Davis Thompson birdied five of the first six holes and cruised to a record-setting four-stroke victory at the John Deere Classic on Sunday for his first PGA Tour title.

The 25-year-old American fired a seven-under par 64 to finish on a 72-hole tournament-record of 28-under 256 at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois.

Thompson, ranked 70th in the world, broke the old mark of 27-under set by American Michael Kim in 2018.

Thompson followed his sizzling start with back-to-back birdies at nine and 10 then answered his lone bogey at 12 with a birdie at 14 and parred his way into the clubhouse.

“I just tried to stay present all day,” Thompson said. “When that putt finally went in, just a big sigh of relief.”

Taiwan’s C.T. Pan, American Michael Thorbjornsen and US amateur Luke Clanton shared second on 260 with Americans Ben Griffin, who shot 62, and Carson Young another stroke adrift.

“A lot of confidence seeing the ball roll in today. It was nice,” Griffin said. “It was a really good round.”

In his 63rd PGA start, Thompson took his first trophy after a runner-up finish last week in Detroit, another in May at Myrtle Beach and one last year in the California desert.

“It’s great,” Thompson said. “I’ve been working hard this year. It was OK for a while then I kind of got going this past month. Played well last week and just tried to keep it rolling this week and I was able to get the win.”

Thompson and Pan, the top two not already qualified for the British Open, earned a berth into the showdown at Royal Troon in two weeks. Pan took a spot by having a higher ranking than Clanton or Thorbjornsen.

“Qualifying for the Open was just an added incentive into this,” said Thompson. “The goal was to win the golf tournament after getting here this week and I got off to a great start and was able to finish it off.”

Thompson’s rental house this week is the same one used in their winning year by 2022 John Deere champion J.T. Poston and 2023 John Deere champion Sepp Straka of Austria. Thompson even has the same bedroom Straka used last year.

It might be only luck, but Thompson isn’t planning on giving up his spot in the “Trophy House” even though it comes with an expensive tradition.

“Definitely not,” Thompson said. “I think I have to pay for the whole house now, which is unfortunate, but I’ll gladly write the check for that.”

Clanton didn’t qualify for Troon but he did become the first amateur since Billy Joe Patton in 1958 to finish in the top-10 in PGA Tour events in back-to-back weeks.

Thompson, who began the day with a two-stroke lead, made a birdie putt from just inside 45 feet at the first hole and a tap-in birdie at the par-5 second.

He made birdie putts from just inside 14 feet at the fourth, just inside 30 feet at the fifth and just inside 13 feet at the sixth.

Thompson birdied the ninth from just beyond six feet and the par-5 10th and after a bogey at 12 had a tap-in birdie at 14.

Up-and-coming Pakistan golfer Ahmad Baig admits his “dream has come true” as he prepares to face up to some world-class talent at International Series Morocco this week.

Baig received a tournament invite to the Royal Dar Es Salam in Rabat after a stellar season so far on the Asian Development Tour. The 26-year-old leads the current Order of Merit thanks to two tournament wins in Vietnam, the season-opening Lexus Challenge in March and the Nam A Bank Vietnam Masters last month.

Baig only took up the game 10 years ago, and he is pinching himself at the prospect of lining up in a field that includes nine LIV Golf League players and the cream of the Asian Tour.

He said: “My dream is to play on the Asian Tour, and today it feels like my dreams have come true, because I am playing, and this is my first time playing on The International Series. I feel extremely excited to be playing and competing against these big names

This is Baig’s second Asian Tour appearance of the season, and he hopes to go one better after narrowly missing out on the cut in the Saudi Open presented by PIF. On that occasion he fell agonisingly short, as a bogey on his last cost him a place on the weekend.

He said: “That was very painful. I played well but sadly on the last I managed to bogey from 20 yards – I just overhit a chip and then could not close out. Hopefully I have learned from my mistakes.”

Baig is always eager to learn, from his experience and from those around him. He has a wonderful opportunity to gain experience against some top names this weekend.

The assembled field includes stars such as 2010 US Open champion Graeme McDowell of Smash GC, South African’s Branden Grace (Stinger GC) and the American trio of Pat Perez (4Aces GC), Peter Uihlein (RangeGoats GC) and Caleb Surratt (Legion XIII), as well as in-form Asian Tour Order of Merit leader John Catlin, and multiple Asian Tour winners Gaganjeet Bhullar, Scott Hend and defending champion Jazz Janewattananond.

He said: “I am always trying to learn from them because they are the best player in the world. So any time these players are at the range or working on their short game, or putting, of course I will take the opportunity to watch and learn. I am also excited to compete against these big names.”

Pakistan may not be known as a hotbed of golfing talent, but Baig took to the game immediately after being introduced to it by his brother, who worked at the Lahore Garrison Greens Golf Club.

Now a member of the Royal Palm Golf Club in Lahore, he is reaping the rewards of all those hours of practice.

With a swing speed of 124, a driving average of 310 to 315 yards and two wins under his belt, he is on track to live the dream by graduating from the ADT to full Asian Tour status next season.

But this season, he’s delighted to gain invaluable experience, and he’s one of a number of players from the MENA region who are getting the chance to take on the heavyweights of the Asian Tour and the LIV Golf League thanks to the pathway that The International Series provides for promising talent, whether amateur or pro, at events over the course of the season.

So how does he feel going into this week’s event on a testing Red Course? He said: “I have never played here before and we do not have courses like this in Pakistan. It is a challenging course, the greens have a lot of slopes and this is a long course compared to what I am used to in Pakistan. It is a wonderful challenge.

“The past two years on the Asian Development Tour have been about progress and I have learned many things. I practice a lot and I have mentally prepared myself better for tournaments.

“I have a different approach now and that is why I feel confident this year. I have always played aggressive but now I know to adapt the conditions and use common sense – depending on what the play is. I am learning, and I am looking forward to a great week.”

Final qualifying for the 2024 British Open at Royal Troon was taking place at four different golf courses Tuesday. Each location had four spots available for those who survived a 36-hole grind.

Down the stretch at Dundonald Links in Ayrshire, Scotland, Angel Hidalgo was trying to position himself for one of those final slots, with a playoff a likely outcome.

On the 36th hole, standing in the fairway with his wedge, Hidalgo was possibly thinking if he could get it close, maybe he could make birdie and get into a playoff.

But then Hidalgo pulled off the unthinkable, holing his second for an eagle 2 on the closing hole to post a 69 and move into a tie for second at 5 under, leapfrogging those who were bound for a playoff by nailing down a spot of his own.

Sam Hutsby at 8 under led the way at Dundonald but Hidalgo’s 5-under finish was good enough for a tie with amateur Liam Nolan.

Jack McDonald then defeated Daniel Young and Tim Widing to survive the 3-for-1 playoff and advance to Royal Troon.

The 2024 British Open will take place July 18-21.

The Australian has two career PGA Tour titles to his credit after winning the Rocket Mortgage Classic for the second time.

Davis, the 2021 Rocket Mortgage Classic champion, shot 2-under 70 Sunday at Detroit Golf Club to get in the clubhouse at 18-under 270, and that was good enough for the title when Akshay Bhatia took three putts from 32 feet to make bogey at the last.

“I wouldn’t wish what happened to Akshay on anyone, but I’ve done a lot of grinding to get myself out of a hole,” he said. “It’s pretty good.”

Davis, 29, hadn’t recorded a single top-10 finish this season, and conceded he didn’t see a week like this coming to get him “out of the doldrums.” Since May, in his last six starts, Davis was a cumulative 32-over par, and had missed the cut at the PGA Championship and U.S. Open.

“I saw a little bit of a spark last week” said Davis, who finished T-48 at the Travelers Championship, his best result in his last six starts, “but nothing to show this coming, so this is crazy.”

Davis earned $1.656 million for the win, more than he had made in 16 previous starts combined. A few weeks earlier he began working with hypnotherapist Grace Smith, who helped him get into a better head space.

“From where I was a couple of weeks ago to today, just completely different person,” he said.

Davis was a member of the International Team at the 2022 Presidents Cup and seemed on the verge of a breakthrough but he’s struggled to keep his card for much of the last two seasons. Davis termed the time between his victories in Motown to be “frustrating.”

“Because I see a lot of young guys coming out and winning multiple times and making it happen,” he explained. “To not be one of those guys, especially now I’m almost 30, there are guys out here 21, 22 that are doing things that I wish I was doing and had done at their age.”

Davis isn’t the only one surprised that he had been stuck on one victory for the last few years. The 2022 International Team Captain Trevor Immelman, working as lead analyst for CBS Sports on the broadcast, and Golf Channel’s Tripp Isenhour both shared the same sentiment.

“When you watch Cam Davis hit the ball and you watch his skillset you go, ‘How does this guy only have one win on the PGA Tour?’ ” said Isenhour. “It’s great to see him find the peace that pulls him to where he needs to be. That might be bad news for every one else because he’s very, very talented.”

In the final round, Davis opened with a bogey at the first but bounced back with birdies at Nos. 3, 5 and 7, the latter giving him the solo lead. Bhatia caught him with a birdie of his own at No. 7 and it turned into a back-and-forth affair with several competitors nipping at their heels.

Davis drilled a 3-wood at the par-5 14th that landed on the front of the green but reversed gears and trickled into the water. It was a terrible break and he made bogey to drop one stroke behind. But he got revenge on 17, sinking a 4-foot birdie putt at the par-5 17th to tie Bhatia for the lead.

“I felt like it just wasn’t going to be my day,” Davis said. “I was honestly very surprised that I was tied for the lead with the last group coming down 18.”

A Northwest breeze blew on Sunday and protected the par 5s, preventing players from feasting on the four holes that the field had picked apart during the first three rounds. Davis Thompson (68), Min Woo Lee (69), who had a share of the lead before a bogey at 18, and 54-hole co-leader Aaron Rai (72) tied for third. Seeking his first Tour title, Cameron Young was just one stroke back when he cracked the shaft of his driver in anger on the 14th hole. He brooded on the greens too as his balky putter let him down and he settled for a 73 and a T-6 finish. Amateur Luke Clanton, 20, remained in the trophy hunt until late on the back nine, signing for an even-par 72 and T-10 finish.

No one left with a sense of what could’ve been more than Bhatia, who played in the final group on Sunday for the second straight week and missed out on a playoff when his par attempt from just under 5 feet at 18 caught the right edge of the cup and spun out, his first three putt of the week, first miss from inside 6 feet all week and just his second bogey of the tournament.

“It sucks, there’s no other way to put it,” Bhatia said. “Just a little bit of nerves, honestly. I’m human.”

Lauren Hartlage came up short in Washington after missing out on her first LPGA Tour win, but she still had the move of the week, jumping 139 spots in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings to No. 133, the highest rank of her career.

Hartlage, a 2022 LPGA Tour rookie, has shown remarkable resilience since joining the Tour three years ago. She has overcome challenges, like returning to LPGA Q-Series after her first two seasons just to try and earn enough status to secure tournament entry each week on the LPGA Tour. She first earned Tour membership after finishing in a tie for 26th at 2021 LPGA Q-Series.

The young American continues to seize each playing opportunity she gets, steadily moving up in the world rankings and the Race to the CME Globe in an effort to keep her LPGA Tour status in 2025.

While Hartlage’s move in the Rolex Rankings was notable, her move in the Race to the CME Globe standings has more considerable implications for 2025, with members finishing in the top 80 and ties on the previous season-ending Points List earning full status for the next season.

In the last four weeks, the 26-year-old’s game is trending in the right direction, as she has collected a T50 finish at the Cognizant Founders Cup, a T21 result at the ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer, a T17 at the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give and a tie for fifth at last week’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship to move from No. 94 to No. 63 in the standings, both well inside that top-80 cutoff and just outside the top-60 cutoff for the CME Group Tour Championship.

Jin Young Ko On the Rise
Jin Young Ko carded a final-round 71 in Washington and came three shots short of matching Amy Yang’s four-day total of 7-under for her third major title. But the Republic of Korea native’s T2 finish pushed her up four spots to No. 3 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, the first time she’s been in the top three since October 2023.

The former world No. 1 has made eight cuts in nine starts this season, earning four top-12 results in addition to her tie for second at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. She recorded a tie for eighth at the HSBC Women’s World Championship, a tie for fourth at the JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro and a pair of T12 finishes at both the Cognizant Founders Cup and ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer.

Ko, a two-time major champion, has been a force to reckon with on the LPGA Tour for seven seasons. She has captured 15 wins and 55 career top-10 finishes, making over $13 million in career earnings. Her success last week could be the momentum shift Ko needs to get back into the winner’s circle for the first time since the 2023 Cognizant Founders Cup. Ko has secured a victory each year since she stormed onto the LPGA Tour scene in 2017, picking up her first win at the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship as a non-member.

U.S. Solheim Cup Standings Update
Players have shuffled in and out of the top seven positions in the Solheim Cup standings, and the final few guaranteed spots on this year’s team are still very much up for grabs. With Ally Ewing’s tie for fifth at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, she moved from fourth to third in the U.S. Solheim Cup Team point standings and is getting closer and closer to playing in her fourth Solheim Cup.

Lauren Coughlin’s T24 result moved her from 10th to eighth, and she is now just 31.5 points out of the seventh and final automatic qualifying spot, currently held by Rose Zhang. Sarah Schmelzel, who tied for ninth at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, moved from 12th to ninth in the points standings, while Lexi Thompson, who joined Schmelzel in that tie for ninth, moved up one spot to 14th.

The two Rolex Rankings qualifiers for the U.S. Team are Alison Lee (No. 22) and Angel Yin (No. 31). The next two players are Lexi Thompson (No. 33) and Jennifer Kupcho (No. 50).

The U.S. Team will comprise the top seven players in the U.S. Solheim Cup standings, the top two in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings not already eligible, and three captain’s picks. The team will be finalized on Aug. 25, 2024, following the AIG Women’s Open.

Europe Solheim Cup Standings Update
Charley Hull continues to lead the Solheim Cup standings for Team Europe, with Linn Grant moving into the second automatic qualifying spot for the European Team following her tie-for-ninth showing at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

Maja Stark has closed the gap and now only trails Grant by nearly seven points for one of the two automatic qualifying spots on the team. The Swede’s T50 finish in Sammamish, Wash., has her at No. 21 in Rolex Rankings, and she is currently one of six players eligible to qualify via the world rankings if she does not get in on points.

The five additional Rolex Rankings qualifiers for the European Team are Celine Boutier (No. 6), Carlota Ciganda (No. 30), Leona Maguire (No. 32), Madelene Sagstrom (No. 35) and Georgia Hall (No. 36). The next two players are Esther Henseleit (No. 64) and Anna Nordqvist (No. 66).

The European Team will comprise the top two players in the Europe Solheim Cup standings, the top six players in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings not already eligible, and four captain’s picks. Like the U.S. Team, the European team will be finalized on Aug. 25, 2024, after the conclusion of the AIG Women’s Open.

Race for the Card Continues on the Epson Tour
The Race for the Card continues as the Epson Tour tees it up in the Sunflower State for the Dream First Bank Charity Classic, with players vying for 500 points as they pursue their LPGA Tour cards.

Fiona Xu remains atop the standings with 1,031.500 points after a T33 finish at the Island Resort Championship. Kim Kaufman jumped to second and is now only 187 points behind Xu after tying for second in Harris, Mich. Epson Tour sophomore Cassie Porter is currently in third with 832.455 points, while Madison Young and Yahui Zhang round out the top five, each dropping in the standings after their performances at Sweetgrass Golf Club.

Despite the weather dominating the headlines, Soo Bin Joo overcame a four-shot deficit to clinch her first Epson Tour victory at the rain-shortened Island Resort Championship. The Republic of Korea native secured her maiden victory and jumped from No. 40 to the sixth position in the Race for the Card standings with 728.867 points.

Some other significant moves following the Island Resort Championship are as follows:

Kaleigh Telfer, who tied for second at the Island Resort Championship, her second top 10 of the season, went from 20th to 13th with 617.750 total points

Epson Tour rookie Ingrid Lindbald jumped from 119th to 45th in the standings after her T2 performance at Sweetgrass Golf Club, now sitting with 226.667 total points after only three starts this season
The Race for the Card is a season-long points competition in which Epson Tour members accumulate points in every official Epson Tour tournament. The ultimate goal is to finish in the top 15 in the point standings to earn LPGA Tour membership for the 2025 season. The point-based system, new on the Epson Tour this season, replaces the money-based system and will award points to those who make the cut weekly.

The 2024 season will also be the first year that Epson Tour athletes will vie for 15 LPGA Tour cards. They will be awarded after the season-ending Epson Tour Championship in Indian Wells, Calif., this fall.

LIV Golf Nashville final round

-19 T Hatton (Eng); -13 S Horsfield (Eng); -12 DeChambeau (US), Rahm (Spa), Niemann (Chi), Westwood (Eng).

Selected others: -10 P Casey (Eng), R Bland (Eng), C Smith (Aus); -9 L Oosthuizen (SA).

England’s Tyrrell Hatton cruised to his first LIV Golf title thanks to a six-under-par final round in Nashville.

The 32-year-old birdied three of his last five holes to finish on 19 under after 54 holes and beat compatriot Sam Horsfield by six strokes.

It was his first title since the Abu Dhabi Championship in January 2021 and earned him $4m (£3.2m) in prize money.

Newly crowned US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, Spain’s Jon Rahm, Englishman Lee Westwood and Joaquin Niemann of Chile shared third place on 12 under.

Hatton took the lead in Saturday’s second round with a strong performance on the back nine and built on that on Sunday with eight birdies and two bogeys.

“It was nice to play the last few holes and it not be super tight,” he said.

“I guess having not won for three-and-a-half years, you wonder if you’d be able to do it again in some way. So I was happy I proved that to myself.”

In the team competition, Hatton and Rahm led Legion XIII to victory on 40 under, defeating Crushers by five strokes, although DeChambeau’s team remain top of the overall standings.

US Open final leaderboard

-6 DeChambeau (US); -5 McIlroy (NI); -4 Cantlay, Finau (US); -3 Pavon (Fra); -2 Matsuyama (Jap); -1 Schauffele, Henley (US)

Selected others: +1 Aberg (Swe); +2 Morikawa (US); +3 Fleetwood (Eng); +4 Rai (Eng); +6 Hatton (Eng); +8 Scheffler (US), McKibbin (NI)

Rory McIlroy made three bogeys in his final four holes to blow the chance to end his 10-year wait for a fifth major and allow Bryson DeChambeau to snatch the US Open.

The Northern Irishman had overhauled a three-shot overnight deficit to the American to lead by two strokes with five to play but missed par putts within four feet at the 16th and 18th derailed his chances in devastating fashion.

DeChambeau clinched his second major title with a nerveless four-foot putt that was set up by a brilliant 50-yard escape from a bunker that he described as “the shot of my life”.

“That was huge, to get up and down and win this prestigious championship – that will be the highlight of my life,” added DeChambeau, who also won the title in 2020.

It is the fourth time McIlroy has finished second at a major since winning his fourth at the US PGA Championship in 2014.

It was a thrilling denouement to a gruelling test over four days at Pinehurst’s fabled Number Two course in North Carolina.

The first 14 holes of the final round belonged to McIlroy as he overhauled third-round leader DeChambeau thanks to some superb long-range birdie putts.

However, McIlroy’s touch on the greens completely deserted him down the stretch as he missed from inside three feet on 16 then four feet on 18 to present DeChambeau, in the group behind, with the opportunity to seal victory.

“Rory is one of the best to ever play,” said DeChambeau. “Being able to fight against a great like that is pretty special. For him to miss that putt [on 18], I’d never wish it on anybody. Luckily, things went my way.”

The champion’s own journey down the 18th was not without trouble, as he found a waste area off the tee then the bunker short of the green with his approach.

However, the 30-year-old continued the superb scrambling that had kept him in with a chance during a poor day of ball-striking by splashing out and holing a putt of a similar length McIlroy had missed moments earlier. Crucially, DeChambeau’s putt was straight uphill, while McIlroy’s was downwhill and with a big left-to-right swing.

As the popular American celebrated wildly amid raucous scenes around the 18th green, a dejected McIlroy watched on from the scoring room before quickly departing without talking to the media

DeChambeau finds form when it matters

DeChambeau’s previous US Open victory at Winged Foot came during a time he had bulked up his physique and was obsessed with distance off the tee.

Four years on, he reclaimed the trophy as a more measured and composed golfer, one who still hits the ball a prodigious distance but also has a deft touch and a calculated approach to negotiate some of the game’s toughest courses.

He claimed a share of fourth place at the Masters and was second at the US PGA Championship before becoming the only player in the field to shoot under-par rounds on the first three days at Pinehurst.

That gave him a three-shot cushion going into the final day, but at the championship that labels itself the ‘toughest test in golf’, he still had much work to do.

DeChambeau had excelled off the tee as he built his lead but, perhaps affected by having to change the head on his driver moments before teeing off, he found the waste areas down the right of numerous holes in the final round.

As a result of being out of position off the tee so often he made only two birdies on the last day while racking up three bogeys – but that number could have been much higher but for his exceptional recoveries from the native vegetation, as well as his dependable short game.

With the open nature of the course, DeChambeau could “see where [McIlroy] was almost on every hole from 13 on in” from his position in the group behind.

“I even saw on 10 where he made birdie,” said the American, who now plays on the LIV Golf circuit.

“I’m like, ‘oh, man, he’s gunning, he’s going for it’. So I had to put my foot on the pedal and push down pretty hard.

“I could hear ‘Rory, Rory’ chants. That was fun because it gave me the knowledge of what I had to do.

“There was also a lot of, ‘go USA, go Europe’. It was a fun battle between us.”

DeChambeau engaged with fans throughout the week both during and after his rounds and his social media presence means he is now one of the game’s most popular players.

When the winning putt dropped, he mouthed “can you believe that?” to the TV cameras, before bouncing around the green with his caddie and support team.

After the presentation, he charged into the group of fans lining the 18th fairway, honouring his pledge to allow them to touch the trophy, before posing with it for photographs in what will surely now be known as ‘DeChambeau’s bunker’.

Of course, DeChambeau ought not to have been in position to win the trophy outright on the 18th.

McIlroy holed four birdies in his opening 14 holes and had the crowd chanting “Rory, Rory, Rory” when he drained a 27-foot putt on the 13th to move two shots clear.

The European Ryder Cup star was better off the tee than DeChambeau and while his iron play was mixed, his chipping and especially his putting were superb.

The flatstick is not McIlroy’s strength but it was his long birdie putts that put him in command of the championship.

It is ironic then that it was his putting that let him down – and for which this championship will always be remembered.

Before this round, McIlroy was 496 from 496 for putts inside three feet this season but he watched in horror as his ball lipped out on the 16th for a second straight bogey.

That opened the door for DeChambeau and, after another fine chip following a recovery from native vegetation at the last, he cost himself a play-off with his rival with a nervous prod that slid past the low side.

McIlroy has had numerous close calls in the past 10 years – not least his one-shot defeat to Wyndham Clark 12 months ago – but this one will surely sting the most.

His next bid to end his long major drought will start in five weeks’ time at The Open at Royal Troon in Ayrshire.

The last time the US Open was held at Pinehurst in 2014, only three players finished under par – with Germany’s Martin Kaymer an outlier as he won by eight.

Once again, it proved a bruising test for the world’s best with only eight players managing to finish in the red.

Playing with McIlroy, Patrick Cantlay was his usual methodical self but never heated up enough to really challenge the lead. Fellow American Tony Finau shot an excellent three-under 67 for his third round in the 60s to join Cantlay at four under.

Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg had lit up Pinehurst through 36 holes but struggled on the weekend and an early triple-bogey effectively knocked him out of the running. He shot 73 to finish one over.

England’s Tommy Fleetwood, the only player in US Open history to have multiple rounds of 63 on the final day, again excelled on Sunday, carding a 68 to finish on three over, one ahead of compatriot Aaron Rai.

However, it was a disappointing closing day for Tyrrell Hatton, who started at one under but slumped to six over with a final-round 77.

That did at least beat the world number one Scottie Scheffler, whose two-over 72 left him eight over par for the tournament alongside Northern Ireland’s Tom McKibbin.