Welcome to the last week of July! We have LPGA action, WGCs, major championships, and more on the horizon. As weird as it sounds, it’s an exciting time for golf!

No one beats Michael Thompson 166 times in a row

It’s been a long time since Michael Thompson won on the PGA Tour—more than seven years, to be exact. The 35-year-old pro’s drought came to an end on Sunday, though, as he won the 3M Open over a crowd of contenders. Thompson got off to a shaky start in the final round but settled down to make five birdies, including this amazing up-and-down from a bunker on the 16th hole. 3M Open Results

Every tour player seems to be branded a “class act,” but by all accounts, Michael Thompson actually is one. He has struggled for years to get back to the winner’s circle, but that challenge paled in comparison to the adoption process. Thompson and his wife Rachel have adopted two children, the second of whom arrived during the pandemic shutdown. For more on that story, we highly recommend Alex Myers’s Golf Digest piece on Thompson’s journey.

The 3M title earned Thompson spots in the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Championship, 2020 PGA Championship, 2020 U.S. Open, and 2021 Masters. It was a career-defining moment, and an easy one to cheer for.

A FootJoy Summer Sweepstakes!

We’ve teamed up with FootJoy to give our readers a chance to win a huge prize pack this week! Five winners will get a pair of FJ golf shoes of their choice (based on availability), a six-pack of ProDry socks, and a six-pack of StaSof golf gloves. Who doesn’t love free shoes? Click here to enter the FootJoy & Fried Egg Giveaway!

You must be 18 years of age or older and a United States resident to participate.

The PR Curse

In spite of our pep talk on Friday, Tony Finau fell short yet again. He settled for a familiar T-3 finish at the 3M Open. While he didn’t play poorly over the weekend, he certainly didn’t go out and grab the trophy, either.

It’s really hard to win on the PGA Tour, we get that. But Finau has 30 top-10 finishes over the past four seasons and zero victories. That’s 14 more top 10s than any other winless player over that span. Sunday was the seventh time since the beginning of last season that Finau has entered the final round within three shots of the lead. Only Rory McIlroy (11) and Justin Thomas (eight) have been in that position more.

The guy is so, so good. Yet he keeps falling short. “They don’t give out second-place trophies, third-place trophies. I’ve learned that the hard way with a lot of them coming early in my career,” Finau said on Sunday. “I continue to just believe and hope for the best for my future.” That’s the right attitude. We aren’t giving up on Tony just yet.

Quick Hooks

Richy Werenski, who finished T-3 at the 3M Open on Sunday, was spotted wearing a Blue Lives Matter bracelet during the final-round coverage. Werenski has apparently worn the bracelet since at least 2017, but the visual struck a chord with many golf fans on Sunday. The 3M takes place just outside of Minneapolis, the site of George Floyd’s murder and many Black Lives Matter protests. As far as we can see, there is no record of Werenski speaking with the media after his round.

Adam Long finished two shots back of Michael Thompson and nine others ended up three shots behind. There were nearly a dozen players who had a legitimate chance on Sunday—more evidence for the notion that soft courses create crowded leaderboards.

Alabama product Robby Shelton birdied six of his final eight holes to jump into the top three at TPC Twin Cities. Shelton is a two-time winner on the Korn Ferry Tour but has been searching for his footing on the big tour. He now has three top 10s on the season and a shot at the Tour Championship.

Renato Paratore put on a clinic at the Betfred British Masters, going 65-66-66-69 to coast to a two-shot victory. Results

Two of Europe’s top players, Eddie Pepperell and Lee Westwood, have decided to skip the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Championship and the PGA Championship over Covid-19 concerns. “I’m still more concerned that America doesn’t take [the virus] as seriously as the rest of the world,” Westwood said. Neither player has committed to a decision regarding the U.S. Open or the Masters. Full Story from James Corrigan

Max McGreevy blitzed Highland Springs Country Club for a final-round 64 and a victory at the Price Cutter Charity Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour. McGreevy dominated the PGA Tour Series China Order of Merit in 2019, finishing in the top 10 in nine of his 11 events. The win moves him to eighth on the KFT points list. Results

Carson Jacobs shot rounds of 68-64-62-67 at the Colorado Open and finished second. That’s because Mark Anguiano fired an absurd 125 (60-65) on the weekend to win by two shots. Other notable finishes include Jose Toledo (third), Kyle Westmoreland (T-8), Sam Saunders (T-10), Olin Browne Jr. (T-12), and Tee-K Kelly (T-18). Colorado Open Results

Brigette Thibault, a rising senior at Fresno State, defeated Jackie Lucena 4&3 to win the Women’s Western Amateur this weekend. Thibault won the 13th, 14th, and 15th to close out Lucena. Full Story from Brayden Conover

The Latest from The Fried Egg

Yolk with Doak, Episode 25

The latest in our series with Tom Doak dives into a bevy of listener questions. Is Donald Ross overrated? What are Tom’s favorite Scottish holes? What’s going on with the greens at Lost Dunes? The pair also give their final thoughts on Getting to 18, Tom’s new book discussing the routings of his first 18 courses. To purchase Getting to 18, visit doakgolf.com. Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify.

Shotgun Start: More like Stinky Note classic, TPC problems, and PGL is back

Andy and Brendan begin this week praising Michael Thompson and the story of his first win in seven years on the PGA Tour. It’s an amazing testament to persistence and talent, and it was clearly a moving triumph for someone who has grinded on the PGA Tour for years. These stories enrich the Tour. And that’s about it for the happy stuff in this episode. What follows is a panning of a weak field doing little to go out and take a win on Sunday, Tony Finau failing to break the PR Open Curse, Rich Werenski’s jewelry, TPC Abomination, Chris Stroud’s WD for “not feeling well,” and some CBS slip-ups. It was a weekend that put the counter product of a potential PGL in an attractive light. After the heated 3M chat, Renato Paratore’s win in the first leg of the Coffee Pot is reviewed, as are Westy’s comments that he won’t play the PGA because of how the U.S. is handling the pandemic. The KFT purgatory is again discussed with Will Zalatoris and Davis Riley showing well again, and a talent like Max McGreevy winning and continuing to climb the rankings with no real place to go for another year. News closes the episode with a focus on Tiger declaring he’s out for WGC Swampass and the PGL sending out offer letters to players. Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify.