CT Pan Earns Spot in The Open Championship After John Deere Classic

Chinese Taipei’s CT Pan secured one of two coveted tickets to The Open Championship by finishing second at the John Deere Classic. The 32-year-old golfer shot a brilliant 7-under 64 in the final round at TPC Deere Run in Illinois, marking his best finish of the season.

American Davis Thompson won the event by four strokes with a 64, while England’s Aaron Rai, who has Indian roots, finished T-7 with rounds of 65-63-66-69. Korea’s Sungjae Im finished tied 12th after a 64, and Pan’s compatriot Kevin Yu earned a share of 20th place following a 67.

Pan, who holds one PGA TOUR title, expressed his excitement about earning his fourth Open start at Royal Troon in two weeks. He said, “It’s going to be a great trip. Honestly, it will be hectic to arrange all the travel details last minute, but it will be a good problem to have, and my wife and I will be looking forward to our trip there.”

This marks Pan’s second top-3 finish of the season, following his T3 at the Mexico Open at Vidanta in February. He also moved up to 83rd position on the latest FedExCup standings, up from 116th. The top 70 qualify for the Playoffs next month after the Regular Season concludes.

More importantly, Pan’s return to top form will boost his confidence as he prepares for the Paris Olympics in early August, after winning the bronze medal in Tokyo three years ago. Alongside Pan, the other two tied for second were Michael Thorbjornsen and amateur Luke Clanton, both at 24-under.