WiretoWire: Davis Thompson triumphs at John Deere Classic

Davis Thompson might not convey much emotion on the golf course, but the soft-spoken Georgia Bulldog burns to thrive at golf’s highest level. Thompson’s immense talent was on display at the John Deere Classic, as the second-year TOUR pro earned his first TOUR title in convincing fashion at 28-under, four strokes clear of a trio of runner-up finishers: veteran C.T. Pan, recent PGA TOUR University No. 1 Michael ThorbjornsenFlorida State junior Luke Clanton

Thompson led by two strokes into Sunday at TPC Deere Run, then made five birdies in his first seven holes and cruised to the finish. With rounds of 63-67-62-64, he clipped Michael Kim’s tournament scoring record by one stroke, and he also continued a trend of John Deere Classic winners from a nearby rental house, following in the footsteps of J.T. Poston (2022) and Sepp Straka (2023) at the “Trophy House.” Thompson secures exempt TOUR membership through 2026 and qualifies for the upcoming Open Championship at Royal Troon via The Open Qualifying Series

TOUR ships off to Scotland

The PGA TOUR moves across the pond this week for the Genesis Scottish Open. This unique event, co-sanctioned with the DP World Tour for the third straight year, will feature top players from the highest level of golf across both of the premier circuits in the game. Rory McIlroy will look to defend his title from last year against 2022 champion Xander Schauffele, 2023 FedExCup champion Viktor Hovland, Max Homa, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas, Tommy Fleetwood and many more big names. Last year’s runner-up and Scotland’s own Robert MacIntyre heads to North Berwick this time as a PGA TOUR winner after claiming victory at this year’s RBC Canadian Open. The Renaissance Club plays host once again, with the world’s best staying in Scotland for The 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon next week.

Bluegrass opportunity awaits

The stars of the PGA TOUR and DP World Tour will collide once again at the ISCO Championship, held at Keene Trace Golf Club for the sixth time. This will be the third year of the ISCO Championship welcoming players from both Tours as a co-sanctioned event, this time with a new title sponsor. Roughly 50 DP World Tour members will make the trip over the pond to Nicholasville, Kentucky, for a chance to earn non-member FedExCup points in the pursuit of earning PGA TOUR cards. With just four FedExCup Regular Season events remaining on the TOUR schedule, the ISCO Championship offers a great opportunity for many players to position themselves to make the FedExCup Playoffs. The ISCO Championship has yielded three straight first-time TOUR winners, with rookie Vincent Norrman taking home the title in a playoff in 2023.

Video of the week

Mic check

“I think I have to pay for the whole house now, which is unfortunate, but I'll gladly write the check for that.” – Davis Thompson on the tradition of John Deere Classic winner paying for the group's house

By the numbers

2 – Players who earned a spot at The 152nd Open at Royal Troon via the Open Qualifying Series at the John Deere Classic: winner Davis Thompson and runner-up C.T. Pan, who won an OWGR tiebreaker over Luke Clanton and Michael Thorbjornsen.

99 – Ninety-nine-year-old World War II veteran Henry Langrehr was honored Saturday at the John Deere Classic.

66 – Years since an amateur had recorded back-to-back top-10 finishes on TOUR. With a T10 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and a T2 at the John Deere Classic, Luke Clanton became the first since Billy Joe Patton to accomplish the feat.

Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10

The Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 highlights and rewards the extraordinary level of play required to earn a spot in the TOP 10 at the conclusion of the FedExCup Regular Season as determined by the FedExCup standings. The competition recognizes and awards the most elite in golf.