South Carolina alumnus Thompson wins Web.com Tour opener, Diaz 13th

University of South Carolina alumnus Kyle Thompson earned his fifth career Web.com Tour title on Wednesday at The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay with his third consecutive round of 2-under 70.

Thompson finished at 2-under 286, the only player under par in a tournament that was played in windy conditions throughout and featured the tour’s first ever Sunday-Wednesday format.

Myrtle Beach resident Roberto Diaz tied for 13th at 7-over 295, dropping out of a tie for 10th after three rounds with a final-round 75.

Thompson, 37, edged out Andrew Yun and Nicholas Thompson by two shots. The tournament’s 11-over 155 cutline was the highest in Web.com Tour history, and Thompson battled back from being 6-over-par through his first six holes of the first round, which featured winds up to 40 mph.

“[The first round] was just brutal. I can’t even describe how hard it was,” Thompson said in a post-tournament press conference. “Even today it was so hard. I felt like I was the guy in Caddyshack who is having the round of his life walking straight into the breeze. I never gave up. I didn’t quit even though I had a rough start. Turned it around. That was definitely one of the top three hardest rounds of my life, and I shot a score that kept me in the ball game. I just kept grinding and grinding.”

This story was originally published January 11, 2017 at 8:55 PM with the headline "South Carolina alumnus Thompson wins Web.com Tour opener, Diaz 13th."