Winning is nothing new to Ted Potter Jr.

MAMARONECK, N.Y. - The phone was in the bag. He put it there before the round, and by golly, it was going to stay there. Instead of snapping a photo, caddie Todd Thompson looked at the leaderboard and burned it into his memory. Davis Thompson, his 21-year-old son, was at 4-under-par and leading the 120th U.S. Open. "It was cool to see his name up there," said Todd, who in his day job is the tournament director for The RSM Classic, the PGA TOUR's regular stop in St. Simons Island, Georgia. PGA TOUR UNIVERSITY: Get to know Davis Thompson Cool? Well, OK, that's an understatement, but then Todd and his son are understated guys. Thompson bogeyed three of the last six holes for a 1-under 69 at Winged Foot, just four back of early leader Justin Thomas, while playing partners Harris English and Brendon Todd each shot 68. The all-Georgia group were the only threesome to all shoot under par in the morning wave. Familiarity helped. English, who like Thompson lives in Sea Island, Georgia, played a practice round with the kid at Ocean Forest last week as part of their preparation for Winged Foot. The kid won. Todd, who lives in Athens, Georgia, sometimes plays with Thompson when they're in town, and calls the younger player remarkably poised for his age. Thompson called it, "a comfortable pairing." He is the fourth-ranked player in PGA TOUR U, a new program that sends the top collegiate players to the Korn Ferry Tour to begin their professional careers, and the fourth-ranked player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, earning his U.S. Open start. But he still looks as guileless as the paperboy, and his nerves needed soothing, at least early in the week. "Yeah, the first guy I think I saw was Rory," he said. "That was pretty cool. Growing up, I was around - I was growing up and getting really serious about golf when he was winning all of his majors. So I kind of looked up to him. I’m just very thankful to be here." He showed no signs of nerves with birdies on holes 6, 7 and 8, sending shock waves far and wide. On the other coast, Todd Thompson's boss Davis Love III was in Pebble Beach for the PURE Insurance Championship on PGA TOUR Champions, and cheering through his TV. "I woke up and my phone was blowing up," said Love, the 21-time TOUR winner who won the 1997 PGA Championship at Winged Foot. "The whole island is excited for Davis." So was Chris Haack, who is going into his 25th year as coach of the Georgia men's golf team. "When he was 2 under I was not surprised," Haack said. "When he went to 3 under, I thought, Awesome! When he went 4 under, I thought, Oh, my God, this is great. He's a momentum player. He's not flashy, not very talkative. I just love the work ethic. I've had a lot of really good players, and he works as hard or harder than anybody I've ever had." And as for Thompson? What did he make of being 4 under? "Just keep everything physical, not emotional," he said. "Just stay through my routines and just keep doing what I’m doing. Just take it one quality shot at a time, one hole at a time, and not thinking about the future or 18, but staying in the moment." Yep. Understated. He is not, by the way, named for Davis Love III. Todd Thompson and wife Leigh just liked the name. Their son grew up playing golf and basketball in Auburn, Alabama. When he was 12, Todd turned the golf instruction over to Eric Eshleman, Director of Golf at the Country Club of Birmingham, to avoid mixing up the father-son relationship. Davis Thompson helped lead Lee Scott Academy to six state titles, including individual titles in 2013 and 2015. He was an All-America at Georgia as a junior, and finished T23 as an amateur at The RSM Classic. Today, his legend extends all the way from Auburn to Sea Island. The most famous story might be Keith Mitchell, also a Georgia alum and the winner of The Honda Classic last year, making seven birdies in a match against Thompson - and losing 4 and 3. "He's unbelievably good," Mitchell told the PGA TOUR. English and Todd concur. "He’s just been very disciplined since day one," Todd said. "He doesn’t party. He practices efficiently. He has a very easy-going temperament, doesn’t seem to get too mad." Thompson hit what appeared to be a good tee shot at the par-3 13th hole Thursday, but the ball went too far and he made bogey. Todd got in his ear as they walked to the 14th tee, saying they were all fooled by the wind gust, that he'd hit a good shot, that he should keep his head up. Todd Thompson, who also played for Georgia, tried to qualify for the U.S. Open a handful of times, but never made it. So being on his son's bag has worked nicely on a few levels. "With the rules here for COVID and everything, it was the only way I could get here," he said. "My wife's not happy she's not here, because she would have loved to watch." Love III sees in Davis Thompson a player who will have absolutely no trouble making the transition from college to the PGA TOUR, when the time comes. "He knows how to play golf," Love said. "... I'm impressed with his demeanor; he's very even, doesn't get upset. It's perfect for a U.S. Open, perfect for pressure." Perfect for the TOUR, too, but there's no hurry. Davis Thompson is taking it one shot at a time.

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Sure, we’ll take three more of those, please. Thank you. Golf fans can be greedy, but they know enough not to hold their collective breath for another formidable faceoff like the one we witnessed on Sunday at Glen Oaks. Not only did it feature A-listers Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth, but the playoff from which DJ emerged with the new trophy at THE NORTHERN TRUST was just the second such overtime in any tournament in the last six editions of the FedExCup Playoffs. Then again, maybe we’re embarking on a fresh trend because the last playoff happened to occur at last year’s TOUR Championship. Rory McIlroy prevailed in a three-man playoff at East Lake that also clinched the FedExCup. Before he can defend both of those titles, he’s back at TPC Boston to defend his two-stroke victory at the Dell Technologies Championship. Back to his winning ways and in style at that. Tops on TOUR in strokes gained: tee-to-green. Fifth in both par-5 scoring and adjusted scoring. Three top 10s at TPC Boston. T46 in his title defense last year, but his 2016 summer was an anomaly. Five top 10s and another two top 25s in his last seven starts worldwide. Second in adjusted scoring. Solo fifth at Glen Oaks was his third fifth-place finish since the Travelers; T11 and T13 in the other two. Led by three entering finale at TPC Boston last year and lost by two. Two-time champ and all-time earnings leader at TPC Boston where his scoring average is 68.50. Leads TOUR in strokes gained: off-the-tee. Third in adjusted scoring. Scratched and clawed for a T6 at THE NORTHERN TRUST, his best finish since a P2 at the AT&T Byron Nelson in May. Top 20s in seven of his last tries at TPC Boston. En route to his playoff loss at Glen Oaks, led the field in average distance of putts made. Leads TOUR in adjusted scoring. Fifth in GIR and third in birdie-or-better percentage. Answered a co-runner-up at the PGA with a T10 at THE NORTHERN TRUST. Top fives in the last two DTCs with a scoring average of 68.75 in those eight rounds. Continues to sparkle with surprisingly strong putting. T10 at Glen Oaks chased a T2 in the PGA. Runner-up at TPC Boston in 2012; T12 (2015) and T8 (2016) since. Back after birth of his second child. Four top 10s and a T16 in his last six trips to TPC Boston with a scoring average of 68.375. Sits 14th on TOUR in adjusted scoring. Quietly submitted four sub-70s at Glen Oaks to finish T6 on the vapor trail of his victory at Quail Hollow. He’s led the TOUR in birdie-or-better percentage for seven months. As consistent a threat as ever. Consecutive top 10s at Quail Hollow and Glen Oaks. Top 10s at TPC Boston in 2013 and 2015. Fifth in scrambling, 12th in adjusted scoring. How’s that for a FedExCup Playoffs debut! T3 at THE NORTHERN TRUST to scale to fifth in the Official World Golf Ranking. It was his first top 25 in his last four starts, a drought for him. Failed to find comfort on the greens at Glen Oaks and missed the cut. Phenomenal year otherwise. Fourth appearance at TPC Boston. Personal-best T15 last year. Soaring. With a solo third at Sedgefield at T6 at Glen Oaks, he’s connected top 10s for the first time since early in 2013-14. Winner at TPC Boston in 2011; T9 in 2014.  Putted great at Glen Oaks for a T6, his third top 15 in four starts. Top 15s in last two tries at TPC Boston despite no red numbers in last two rounds; 36-hole leader last year. Survived cut at Glen Oaks on the number and carded a field-low-tying 65 on Sunday for a T17. Six top 20s in last eight starts. Winner here in 2010; solo third in 2015. Too much firepower to ignore despite last week’s T49 and a 1-for-2 slate at TPC Boston (T57, 2016). Leads TOUR in average distance of putts made; second in par-5 scoring. Missed cut at the PGA Championship is suddenly the outlier after a T3 at Glen Oaks. Won a month ago in Canada and answered that with a T17 at Firestone. Authored the second-best Playoffs debut at THE NORTHERN TRUST with a T10. Led the field in greens hit and ranked third in strokes gained: tee-to-green. Performed well on cue on unfamiliar greens at Glen Oaks, placing T10. Just one top 50 at TPC Boston (T16, 2013) in the Playoffs, but sat T7 after 54 holes last year. POWER RANKINGS: Dell Technologies Championship RANK PLAYER COMMENT Sergio Garcia, Bubba Watson, Jason Dufner, Kevin Kisner and Phil Mickelson will be included in notables in Tuesday’s Fantasy Insider. The learning curve at TPC Boston never ends. The par 71 in Norton, Massachusetts, undergoes some form of significant updating almost every year. For returnees in the field of 96 at the Dell Technologies Championship, holes 12 and 13 will require new notes. The 12th features a new tee, a redone fairway with a trio of new bunkers and a brand new green that’s much further away on approach than the previous target. With an aggregate increase of 49 yards, the hole can now measure 510 yards, making it the longest par 4 on the property. No. 13 also is a par 4. It’s been shaved four yards (to 447) but it also has a new green complex with five bunkers. TPC Boston now tips at 7,342 yards, its longest since the redesign prior to the advent of the Playoffs in 2007. Despite modifications over time, TPC Boston typically averages within a stroke under par. Last year’s field checked in at 70.243. The challenge isn’t so much getting the ball in the hole, but how quickly. Each of the last three winners scored 15-under 269 and finished among the leaders in multiple putting metrics. Tuesday’s Confidence Factor will dive into more of those details. The second tournament of the FedExCup Playoffs is scheduled to begin in its customary position on Friday. The first two rounds are expected to be contested in spectacular weather conditions with sunshine and high temperatures in the mid-70s. Moderate winds may freshen come Sunday and for the scheduled Monday finish on Labor Day. A slight increase in the chance for rain will accompany it, as will a bump in daytime heating. Henrik Stenson (22nd in FedExCup points; right knee), Brandt Snedeker (68th; sternum joint), J.B. Holmes (88th; undisclosed) and Scott Piercy (94th; shoulder) have elected not to compete. The top 70 in the FedExCup standings will advance to the BMW Championship on Sept. 14-17. The Dell Technologies Championship is the last tournament of the season with a 36-hole cut. ROB BOLTON’S WRITING SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM’s Fantasy Columnist Rob Bolton will be filing his usual staples leading up to this week’s event. Look for the following columns this week. MONDAY: Rookie Ranking, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers, The Confidence Factor, Fantasy Insider WEDNESDAY: One & Done THURSDAY: Ownership Percentages in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf and One & Done presented by SERVPRO * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO, which also publishes on Tuesdays.

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