Late surge helps Thompson win 3M Open title by 2 strokes
BLAINE, MINN. » Without a gallery around him on the
18th green, Michael Thompson settled for a subdued victory celebration at the
3M Open with a FaceTime call home to his wife 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 67 and a twostroke victory, finishing off his second PGA Tour win seven years after his first.
“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.”
Adam Long took was second after a 64. Richy Werenski,
who had the 18-hole lead and shared it with Thompson after both Friday and Saturday, shot a 70 for his worst round of the tournament and settled for a nineway tie for third — three strokes back.
Tony Finau finished in the third-place group, too, after a 68. Finau was the only one among the five world top-30 players in the field to reach the weekend, far outperforming fellow high-profile peers Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Tommy Fleetwood and Paul
Casey.
Thompson finished at 19-under 265 at the TPC Twin Cities. 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.