Davis Thompson won the Jones Cup title at Ocean Forest Golf Club in Sea Island, Georgia.
Davis Thompson didn’t have a bogey on his card Sunday as he put the finishing touches on a decisive Jones Cup victory at Ocean Forest Golf Club in Sea Island, Georgia.
The Georgia junior started with a birdie on his opening hole and never looked back. Six more birdies would follow on what was arguably the nicest weather day all week in Sea Island, but it was the one at the first hole that is particularly noteworthy.
A year ago in this event, torrential rains caused the third and final round to be wiped out. Thompson was tied with Akshay Bhatia at the top of the leaderboard after 36 holes, so the two had to go back to the course for sudden death. Thompson put his drive in the water at No. 1, the first playoff hole, and made bogey, opening the door for a Bhatia victory.
The Jones Cup typically awards its champion a spot in the PGA Tour’s RSM Classic, played each fall in Sea Island. That went to Bhatia, but since the teen had turned professional by the time the opportunity rolled around, the tournament committee reached out to Thompson, offering him an opportunity to play in the event as an amateur.
That week, in his PGA Tour debut, Thompson finished T-23. It was a huge boost of confidence for a player who admits to being a bit of an introvert.
“I was able to go out and play with the best players in the world and I know that I still have areas to improve for sure,” he said. “It was just encouraging that I’m good enough to compete at that level.”
At Ocean Forest, Thompson’s bogey-free 65 on Sunday came on the heels of opening rounds of 70-68. He dove to 13 under for the week, which was nine shots better than David Perkins, an Illinois State senior from East Peoria, Illinois. Jackson Suber, an Ole Miss sophomore from Tampa, Florida, finished third another shot back.
Thompson hardly dwelled on his Jones Cup loss a year ago, but says it was definitely something he thought about. As it turns out, that week kick-started a mammoth year that came full-circle at the RSM Classic.
During the months in between, Thompson won an NCAA Regional, finished at the top of Western Amateur stroke play and won another college title. He finished the fall as Georgia’s leading scorer.
“I kind of used that as confidence, I just built off that,” he said. “I guess I kind of used a little bit of motivation to win outright.”
Despite being played in the south, the Jones Cup is very much a winter tournament. It often feels that way in Sea Island. Cold winds howled on and off all weekend, including on Sunday.
“I putted great all week, but today all my irons shots started on line where I wanted them to. That was key for me because I was putting myself in position,” Thompson said of his play. “I think (the course) suits me. I’m a pretty good ballstriker and you really have to hit it well around there.
“You just have to be really mentally sharp, which I think I am.”
Thompson grew up in Auburn, Alabama, but his parents have since moved to nearby St. Simons Island, Georgia. It allowed him to sleep in his own bed this week as he made his third consecutive Jones Cup start.
With each career milestone, like that first PGA Tour start, Thompson keeps moving forward. He’s particularly excited about what his Georgia team, which ended the fall ranked No. 22 in the Golfweek/Sagarin College Rankings, can do.
Thompson, ranked No. 23 individually by Golfweek, typically sits down before each semester and writes down goals for the coming months. He places that list in his locker at the University of Georgia, where he knows he’ll see it often.
The loftiest goal for this spring?
“I wrote down, ‘Win the Haskins Award,’” he said. “That’s a pretty lofty goal for me. I think I’m in a good spot if I continue to play well in the spring.”
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