Friday, September 30, 2011

Michael Makes the Cut!


by Randy Roberts


JT Shriners Open - Round 2 Recap

Things started off on the wrong foot in Michael Thompson's group during Round 2 of the JT Shriners Open at TPC Summerlin.  His entire group scored a bogey or worse on the first hole of the day, #10.  In Michael's case his tee shot hit a tree which forced him to lay up in the fairway.  Things quickly turned around though and the hilight of the day ended up being his tee shot on the par 3 #14.  His shot landed right next to the hole, a mere 7 inches away from making it in.  A hole-in-one at the JT Shriners Open would mean a new Hyundai to whoever could pull off such a feat. It was oh-so-close and as I write this, remains the closest that anyone has come on #14 the entire tournament.  Michael went on to birdie two more holes on the back nine, making the turn at -2 for the day, -5 overall.

The front nine again proved to be the more difficult half of the course.  A couple of bogeys at holes 1 and 2 left Michael at even par for the day (-3 overall).  With the scores being so low (the leaders were at -12) those of us spectating knew that he would need at least one if not two more birdies to have a chance at playing on the weekend. Michael put himself in position time and again, but the birdie putts just weren't sinking.  Finally, on hole 7 his second shot left him with a 3 ft putt.  As Michael lined up his putt,  the sky opened up and it started to rain.  The putt dropped into the hole, and the rain almost immediately went away.  That got him to -4 which at the time was on the positive side of the cut line.  A par on #8 left him with one last chance to get some extra insurance for the cut, the par 5 #9.  But alas, it was not meant to be.  A missed birdie putt left him at -4 which at the time was good for 62nd.

With quite a few players left on the course, Michael's fate was a waiting game.  With the top 70 plus ties making the cut, we sat and crossed our fingers as we watched his position change to T-66th.  A delay due to lightning stretched out long enough that we left the course hoping for the best.  Finally in the early evening, play had restarted and enough players had finished to determine that the cut line was locked in at -4.  He had made it in tied for 68th!

Here's the links for following Michael at the JT Shriners Open

Leaderboard
Scorecard
Michael Thompson ShotTracker
Michael Thompson's Group ShotTracker

The final two rounds will all be televised on the Golf Channel
Sat, Sun 4:00pm-7:00pm ET

Thursday, September 29, 2011

JT Shriners Open - Round 1 Recap



by Randy Roberts


JT Shriners Open - Round 1 Recap

Michael Thompson had a solid round today at TPC Summerlin. The 7:00 am tee time meant an escape from the afternoon heat and no waiting on the tees since his group was the first out of the gates.

Michael played well on the front nine with seven pars and one birdie to offset one bogey. However the back nine was where he started to shine. He scored four birdies along with one bogey to finish the day strongly at -3. His putter seemed to be working particularly well today with several nice par saves and long putts for birdie. He could have ended up at -5 with one putt rolling around the edge of the cup and others missing by an oh-so-close distance. I guess that's golf for you.

As a spectator, TPC Summerlin was a fan friendly course. The course is lined with cart paths for easy walking. There's not too much as far as steep hills. Lots of trees lined the course for a shady escape from the sun. The course is built within a master planned community and is lined by houses most of the way. The houses ranged from nice suburban homes to majestic Mediterranean estates that looked more like a resort. With Las Vegas being an easy travel destination, I give it two thumbs up as an enjoyable destination for a golf fan to watch an event.

Here's the links for following Michael at the JT Shriners Open

Leaderboard
Scorecard
Michael Thompson ShotTracker
Michael Thompson's Group ShotTracker

The last three rounds will all be televised on the Golf Channel
Fri, Sat, Sun 4:00pm-7:00pm ET

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Justin Timberlake Shriners Open



by Randy Roberts

The Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open (JT Shriners Open) is set to begin on thursday at the TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas, NV.  The course is owned by the PGA and was built in 1991 with the intent of hosting PGA tournaments.  The layout is optimized for viewing by the fans through the use of spectator mounds and natural amphitheaters.  I'll soon be able to give a better review of the course as I am set to drive out to Las Vegas to watch the play in person for the first two rounds.  Be sure to follow us on twitter for updates.  Michael tees off at 7:00 AM thursday and will be playing alongside John Merrick and John Riegger.

With the closeout of the FedEx Cup season last week, the next four tournaments make up a "Fall Series".  The top 125 from the money list at the finish of the fall series will be given a Tour Card for the next year.  Those who finish below the top 125 will get a pass to the final stage of Q School, where they will have one last chance to retain their tour card or else be transfered to the Nationwide Tour.

So what does all this mean for Thompson?  Right now Michael sits at 113th with just under $613,000.  My rough guesstimate is that he'll need to finish with something in the range of $700-725k to retain a spot for next year.  It'll be a race to the finish for many players and should certainly be exciting to follow.

Here's the links for following Michael at the JT Shriners Open

Leaderboard
Scorecard
Michael Thompson ShotTracker
Michael Thompson's Group ShotTracker

All four rounds will be televised on the Golf Channel
Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun 4:00pm-7:00pm ET