Dry spell over for Thompson
BLAINE, Minn. — Without a gallery around him on the 18th green at TPC Twin Cities, Michael Thompson settled for a subdued celebration at the 3M Open with a FaceTime call home to his wife, Rachel, and children in Georgia.
The tears came from him and his wife as soon as they saw each other on the screen.
Thompson birdied two of the last three holes Sunday for a 4-under-par 67 and a two-stroke victory, with the former University of Alabama golfer finishing off his second PGA Tour win seven years after his first at the Honda Classic.
“It is a little sad that there wasn’t anybody out there to cheer on some of the great shots that I hit toward the end, but I know everybody who’s rooting for me at least was watching and screaming at their TV,” Thompson said. “This is definitely a win for everybody who supported me throughout the years. It doesn’t diminish the excitement.”
Thompson finished at 19-under 265 to hold off second-place Adam Long (64). Former Georgia Tech player Richy Werenski, who had the lead after the first round and shared it with Thompson after the next two, shot a 70 for his worst round of the tournament and settled for a nine-way tie for third — three strokes back.
Also in that group was Tony Finau (68), who was the only one among the five players from the Official World Golf Ranking’s top 30 in the field to reach the weekend, far outperforming fellow high-profile peers Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Tommy Fleetwood and Paul Casey.
Former University of Georgia golfer Harris English (69) tied for 18th at 13 under, and fellow Baylor School graduate Luke List (67), a former Vanderbilt player, shared 32nd at 10 under.
As for Thompson, he was more nervous than he anticipated, even without spectators.
“It means so much to get a win, and it gets you into so many different tournaments and solidifies your job for two more years. That’s enough pressure for anybody, let alone having fans out there,” said Thompson, who has a 3-year-old son and an infant daughter he and his wife adopted in March.
Nobody throughout the windy and muggy four days in Minnesota was steadier than Thompson, who entered the week 151st in the FedEx Cup standings but made just three bogeys in 72 holes as he rocketed up to 39th on the way to Tennessee for the FedEx St. Jude Invitational — now a World Golf Championship — that starts Thursday at TPC Southwind in Memphis.
He hit solidly out of the sand to set up a birdie on the 16th hole Sunday and take sole possession of the lead. He deftly steered around the water danger on the 18th, landing his approach on the back of the green within 15 feet of the cup.
With Long in the clubhouse, having played five groups ahead, Thompson had two putts to win. He needed only one, bending backward and thrusting his arms straight up in the air after the ball dropped in the cup.