Davis Thompson grabs PGA Genesis lead with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler one back
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Davis Thompson of the United States plays his shot from the 14th tee during the second round of The Genesis Invitational.
PHOTO: AFP
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LOS ANGELES – Davis Thompson is not a well-known name in golf, but he is the one that the big stars have to chase at the Genesis Invitational this weekend.
On Feb 14, the 25-year-old American closed with a birdie to seize a one-stroke lead over top-ranked Scottie Scheffler with Rory McIlroy three adrift after the second round of the competition.
Thompson landed his third shot at the par-five 18th only 12 inches from the hole and tapped in for a six-under 66. He was on eight-under 136 after 36 holes at Torrey Pines near San Diego, where the event was moved from Riviera due to Los Angeles wildfires damage.
“It was great. I felt like I put myself in good position off the tee. Got off to a great start, made some birdies on the front nine. It was kind of a roller coaster on the back nine (with five birdies and two bogeys),” Thompson said.
“Finished off strong... tapping in for birdie at 18 is always good. Sometimes you kind of have to ride the wave. When you’re playing a really hard golf course like this, you’re going to face adversity. You’ve just got to be able to bounce back and get in your own lane and stick to your process.”
Thompson, who needed only 23 putts in his round, is seeking his second PGA title after the John Deere Classic last July.
Scheffler, whose season start was delayed by a right-hand injury, fired a 67 with three birdies and an eagle despite finding only five of 14 fairways in his round. He reached 13 of 18 greens in regulation and finished bogey-free.
“A lot of it was missing on the correct sides. That’s part of shaking the rust off from being injured as well as the short game is continuing to improve as I start to play more,” the 28-year-old American said.
“It was definitely good to have a day where I felt like I didn’t play flawless golf, but the scorecard was clean. I’m pretty satisfied with the way I scored. I was out of position a lot, but did a good job of muscling some shots up there on the green and getting up and down when I needed to as well.”
Overnight leader American Denny McCarthy shot 70 to grab third on 138, one stroke ahead of Northern Ireland’s third-ranked McIlroy, a winner two weeks ago at Pebble Beach.
“I’ve played well. I’m in a good spot going into the weekend,” said McIlroy, who fired a 67. AFP
