PGA TOUR University on TOUR: Davis Thompson wins John Deere Classic
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PGA TOUR University had a strong presence atop the leaderboard at the John Deere Classic, headlined by winning his first PGA TOUR title. Leading by two through 54 holes, the Georgia grad opened with a front-nine 29 en route to a final-round 64 and a four-stroke victory. With the win, Thompson moved to No. 22 in the FedExCup and joins fellow alums Ludvig Åberg (No. 6) and Austin Eckroat (No. 44) in the top 50.
Thompson, the No. 2 finisher in the PGA TOUR U Class of 2021, is the fourth alum to win on the PGA TOUR in the last nine months, a list that includes Ludvig Åberg (2023 RSM Classic), Austin Eckroat (2024 Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches) and Chris Gotterup (2024 Myrtle Beach Classic). In all, 16 alumni have combined to win 23 professional events since the first class turned professional in June 2021.
Coming off a T10 finish at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, Florida State rising junior Luke Clanton finished T2 and became the first amateur to post back-to-back top-10s since 1958. With the top-10 finish, Clanton earned two more points in PGA TOUR University Accelerated, bringing his total to nine. If he accumulates 20 total points by the end of his junior season, he will join Vanderbilt’s Gordon Sargent as players to earn their PGA TOUR card via PGA TOUR University Accelerated. Clanton, currently No. 3 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, will have another chance to add to his total this week, as he will play in the ISCO Championship on a sponsor exemption.
Also finishing in a tie for second was the No. 1 player from this year’s class, Michael Thorbjornsen. In his third start as a pro, Thorbjornsen carded nine birdies – including six in a row – in his final-round 63. This week, Thorbjornsen will join Clanton, Parker Coody, Pierceson Coody, Adrien Dumont de Chassart, Joe Highsmith and Mac Meisner at the ISCO Championship, while Åberg, Eckroat, Gotterup, Thompson and Kevin Yu will compete in the Scottish Open.
This week on the Korn Ferry Tour, the field at The Ascendant presented by Blue features 23 PGA TOUR U alum, including Gustav Frimodt and Karl Vilips, who will each make their first starts on Korn Ferry Tour.
PGA TOUR Americas returns to action this week at the Explore NB Open, and Frederik Kjettrup will look to extend his winning streak to three. With a victory, Kjettrup will qualify for a three-win promotion and earn Korn Ferry Tour membership for the remainder of 2024 and the 2025 season.
PGA TOUR University Alumni – FedExCup Standings
| Rank | Player | Points | Events | Best finish of season |
| 6 | Ludvig Åberg | 1992 | 14 | 2nd, Twice |
| 22 | Davis Thompson | 1318 | 20 | 1st, John Deere Classic |
| 44 | Austin Eckroat | 963 | 18 | 1st, Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches |
| 83 | Kevin Yu | 466 | 18 | T3, The American Express |
| 90 | Chris Gotterup | 410 | 19 | 1st, Myrtle Beach Classic |
| 108 | Mac Meissner | 308 | 17 | T5, Charles Schwab Challenge |
| 121 | Michael Thorbjornsen* | 229 | 3 | T2, John Deere Classic |
| 124 | Jacob Bridgeman | 212 | 16 | T14, RBC Canadian Open |
| 131 | Pierceson Coody | 197 | 17 | T5, Charles Schwab Challenge |
| 152 | Parker Coody | 151 | 17 | T6, Corales Puntacana Championship |
| 154 | Joe Highsmith | 146 | 16 | T6, Puerto Rico Open |
| 157 | Adrien Dumont de Chassart | 130 | 17 | T6, Puerto Rico Open |
*Class of 2024
PGA TOUR University Alumni – Korn Ferry Tour Points List
| Rank | Player | Points | Events | Best finish of season |
| 8 | Quade Cummins | 849 | 15 | T2, The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic |
| 11 | Jackson Suber | 774 | 15 | 2nd, Compliance Solutions Championship |
| 12 | John Pak | 762 | 12 | 1st, Compliance Solutions Championship |
| 19 | Trent Phillips | 655 | 16 | T2, The Panama Championship |
| 22 | William Mouw | 617 | 14 | T2, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open |
| 26 | Noah Goodwin | 530 | 14 | T4, LECOM Suncoast Classic |
| 29 | Ricky Castillo | 506 | 15 | T5, Twice |
| 33 | Sam Bennett | 451 | 14 | 7th, Visit Knoxville Open |
| 38 | Ross Steelman | 377 | 14 | 3rd, The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic |
| 65 | Cole Hammer | 241 | 15 | 6th, Astara Golf Championship |
| 71 | Garett Reband | 204 | 11 | T3, Astara Chile Classic |
| 88 | Patrick Welch | 157 | 15 | 13th, UNC Health Championship |
| 93 | Logan McAllister | 145 | 14 | T18, 117 Visa Argentina Open |
| 94 | Fred Biondi | 143 | 13 | T7, The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic |
| 98 | Trevor Werbylo | 140 | 14 | T9, Veritex Bank Championship |
| 115 | Austin Greaser* | 109 | 4 | T4, Memorial Health Championship |
| 117 | Yuxin Lin | 106 | 4 | 8th, Veritex Bank Championship |
| 119 | Ryan Hall | 104 | 9 | T14, UNC Health Championship |
| 154 | Connor Howe | 60 | 9 | T17, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open |
| 166 | RJ Manke | 40 | 2 | T20, AdventHealth Championship |
| 173 | William Moll* | 30 | 4 | T38, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open |
| 175 | Matthew Riedel* | 28 | 4 | T34, Memorial Health Championship |
| 181 | Nick Gabrelcik* | 22 | 4 | T31, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open |
| 199 | Ben Carr | 9 | 1 | T48, Club Car Championship |
| 213 | Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira | 6 | 2 | T51, Astara Golf Championship |
| 223 | Sam Choi | 5 | 9 | T59, 117 Visa Argentina Open |
*Class of 2024
PGA TOUR University Alumni – Fortinet Cup Standings
| Rank | Player | Points | Events | Best finish of season |
| 1 | Frederik Kjettrup* | 1000 | 2 | 1st, Twice |
| 10 | Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira | 487 | 8 | 2nd, The Beachlands Victoria Open |
| 15 | John Keefer* | 350 | 2 | T2, ATB Classic |
| 16 | Chase Sienkiewicz | 350 | 8 | T3, Inter Rapídisimo Golf Championship |
| 22 | Ben Carr | 296 | 8 | T3, KIA Open |
| 28 | Derek Hitchner | 248 | 8 | T3, Totalplay Championship at Atlas Country Club |
| 36 | Reid Davenport | 172 | 8 | T8, Twice |
| 42 | Yuxin Lin | 160 | 3 | T3, Totalplay Championship at Atlas Country Club |
| 70 | Ryan Burnett | 98 | 7 | T16, The Beachlands Victoria Open |
| 103 | Ryggs Johnston* | 61 | 2 | T12, ATB Classic |
| 105 | Cameron Sisk | 56 | 6 | T22, Diners Club Peru Open |
| 107 | Tommy Kuhl | 55 | 8 | T24, 69th ECP Brazil Open |
| 152 | Karl Vilips* | 20 | 2 | T33, ATB Classic |
| 163 | Bryce Lewis* | 17 | 2 | T37, The Beachlands Victoria Open |
| 197 | Michael Brennan* | 4 | 2 | T61, The Beachlands Victoria Open |
| 197 | Dylan Menante* | 4 | 2 | T61, The Beachlands Victoria Open |
| 201 | Sampson Zheng* | 4 | 1 | T66, The Beachlands Victoria Open |
| 204 | RJ Manke | 3 | 2 | T70, The Beachlands Victoria Open |
*Class of 2024