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Davis Thompson played brilliantly at the John Deere Classic to claim his first PGA Tour victory, setting a new golf record with a score of 28 under par and recording 30 birdies.
TPC Deere Run allowed a total of 2,055 birdies over 72 holes, the most birdies allowed in 30 events so far in 2024. The average score this week was 68.77. Most difficult courses rankingAccording to the PGA Tour, he was 2.219 strokes below par.
On Thursday at TPC Deere Run, Hayden Springer shot a historic 59, but 26 players shot 65 or lower. On Sunday, 16 players shot 65 or better, including Thompson, who won by four strokes with a 7-under 64. The golf course gave players plenty of opportunities to make good scores, and many took advantage.
He had 748 birdies on Thursday, 607 birdies on Friday, 329 birdies on Saturday and 374 birdies on Sunday – a total of 2,055 birdies that’s 75 more than his previous record this year.
To understand this, let’s look at birdies from 30 tournaments this season.
Total birdies in 2024 PGA Tour events
*Signature Events
— The Sentry*: 1,365 birdies
— Sony Open in Hawaii: Total 1,675
— American Express: 1,128 total
— Farmers Insurance Open: Total 991
— AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am*: (54 holes due to weather) Total 704
— Worldwide Phoenix Open: Total 1,495
— Genesis Invitational*: Total 909
— Mexican Open: Total 1,542
— Cognizant Classic: Total 1,613
— Arnold Palmer Invitational*: 878 total
— Puerto Rico Open: Total 1,697
— Players: 1,711 in total
— Valspar Championship: Total 1,425
— Texas Children’s Houston Open: 1,431 total
— Valero Texas Open: Total 1,525
— Masters: 866 total
— RBC Heritage*: 1,114 total
— Corales Puntacana Championship: Total 1,622
— Zurich Classic: Total 1,292; 550 Round 1
— CJ Kupp Byron Nelson: 1,980 total
— Wells Fargo Championship*: Total 899
— Myrtle Beach Classic: Total 1,495
— PGA Championship: 1,731 total
— Charles Schwab Challenge: 1,116 total
— RBC Canadian Open: Total 1,473
— Monuments: 750 in total
— US Open: Total 1,007
— Travelers Championship: Total 1,248
— Rocket Mortgage Classic: Total 1,803
— John Deere Classic: Total 2,055
Prior to the John Deere Classic, the most birdies recorded was at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson Tournament with 1,980.
Earlier in the season, 1,613 birdies were recorded at the Cognizant Classic, and there have been 11 tournaments with more than 1,500 birdies recorded over 72 holes.
The results of this tournament came with a warning in that 28 under par was too low. It’s fun to watch PGA Tour players score, but 2,000+ birdies is too much. It was a marathon to see if anyone could catch Thompson. It may be “too easy” for players, because 62 or 63 doesn’t even get you close to the top.
Indeed, the governing body has already decided to roll the ball, and after seeing the field dominate at TPC Deere Run, it seems like the right decision.
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Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Follow us for more golf articles. Follow You can follow us on all major social platforms. You can also follow us on Twitter Follow Instagram: @savannah_leigh_sports
