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Davis Thompson is making headlines after he topped the leaderboard at The American Express.
The star-studded Championship is underway at the PGA West Private Clubhouse & Golf Course. The tournament features some of the best PGA Tour golfers, including Jon Rahm, Xander Schauffele, and Tom Kim.
The first round concludes on Thursday, with Davis Thompson leading the tally with a score of 62. He started the day with a birdie on the first hole. Thompson sank six birdies and two consecutive eagles on the first day.
The second position is jointly held by Sam Burns, Mattias Schmid, Jon Rahm, Taylor Duncan, and Taylor Montgomery.
The La Quinta field features 156 players in a 72-hole competition with a purse of $8 million.
Davis Thompson's performance on the day certainly surprised people, as everyone was hoping Jon Rahm would top the leaderboard. Fans' favorite Rahm recently won the Tournament of Champions.
Speaking about his performance, Davis Thompson said:
"(I) just got off to a hot start and just kind of coasted on my way in. But it's always good to see some putts go in early and give you confidence to just keep it rolling."
He went on to say:
"My biggest challenge today was staying present-minded and trying to put one foot in front of the other. Your mind definitely starts to wander a little bit. But I played enough rounds to where I try to teach myself over and over you can't get ahead of yourself."
Thompson, who turned pro in 2021, is looking for his first PGA Tour title. He has a successful career record at the junior level. The golfer is yet to win an international tournament and, seeing his performance, fans are hoping for him to clinch his first trophy at The American Express.
A look into the amateur career of Davis Thompson
Born in Auburn, Davis Thompson has been into sports since his school days. He played basketball and helped Lee-Scott Academy win the boys' basketball state title in 2016.
Thompson's father, Todd, was a golfer and lettered to the Georgia men's golf and served as the team captain from 1987 to 1988.
Davis had a successful amateur career while studying at the University of Georgia. The young golfer won four individual titles in Georgia.
Having played four seasons at the college level, Davis Thompson was awarded the 2020–21 Southeastern Conference Player of the Year recognition and All-America first-team laurels for the 2019–20 and 2020–21 seasons.
He won the NCAA regionals twice, in 2019 and 2021. With his hard work, the Alabama native reached World No. 1 in the amateur rankings in November 2020. The stroke-playing medalist finished at T58 in the Rocket Classic Mortgage in 2021.
Thompson won the REX Hospital Open in 2022 and then earned his PGA Tour card by finishing the season-long Korn-Ferry eligibility points list.
Davis Thompson is a devout Christian who always begins his opening tee shot with a prayer. Furthermore, he claims to be a huge fan of Batman and enjoys watching superhero movies.
