South Australia’s Jack Thompson finishes runner-up in Saudi Open
Jack Thompson – file image courtesy of Photosport NZ/NZ Open
The 2026 Asian Tour has drawn to a close following the completion of this week’s Saudi Open and, with it, the finalisation of the Order of Merit.
Australia’s Jack Thompson finished runner-up to Sweden’s Bjorn Hellgren in the US$1 million event, catapulting him from 62nd on the Order of Merit to finish 21st, giving him surety of tenure on the Asian Tour next season after beginning the week with his future under question.
Thompson, who finished runner-up to Ryan Peake at this year’s New Zealand Open, began the final round tied with Hellgren and actually took a two-shot lead early in the front nine but fell two behind late in the round before two late birdies saw him finish one behind.
Thompson’s 30-foot eagle putt at the last narrowly missed, allowing Hellgren to hole from a much shorter distance to claim his first Asian Tour title.
“Yeah, it’s a tough one,” said Thompson, who birdied three in a row from the third to have the lead early on.
“Obviously, I started off pretty well. I didn’t hit the ball anywhere near good enough today, but just scrambled so well, made some good birdies, holed some good putts. Also missed a couple of putts.
“So yeah, I mean, at the end of that, I can’t really complain. I think if you told me I’d finished second at the start of the week before, when I needed to keep my card, I would have been pretty happy. But we obviously want more. Always want more.”
Thompson earned US$110,000 for his great week.
Victory for Hellgren atones for what has been a testing few seasons playing on the Asian Tour.
He arrived in Asia in 2020 with an impressive resume that included multiple wins in Scandinavia as an amateur and professional. He’d also roomed with American Brooks Koepka when playing college golf at Florida State University.
He finished tied ninth at Qualifying School in 2020 but only competed in one event before play was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When play resumed on Tour he did not quite make the impression that was expected of him, with his best result tying for third in the 2022 Yeangder TPC.
Even before this week, he admitted to being exhausted after a long stretch on tour and behaving badly on and off the course. He said a holiday with his family in Spain over the past few weeks helped him get back on track, and that was most definitely the case this week.
The leading Australian at the completion of this season’s Order of Merit is Thompson’s fellow South Australian Wade Ormsby who finished the year in 12th place, highlighted by his win in the International Series event in Jakarta.
