What a difference a week made for the PGA Tour first-round leader. Avoiding the same fate as Jordan Spieth at the Sony Open, Davis Thompson instead continued to advance at the American Express 2023. Taking the solo lead with a 10-under 62 on Thursday, the PGA Tour rookie was back on Friday at the Nicklaus Tournament Race. Stumbling slightly out of the gates to start his inning, Thompson rode a flurry of eagles to finally sign for an 8-under 64.
Tying the PGA Tour’s 36-hole record with five eagles, Thompson sits at 18 under but isn’t without a litany of big hitters right on his tail. Jon Rahm, the winner of the 2023 Tournament of Champions and arguably the hottest player in the world, will enter the weekend as Thompson’s closest pursuer at 16 under after consecutive rounds of 8 under 64.
Winner of this tournament in 2018, Rahm is well positioned to win his second PGA Tour event of the year and claim his fourth world victory in his last six starts. On the same course rotation as the leader, Rahm, along with fellow contenders Tom Kim, Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay, will play the Stadium Course at PGA West on Saturday.
The leader
1. Davis Thompson (-18)
Despite being in the middle of his rookie season, Thompson has been around for a while, having burst onto the radar at the 2020 US Open. Now a winner of the Korn Ferry Tour and in command of this tournament, the five eagles Thompson’s record will be tough to maintain and could see the rest of the field gain ground over the next 36 holes. For some context, 2022 Honda Classic winner and Tour Championship entrant Sepp Straka recorded three eagles in its entire 2021-22 season.
“Watching this tournament for a few years now, I always see the winning score is so low. So you really have no choice, you just have to keep hitting the greens and giving each other looks and trying to make the putts,” Thompson said. “I’ve just been lucky enough to make a lot of putts the first two days. But, yeah, it’s easy to get off the hook, but at the same time, if you stay in your mind and focus on one.”
Other suitors
2. Jon Rahm (-16)
T3. Jason Day, Tom Kim, JT Poston, Sungjae Im, Tyler Duncan (-13)
8. Patton Kizzire (-12)
T9. Xander Schauele, Scottie Scheffler, Justin Rose, Scott Piercy, Taylor Montgomery (-11)
Rahm said during the Tournament of Champions that he thinks he’s the best player in the world, and it’s hard to argue that after just six rounds in 2023. Without ShotLink data on his first two days, it’s unclear how much he roll the rock. It can be safe to assume, however, that he is in the same breath as his previous five months. Since the BMW Championship, Rahm has averaged nearly 1.5 won putts per round, propelling him to three world victories. With low scores in the forecast, a hot putter could push him to his fourth since October.
“At this point, where we are on the PGA Tour, with so many great players going, you have to show up on the weekend and shoot low,” Rahm said. “If anything is proof of that, it’s the fact that two weeks ago I shot 16 under on the weekend and ended up winning the tournament. So you have to keep your footing on the accelerator and keep making birdies.”
Veterans Resurgence
Rahm isn’t the only former world No. 1 to occupy the top page of the leaderboard; a veteran pair of Jason Day and Justin Rose played themselves into the mix. Day comes into 2023 after enjoying a solid swing season that included a T8 finish in the Las Vegas desert, and he’s adamant that some of his best — and healthy — golf is still ahead of him.
“I mean, I would say my body — well, I was always in pain for those years, I just kind of sacrificed myself to get to No. 1,” Day said. “I feel like – I hope I’m doing the right things to not just get back there, but to come back healthy and I can hope to stay there much longer than I did.”
Rose is in a similar boat after notching a top-10 result at the Houston Open and needs a big year if he is to join Team Europe for the Ryder Cup in September. Now 42, this could very well be his last chance to compete in playing capacity, which is not lost on the former US Open champion.
Two-hole rollercoaster for SH Kim
SH Kim, this is Pete Dye. The PGA Tour rookie got a taste of Mr. Dye’s excellent work during his second round at the Stadium Course. Playing his third in the par-5 16th, Kim’s approach ricocheted off the flagstick to find the greenside bunker, 19 feet below the putting surface.
Eventually resulting in a triple bogey, Kim made it to Green Island 17th with no luck on his side. That quickly changed when his tee shot bounced off the rocky outline of the green and onto the green. In the span of just a few minutes, Kim experienced both the good and the bad of Dye’s creation.
2023 American Express updated odds and picks
- Jon Rahm: 23/20
- Davis Thompson: 4-1
- Sungjae Im: 11-1
- Tom Kim: 12-1
- Jason Day: 18-1
- Scottie Scheffler: 18-1
- Poston JT: 22-1
- Xander Schauele: 35-1
For a moment, let’s assume the lead lies with Rahm at 16 under, as Thompson hasn’t proven himself in that area. If true, Day is an attractive option at 13 under as he heads to the Nicklaus Tournament Course – the easiest of the three golf courses in the first two days – after passing the eyesight test with brilliant Friday.
If it wasn’t for a first-round swing when he blocked a tee shot out of bounds, Day would be there with Rahm. In the second round, the Aussie led those at the Stadium Course in tee shots to the green and approach in strokes gained while ranking seventh in putts.
