Thompson Sets Record, BC's Svensson Just 2 Shots Back In Winco Portland Open
Surrey's Adam Svensson Is Just Two Back In The Web.com Tour's Winco Foods Portland Open After An Opening Round 64
For Immediate Release
North Plains, Ore. – Rookie Curtis Thompson fired a course-record, 9-under 62 Thursday and grabbed the first-round lead at the WinCo Foods Portland Open, the final event on the Web.com Tour’s regular season schedule.
Thompson, older brother to LPGA star Lexi, chalked up nine birdies in a flawless trip around the Witch Hollow course at Pumpkin Ridge in suburban Portland to take a two-shot lead over Canada’s Adam Svensson, who's bogey-free round included 7 birdies.
Leading money winner Patton Kizzire heads a list of 4 players tied at 6-under 65 and three behind. Joining Kizzire are Ryan Blaum, Michael Kim and Dicky Pride.
Seven more players are knotted at 66, including local favorite Kyle Stanley and Calgary's Ryan Yip.
“It was a lot of fun today,” said Thompson, who has finished T10 and T13 in his last two starts. “I think I made more putts today than I have all year.”
The 22-year old former LSU star leads the Tour in driving distance and combined distance with accuracy to overpower the course but it was his work on the greens that set him apart.
“I think I hit almost every green,” said Thompson, who hit 16 of 18. “It was unbelievable. I made everything I looked at. I’ve been hitting it good and just waiting for the putts to fall and today they went in.”
Thompson is starting to play at just the right time. His past two finishes have pushed him to No. 68 on the money list and given him confidence to remain inside the top-75, which would assure him exempt status next year. The bigger goal is to finish in the top-25 on the list and earn a PGA TOUR card for the 2015-16 campaign.
“I’ve told everybody I’m going to let the horses run this week,” said Thompson. “I’m inside that top-75 number and well outside the top-25 number so a win this week is the only thing I can do to get a PGA TOUR card. I’m going to let them run this week. I’m going to let the real Curtis Thompson show this week.”
Thompson will have his work cut out for him as he tries to keep his challengers at bay. Of those closest to him, only Kizzire, who earned his second win of the year at last week’s News Sentinel Open, is assured of moving on to the TOUR next season.
“I don’t look at the list,” said the 46-year old Pride, who has been steady this year and entered the week No. 40 on the money list. “I don’t see how it’s going to help me, like I’m going to try harder or hit it closer? If I’m not giving it my best effort then why am I here? It doesn’t take a number to inspire me to play better.”
Pride joined the TOUR in 1994 and has made 433 career starts. His lone career win came in his rookie season at the FedEx St. Jude Classic.
THURSDAY NOTES:
* This week’s event is the final event of 21 regular season events on the 2015 schedule. The top-25 money winners following this week’s finale will earn PGA TOUR cards for the 2015-16 wraparound season. A second set of 25 cards will be on the line during the four-event Web.com Tour Finals, which follow in September and early October.
* This week’s purse is $800,000 with $144,000 going to the champion.
* Of the top-25 money winners, only No. 23 Patrick Rodgers is not playing this week. Rodgers, winner of the Colombia Championship in Bogota in early March, was successful in earning his PGA TOUR card via the top-125 in FedExCup points. He will remain on the Web.com Tour money list and the number of cards will not be expanded beyond “The 25” from the Regular Season.
* Curtis Thompson set the course record Thursday with his 9-under 62. The previous mark of 63 was set in the opening round last year by Matt Fast and Kent Bulle and later matched by eventual winner Carlos Ortiz in the second round and Adam Hadwin and Colt Knost in the third round.
* Scott Harrington, who grew up in Portland and attended high school here, shot a 4-over 75 and is T136 heading into Friday’s second round.
* Adam Svensson, 21, is from Surrey, Vancouver, British Columbia. He was a two-time GCAA All-American at Barry University, a Division II school in Miami Shores, Fla. Svensoon was the 2013 Division II Phil Mickelson Freshman of the Year and the 2014 Division II Jack Nicklaus Player of the Year. He helped his team win the 2013 NCAA Division II Championship and set a single-season school scoring record (71.26). He also collected seven individual wins during his sophomore season.
* Svensson turned pro earlier this year and has made four cuts in six starts on the Web.com Tour. He received a sponsor exemption into the Rust-Oleum Championship in June and finished T11. He entered this week No. 131 on the Tour money list.
* Svensson has made three starts on Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada and has two runner-up finishes and a tie for third in his other. He is currently No. 8 on the Tour’s Order of Merit.
* Scoring averages for the week:
Front (36) Back (35) Total (71)
R1 36.032 34.635 70.667
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