PGA Tour: Michael Thompson closes deal at 3M Open

Michael Thompson was the best player in the field at this week’s PGA Tour stop, the 3M Open. Rightfully, he took home the title with a 67 on Sunday

When thinking of PGA Tour players who played collegiately at Alabama, Justin Thomas is the first name that comes to mind. But this week at the 3M Open in Blaine, Minnesota, it was another Alabama grad, Michael Thompson, who stole the show.

It was clear from the start of the week that Thompson had two things going for him. First, he was completely locked in all week long. He made very few errors and when he did, he did not let them be compounded.

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Second, Thompson was very comfortable with the course at TPC Twin Cities. He knew when to take advantage and when to dial it back. And he did that effectively all week.

Thompson entered Sunday’s round tied with Richy Werenski for the lead. And Thompson’s Sunday round took a while to get going.

He parred the first two holes before suffering a bogey on the par-4 third hole after his drive found a fairway bunker. He would par the fourth hole, remaining at 1-over for the day.

Thompson got his round going on the fifth hole. His second shot left him seven feet for birdie, and he converted to get back to even par on the day. Then, he birdied the par-5 sixth hole to get under par for the first time on his Sunday round.

He would par the next three holes to finish his front nine with a 1-under par 34. Meanwhile, Werenski had fallen off the pace while a number of other players made a Sunday charge.

Thompson started his back nine with a birdie on the 10th hole, moving to 2-under par on his round. From there, he played consistently, recording pars on the next five holes, holding onto his lead.

On the short par-4 16th hole, Thompson took advantage with a beautiful bunker shot that led to a short birdie putt. With that, he was 18-under par and had a two-shot lead with two holes to play.

Thompson had a steady par on the 17th hole before finishing his round off in style on 18. After laying up on the par-5, Thompson made his 15-foot birdie putt to win by two shots.

It was Thompson’s second PGA Tour victory and his first in more than seven years. He won the 2013 Honda Classic for his initial tour win.

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The win opens up many doors for Thompson, including a Masters bid. He also jumped from outside the FedEx Cup playoffs (151st) into the top 40 (39th) in one week.

It was a career-altering win for Thompson this week in Minnesota. And he earned it by being the best player in the field for four rounds at TPC Twin Cities.

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