Davis Thompson (University of Georgia Twitter photo)
Davis Thompson (Auburn, Ala.) took advantage of a sponsor's exemption at the PGA Tour's RSM Classic, shooting 68-70-68-66 on Sea Island Golf Club's Seaside Course for a 10 under total and a T23 finish.
It was the best finish by an amateur on the PGA Tour in 2019.
The University of Georgia junior had good vibes in returning to Sea Island, where he finished 4th last spring in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Championship. The RSM Classic was his first PGA Tour appearance.
Thompson was one of 11 Georgia Bulldogs in the field, along with Harris English, Brian Harman, Russell Henley, Chris Kirk, Kevin Kisner, Keith Mitchell, Greyson Sigg, Sepp Straka, Hudson Swafford, and Brendon Todd. Kirk and Kisner were RSM Classic winners in 2013 and 2015, respectively.
"It's an experience I'll never forget," Thompson said. "Any time you can learn from guys who are on Tour, you want to take advantage of it."
Thompson received his invitation based on his play in February in the Jones Cup Invitational, whose winner gets a sponsor's exemption into the RSM Classic. Thompson finished as the runner-up following a playoff to Akshay Bhatia, but after Bhatia turned pro and gave up his amateur status, Thompson was extended the invitation.
Thompson finished the fall with a team-best 69.47 scoring average. He won the Jim Rivers Invitational and added fourth-, sixth-, eighth-, and 12th-place efforts. Thompson was rated No. 3 on Golf Channel's final fall Haskins Award Watch List.
Thompson won't be the only current Bulldog in a PGA Tour event this season. Senior Spencer Ralston won The Players Amateur in July to secure a berth in the RBC Heritage April 16-19 in Hilton Head Island, S.C.
Information from University of Georgia men's golf was used in this report.
ABOUT THE Jones Cup
The Jones Cup is probably the biggest of the
springtime
amateur majors in the United States, and the reason
is the venue and the strong U.S. and
international field. The past champions list is littered
with PGA Tour stars, including Justin Thomas,
Patrick Reed, Luke List, Kyle Stanley, Beau Hossler
and
several others.
This 54-hole individual stroke-play event,
inaugurated
in 2001, is played at Ocean Forest Golf Club.
The Rees Jones design opened in 1995 and has
hosted
the Georgia State Amateur Championship, the
Southern Amateur Championship and the 2001
Walker
Cup Match. The Jones Cup brings together
many of the finest amateurs from the United States
and abroad for a three-day competition.
The Jones Cup was born from a deep commitment to
amateur golf by the A.W. Jones family, who
founded the Cloister and Sea Island Golf Club in
1928.
The Sea Island Golf Club has played host to
seven USGA championships. The Jones Cup is yet
another extension of the family's strong
involvement in amateur golf.
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