It took a late birdie to make it, but Michael Thompson claimed his second PGA Tour victory on Sunday afternoon.
Thompson, who started the day tied on the field at TPC Twin Cities outside of Minneapolis, used a birdie at No. 16 to advance and win the 3M Open, his first Tour victory since 2013.
“It’s been a long time,” she said on CBS after the victory, holding back tears. “I am really sad that my wife and children are not here to celebrate with me. I can not wait to see them. I don’t know what to say, this is very exciting.
“Today I played such good golf and I stayed within myself, I believed in myself. Couldn’t have asked for anything more.
Thompson Birdie Bunker
Thompson made up for an early bogey with consecutive birdies in his first nine spots and birdied at No. 10 to stay tied with Adam Long at 17-under. However, it wasn’t until number 16 that Thompson finally made his move.
The 35-year-old almost drove the green on the short par 4, but landed in a green bunker. He then expertly threw it, landing his ball just a few yards from the cup, and finished the putt for a birdie, officially regaining the lead.
Thompson saved the pair at No. 17, then sank a deep birdie putt at No. 18 to secure the two-shot victory. He ended the day with a low 4 67.
Long came in second at age 17. The 32-year-old, who posted an 8-under 63 on Saturday, jumped 12 places on the leaderboard in the final round thanks to a 7-under 64. He also got off to a fast start, making four birdies in five holes in the front before closing his round with two birdies in his last three holes. However, he ended up way ahead of Thompson, giving him enough time to make a move.
Nine players tied for third at age 16, including Charles Howell III, Tony Finau, Max Homa and Richy Werenski, who was tied with Thompson to start the day.
Thompson’s huge FedExCup leap
Thompson has only one other top-10 finish this season, arriving in T8 at RBC Heritage last month. He missed the cut at the Workday Charity Open two weeks ago, and finished out of the top 45 in his other two Tour appearances since play resumed after the COVID-19 parenthesis. He also missed the cut in seven of his 11 appearances earlier this season.
Sunday’s victory will not only lift Thompson to the Official World Golf Ranking, he started the week at No. 218 in the world, but also in the FedExCup ranking, something that will be critical to his playoff push. He started the week at No. 151 in the standings, outside the cut for The Northern Trust, and will now sit at No. 39, scoring a 112 point jump. Thompson has also secured exemption status on the Tour for the next two years and places at next week’s World Golf Championship, FedEx St. Jude Invitational and the PGA Championship.
“That’s what makes this game so amazing is that we have to play for our work every year,” he said on CBS. “Knowing that I have security for two more years and participating in all those tournaments … is just a great advantage. I’ll have to think hard to sweat next week, but, oh man, it’s very exciting. “
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