. 17 green. Thompson missed the green on No. 17 but he still had the chance to chip in for birdie. Thompson’s attempt to hit the tricky chip within two feet of the greens was a failure. The TV broadcast laughed at Thompson’s efforts.
“I thought of every possible option. Thompson described the show as “a high-speed race, but I couldn’t have made it to the top.” “I put my 60 down, and I knew that I was done. I had a good enough lie for it to go up quickly. It’s like saying, “If you want it to be made, you chip it.” You can putt it if you want to get up close. It was obvious that I was trying to do it. Figuring might also be a good idea.”
Thompson has been successful in five of six starts this season, and was T-9 at the season’s opening Fortinet Championship. He was able to go toe-toe against one of the best in the world Sunday, and he didn’t give up even under extreme pressure. He is an extraordinary talent for his age. Moxy, too.
Pay attention to the young rookie. You might too.
