Thursday, June 28, 2012

Thompson Facing US Open Conditions... Again

by Roz Roberts III

For the second time in three weeks, Michael Thompson is facing a US Open golf course under US Open conditions.  This week, instead of the actual US Open, Michael is competing in the AT&T National at the Congressional Country Club.  Dry, hot conditions have the course playing harder than it did during last year's US Open when Rory McIlroy won with a score of 16 under par after rain softened the course considerably.  This year, Congressional is under a heat wave and it is punishing the field.

In today's first round, Michael posted a four over par 75 which has him in a tie for 76th.  After his round, Michael said

My score today wasn't all that bad considering the conditions.  It's playing like a U.S. Open. I think these are the conditions that the USGA wanted last year.
When Michael tees off at noon on Friday, the temperature is expected to be near 100 degrees.  Michael said
The heat is going to affect a lot of players.  It's hot, especially when you're wearing these pants. I've been living in the South long enough to where I should be used to it, but it does sap your energy.  You definitely have to drink a lot of water. I probably drink a bottle of water every two holes.
Michael tees off from the first hole at 12:00pm ET with Tom Pernice Jr. and Sung Kang.

Editor's Note:
The quotes in this post were taken from an interesting article on ESPN.com.  You can find the whole thing here:

Congressional Playing Like Fifth Major

Scoring Links
Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard
Michael on ShotTracker
Michael's Group on ShotTracker

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

AT&T National Kicks Off Thursday

by Roz Roberts III

The Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland will be hosting it's first PGA Tournament since last year's US Open.  Due to wetter than normal conditions last year, Congressional played much easier than the USGA would have liked for a US Open.  For this year's AT&T National, don't expect scores to be so low.  Hard, fast conditions are expected and many expect that typical US Open-like scores will follow.

Michael Thompson will be teeing off in the first group of the day with Tom Pernice Jr. and Sung Kang.  The trio will be teeing off from the par 3, tenth hole at 7am ET.

Scoring Links
Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard
Michael on ShotTracker
Michael's Group on ShotTracker


Just One More Reason to Follow Michael Thompson


by Roz Roberts III

As Randy and I scour the Internet for articles and material for the Thompson Tide, we occasionally come across stories of how Michael has made someone's day a memorable one.  These stories are always my favorite.  If you've ever been to a PGA Tour event with Michael you know that this story is not unique and not unusual but is newsworthy in its sincerity.  

The following story was posted on gazette.net, a website for local Maryland news.  I've pulled out the first few paragraphs and provided a link to the full story...enjoy!

 

AT&T National: Practice means memories

Tour pros chat, sign autographs as they prepare for tournament

by Travis Mewhirter, Staff Writer

Matthew O'Connor turned around and flashed a 1,000-watt smile to the group of autograph hounds behind him at the 18th green at Congressional Country Club, proudly holding up his newest souvenir: a signed glove from Michael Thompson.

The 9-year-old from Potomac had been holding out his yellow AT&T National flag in hopes for another of what would wind up being more than a dozen signatures he would get throughout the day, returning instead with the autograph as well as Thompson's signed FootJoy glove.

“It's just fun,” said Thompson, who missed the cut at last weekend's Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Connecticut. “It's a great way to give back. If I gave the cold shoulder that wouldn't look too good on me or the Tour.”

Thompson hung around with the group of 10 or so beaming kids, chatting and signing and tossing out a few brand new balls before hopping on a cart back to the putting green during Tuesday's practice round for the AT&T National, which begins Thursday.

Monday, June 25, 2012

On to Maryland

by Roz Roberts III

Michael Thompson missed the cut last week at the Traveler's Championship but that gave him a couple of days off to rest and recuperate after a hectic week and a half.  He gets after it again this week at the AT&T National.  Last year, Michael tied for 38th at this event but it was held at the Aronimink Golf Club.  This year the event moves to the historic Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Summer Solstice

by Roz Roberts III

Technically, summer solstice came on Wednesday but for Michael Thompson the longest golf day of the year might have come on Thursday.  He shot eight over par which has him in a tie for 149th.  But tomorrow is another day and Michael is sure to have put Thursday's round behind him.

Video Coverage
This week's tournament will be covered by the Golf Channel and CBS.  In addition, PGATour.com's Live @ streaming will be on the air covering all groups through holes 15 and 17.

Friday
Golf Channel
3-6pm ET
Live @
11am-6pm ET

Online Scoring Links

Thompson Heads Into Travelers With Momentum

by Roz Roberts III

After his career best second place tie last week at the US Open, Michael Thompson is headed into the first round of the 2012 Traveler's Championship with momentum and solid history in this event.  Michael finished fourth in this event last year when he posted a closing round 62 which gave him the clubhouse lead after four rounds for the first time in his PGA Tour career.  He had a similar result last week when he was the clubhouse leader for 90 minutes before Web Simpson knocked Michael from the top spot by a single shot.

Michael will have to deal with the added media attention and high expectations that come with world wide scrutiny but based on interviews he did early in the week, he seems ready for the challenge.

"The key to playing good professional golf is you can't think about what everybody else wants or expects you to do, and I have trouble of falling into that trap of trying to live up to the expectations that I believe others are putting on me. It's not that people actually tell me go win or that we expect you to do this and that, but we as golfers put a lot of pressure on ourselves to begin with.
We don't need all that extra pressure from the outside world. In a sense we kind of almost need to distance ourselves and really stay focused on what we want to do as individuals and our goals and stick to our process and keep it one shot at a time, one day at a time. And the more I can do that, the better off I'm going to be.
Last week's over for me. The moment I showed up for the charter Monday morning I was already trying to get my mind ready for this week because it's a new week, it's a new opportunity. I've gotta go in this week with no expectations. Just because I finished well last week doesn't mean I'm going to play well this week.
Golf is a game where there's a lot of ebbs and flows, and you really want to try to ride the flows as much as you can. But you also have to understand that the low points are going to happen, and I might have a terrible week this week. I have no idea. But if I go out and do my drills on the driving range and on the putting green and focus on my chipping and really learn the feel of the golf course, then most likely I'm going to have a good week. And a good week to me might be different than a good week that you expect of me or that somebody else expects of me. So again, I have to keep my expectations in check and just go out and play. "

First Round Tee Times
Michael will be playing the first two rounds with Bart Bryant and Matt Jones.  They tee of from the first hole at 8:18am ET.

Video Coverage
This week's tournament will be covered by the Golf Channel and CBS.  In addition, the PGA Tour's Live @ streaming will be on the air covering all groups through holes 15 and 17.

Thursday
Golf Channel
3-6pm ET
Live @
11am-6pm ET

Friday

Golf Channel
3-6pm ET
Live @
11am-6pm ET

Saturday

Golf Channel
1-2:30pm ET
CBS
3-6pm ET
Live @
11am-6pm ET

Sunday

Golf Channel
1-2:30pm ET
CBS
3-6pm ET
Live @
11am-6pm ET

Online Scoring Links



Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Direct Connect With Michael Thompson

The Cat's Out of the Bag - Media Focus Turns to Thompson

by Roz Roberts III and Randy Roberts

With success at the US Open, Michael has garnered quite a bit of additional media attention this week.  It came in the form of interviews, feature articles, notice from the fantasy golf world and even radio sound bytes.

Interviews
To start the week, he was one of the featured interviews at the Traveler's.  You can catch pieces of the interview below and a full transcript is provided after the video clips.





Press Conference Transcript

Articles
Michael got some nice press in several articles this week.  The following section will have links to some of them.

New Goals for Thompson After the US Open
Michael Thompson is Rising Toward Top of PGA Tour
Birdies and Bogeys from the US Open

Michael committed to play in several tournaments this week and the tournaments are using the news to draw interest.  Here are articles on the RBC Canadian Open and the John Deere Classic.
Thompson Playing the John Deere and Being Touted as a Draw
Thompson To Also Play the RBC Canadian Open

Fantasy Golf
The Fantasy Golf world has taken note of Michael's recent success as well as his past success at the Traveler's.  In fact, he was the first pick in the Expert Picks competition on PGATour.com meaning he was chosen before any other player in the field.  This is the first time he showed up in this column.

He was also listed #12 on Rob Bolton's Power Rankings column on PGATour.com.  He had previously made Rob's Sleeper Picks column a couple of times but this is the first time he made into the Power Rankings.

GolfWeek Rankings

Radio Sound Bytes
Commentary from News Talk 1090 in Connecticut

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

A View From Outside the Ropes at the US Open


By Roz Roberts III
 
When my sister and I arrived at the Olympic Club on Sunday to watch the final round of the US Open we knew that scoring was going to be tough.  A large fog bank had enveloped the course and was being blown by steady gusts off the ocean.  Add to that, the hole locations for round 4 were once again expected to provide a challenge.  Our goal for the day was to watch as much of Michael Thompson's round as possible. 
Hole locations for the 4th round
Since Michael started the day tied for 18th it didn’t appear there were many cameras following him so I’m assuming most of you didn’t get many details on his remarkable round.  Here are my recollections of how it played out.  I apologize for any mistakes but I wasn’t taking notes – I was enjoying the experience.  Also, if you really don’t want to read a blow by blow description of Michael’s round you should probably stop reading right about now!  And one more disclaimer, any distances I use are purely estimates on my part and in some cases my view was not the best.

Hole #1 (par 4)
Michael Thompson had just come off a round of four over par (74) in which he struggled to keep the ball in the fairways.  As he teed off on hole #1, things definitely started off on a positive note.  His drive split the fairway and was long.  His approach shot to the first green got an unlucky bounce as it hit the right side of a swale just short of the green and bounced right of the green and into the rough.  A beautiful chip out of the rough came to rest three feet from the hole which was cut in the back left portion of the green.  He made his par putt and the best round of the day was underway.

Hole #2 (par 4)
Michael’s tee shot on number hole #2 leaked into the left rough and was probably pushed that direction by the prevailing winds.  Michael’s second shot from the rough found the green and he two putted for a nice “easy” par.

Hole #3 (par 3)
After watching David Toms push his tee shot into the left bunker, Michael was able to find the green as his tee shot landed short and carried up into the front center of the green.  That left him with an uphill 25 foot putt to a hole cut on the right.  Michael’s putt carried good speed but didn’t go in but once again he had a tap in par.  David Tom’s was able to get out of the bunker and save par as well.

Hole #4 (par 4)
The tee shot on the fourth hole is elevated and drops to a fairway that slopes severely from left to right.  Michael’s tee shot landed in the fairway but took the slope and rolled into the primary rough.  Michael’s second shot from the rough landed on the left hand side of the green but the green’s were firm and the ball skipped through the green and off the back side shaved bank.  The ball came to rest on the bank  about 30 feet from the hole.  Michael’s third shot required him to navigate a hump and then a double break towards the hole.  Rather than chip from off the green, Michael pulled out his favorite club – the putter, and played a links style shot that climbed the bank, turned around the hump and then fed down the hill to come to rest around four feet from the hole.  Michael made the par putt and was even through the first four holes.

Hole #5 (par 5)
The tee shot on hole #5 is also elevated;  so much so that you can't see where the ball ends up from the tee.  After Michael struck a perfect tee shot, he took a second to point and us (the Thompson cheering section) and tell us "to keep it down".  He had a big grin and it was obvious he was relaxed and having fun which was one of his main objectives for the week.  His second shot landed on the front of the green around 25 feet from the hole.  I managed to get into the bleachers on this hole and had a great look at his birdie putt.  When Michael hit the putt I was convinced it was too high because it just didn’t seem to break to the hole as much as he hit it.  Even as the ball was three feet from the hole it looked like it wasn’t going to go in but when the ball got to about 2 feet it was slowing down and it basically made a left hand turn and did a 360 twirl into the hole.  The putt must have broken 3 or 4 feet but Michael played both the line and the speed perfectly.  It was the first time Michael had reached red numbers on the day.

Hole #6  (par 4)
To tell you the truth I don’t really have a strong recollection of this hole.  I remember his drive found the fairway again and I think he hit the green and two putted for par but don’t hold me to this one!

Hole #7 (par 4)
This hole was interesting because it was a drivable par 4 but it had terrible site lines for anyone who wasn’t in the grandstands.  According to Michael’s brother (who climbed into the grandstands to take a quick peek), Michael’s tee shot came up just short of the green in the fairway.  He chipped to about 5 feet from there and made the birdie putt to move to two under par.  At this point in the day, Michael was the only player on the posted leaderboards under par.

Hole #8 (par 3)
One of my favorite moments of the tournament came on this hole on Friday when Michael did a "happy dance” after making a birdie to finish his round.  On Sunday, his tee shot landed at the back right part of the green on the same level as the hole which was in the back left of the green.  Michael’s birdie putt came up about four feet short but he was able to make the par putt and move on to hole #9 at two under par.

Hole #9 (par 4)
Michael’s lone wayward tee shot came on hole #9.  He ended up way left beyond the primary rough and near a trash can.  The lie wasn’t too bad as this area was basically trampled down due to the foot traffic.  However, he was buried behind a large tree with low overhanging branches.  He tried to hit a low screamer under the tree and run it up the fairway as far as possible but it didn’t get enough altitude and buried in the primary rough about 20 yards from where he was.  I couldn’t see the ball because the rough was so thick and the ball sat down.  Somehow Michael hit his next shot from the rough onto the front portion of the green.  He left himself about a 25 foot par putt which he gave a valiant effort.  I was fairly far from the green but you hear those famous US Open groans and you know it came close but didn’t go in.  He tapped in for bogey.  It was the lone dropped shot on his card for the day.

On a side note, this hole provided one of the more unusual moments of the day as a rules official sprinted up to Michael to speak with him as he was walking up to the green.  We had no idea what the problem was but when we asked him about it later Michael said that the official asked him if one of the spectators had moved his ball while it was over by the trash cans.  The answer was “no”.

Hole #10 (par 4)
Michael once again continued his magnificent day off the tee as he hit his tee shot on hole #10 into the left side of the fairway on the dog leg right hole.  He was in a good position in the fairway but his iron shot found the left greenside bunker.  He made a great bunker shot that landed within two feet of the hole and he tapped in for par.

Hole #11 (par 4)
Once again, Michael found the fairway and then hit his second shot to about 8 feet.  Unfortunately this was another hole where we were standing below the hole so I didn’t have a great view but Michael dropped the birdie putt and once again moved to two under par.  It was about this time that a bunch of photographers and camera guys started following the group.

Hole #12 (par 4)
Michael played this hole almost as a carbon copy of hole #12 with the exception that he left himself about about a ten foot birdie putt.  The putt just slide by the hole and he tapped in for par.

Hole #13 (par 3)
This hole has a very tricky green with a left edge that slopes off the green into a shaved fairway.  The hole was in the back right on Sunday.  Michael’s tee shot landed short and left and looked like it was going to stay on the green but just as it looked like it had stopped rolling, the hill took it and it rolled off the green short and left of the hole.  Michael pitched out to about four or five feet.  He took a long time over this putt but when he eventually pulled the trigger he drained it to save par.

Hole #14 (par 4)
This hole has an elevated tee and the fairway has a dog leg right but large trees down the right side and some very strategically place trees on the left side.  Michael’s drive found the fairway.  His second shot was online but came up just short of the green in the fairway neck of the green.  He putted from the fairway and the putt was right online but came up just a tad short.  He tapped in for par.

Hole #15 (par 3)
We got stuck on the other side of hole #16 so I didn’t get a good look at this par three but Michael’s tee shot landed on the green about 10 feet from the hole.  He just missed the birdie putt and tapped in for yet another “easy” par.

Hole #16 (par 5)
If you followed the tournament, you know about hole #16.  It was the longest par 5 in US Open history measuring a mammoth 670 yards.  On Sunday, they moved the tee up so it was only 575 yards.  Michael’s tee shot was long and straight and found the center of the fairway.  He hit his second shot into the fairway with about 80 yards remaining.  His wedge into the green was hit perfectly and stopped on the green about five feet from the hole.  He made the birdie putt and was three under par on the day and two over for the tournament.

Hole #17 (par 5)
Statistically, hole #17 was the easiest hole on the course for the field but for Michael 17 seemed a bit of an enigma.  On Friday and Saturday his tee shots were left of the fairway and had tree problems.  On Sunday, his tee shot missed the fairway to the right but at least he didn’t have to contend with trees.  The ball came to rest in the primary rough.  He laid up into the fairway and then hit what he described as his best wedge shot of the tournament.  He landed the ball just past the hole and got it to spin backwards leaving himself an uphill birdie putt of about five feet.  Michael missed the birdie putt but was able to tap in for par.  Michael later he said that he didn't go through his entire pre-shot routine over the birdie putt and he said "I pulled it as soon as I hit [it]."

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/06/18/4569449/nerves-get-to-michael-thompson.html#storylink=cpy

Hole #18 (par 4)
I’m sure most of his 18th hole was covered on TV (I still haven't had a chance to go back through the DVR coverage) but here is how it played out.  His tee shot went right into the tree line but he got a kind bounce as the tree kicked the ball back into the fairway.  He had a longer than normal iron shot into the green.  His shot into the green caught the right rough just off the green but it was hole high.  The hole was cut in the front left just thee paces over the front bunker.  Michael’s chip from the rough didn’t quite break enough but he had an easy tap in to finish his round at three under par (67).

Michael tees off on the 18th hole

The Waiting Game
As a cheering section, we convened in the clubhouse to see how the rest of the tournament played out.  I didn’t think two over was going to be enough but as the day wore on and guys kept falling down the leaderboard, it looked better and better.  We were excited because we knew that Michael had accomplished several things no matter where he ultimately finished:  he had locked up invitations to the 2013 US Open (top 10 and better) and the 2013 Masters (top 8 and better), he had also pretty much locked up his 2013 PGA Tour card and an invitation into the PGA Championship later this year.  Michael had to do several interviews but eventually came and sat with us as we watched the end of the tournament.  As you know by now, two over came in second by a shot to Webb Simpson.



The Medal Ceremony
After the tournament was over, Michael told us to come down to the 18th green.  He was presented with a silver medal for being the US Open runner up.   It brought to mind the medal ceremony I got to witness when they presented Michael with his low amateur medal in the 2008 US Open.  The big difference was the size of the crowd.  In 2008 there were about 20 people around and this time there were thousands.  In either case, it was very cool - even with the “chicken guy” who interrupted Webb Simpson and Bob Costas.


Overall Impressions
So this article might have sounded like Michael played the par fours as "fairway-green-two putts for par" - what's so hard about that?  First of all, hitting fairways on this course was no easy feat.  Trees hugged fairways or overhung them entirely.  Hills and slopes wanted to take balls from the fairway into the rough.  In order to hit a fairway you had to shape the ball and land it in a very narrow window.  Some holes you had to shape right to left, others it was reversed.  On Sunday, nobody did it better than Michael.  Michael hit 11 out of 14 fairways to lead the field.

Add to that that I used the term "easy" par several time throughout this post.  In reality there were no easy pars on this course.  Any putt longer than 18 inches was a challenge.  Michael lead the field in putting for the week and I don't remember him missing a single putt inside of five feet.

No words I give you will accurately convey just how good a round Michael played on Sunday.  It was a thing of beauty.  When you add the situation on top of that - the final round of the US Open - it is just all the more impressive.    It was great to see him come back from his rounds on Friday and Saturday where he was grinding.  For those of us following, it was just an amazing day.  We were (and still are) just so happy for Michael to perform as well as he did.  And the best part of it?  He had fun doing it!

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Michael Thompson Finishes Strong, Ties for Second



by Randy Roberts


Michael Thompson had the best round of the day, a 3 under beauty that vaulted him up the leaderboard early.  As the rest of the golfers ahead of him played the tough 1st through 6th holes, they slowly dropped and came back to where Michael was on the leaderboard.  After it was all said and done, he finished tied for 2nd with Graeme McDowell, one shot behind the eventual winner Webb Simpson.  He had the best score of the 1st and 4th rounds and had the most birdies of anyone in the field.

With the T2 finish, Michael earned $695,916, locking up his 2013 PGA Tour card and earning an invite to the 2013 Masters and U.S. Open.  He also moves from  #107 to #52 on the OWGR list, #105 to #39 on the money list, and #90 to #39 on the FedEx Cup list.  All in all, I'd say it was a great Sunday!

Random Notes from the day:
  • Michael finished the tough 1-6 hole stretch in one under par, the best he did all week by two strokes
  • He had the two lowest round scores (1st and 4th rounds)
  • "Michael Thompson" was a US twitter trending topic after he finished his round
  • Michael's parents and in-laws were present this week.  We can check "fathers day gift" off his list now.
  • Michael hit the most fairways of anyone on Sunday. 11 of 14. This was key since he had been struggling in the second and third rounds trying to do so. He ranked 41st overall.
  • He had more birdies than anyone else, 16 (12 of which were on par 4 holes)
Leaderboard
Earnings
PGA Tour Money List
FedEx Cup List
OWGR List

Videos
Post round interview




Photos
Zimbio Gallery
Getty Images

Articles
Michael Thompson Finishes Tied for Second at U.S. Open
Thompson grabs another runner-up finish at Olympic
Thompson bolstered by finish
Thompson Bridesmaid Again at Olympic
Thompson has major week at Olympic
Transcript from another post round interview
Birdies and Bogeys:  Birdie -  Michael Thompson

Saturday, June 16, 2012

US Open - Round 3


by Randy Roberts and Roz Roberts III

Michael ended up shooting four over par in the third round of the US Open.  He'll be going into the final round T-18th at +5.

The highlight of the day was his hole-out on hole #1.  Roz saw it in person, so I'll let him describe it:
"Michael's birdie on hole #1 was nothing short of remarkable.  His drive off the tee went far left into what looked like a dirt patch beyond a tree line (we were on the other side of the fairway).  The crowd cheered his save out of the native area but he just got back into the fairway and had 100 yards or so left to the hole.  I was up at the hole and his wedge shot landed softly short of the green and just started tracking right into the hole!  It was the most amazing shot I have ever seen live.  The gallery went nuts!!!!  I hope they had it on TV because it was so good that I want to see it again.  It definitely wasn't the way you'd draw up a birdie on that hole in the game plan!"  
They did have it on TV, but it hasn't been available online anywhere, so I uploaded the clip.



Scoring Links
Leaderboard
Playtracker (Note: Faster updates than the regular leaderboard.  Works great on iPad)

Tee Times for Final Round
Michael will be teeing off at 1:10 PST and will be paired with David Toms

TV Times
NBC 1:00-7:00 PST
usopen.com Live Video from Holes 8 and 18: 1:00-7:00 PST


** Bonus ***
I found this interview on youtube which was done thursday night. It's a pretty good interview and worth watching.

.

Friday, June 15, 2012

Report From The Gallery at the US Open



by Randy Roberts

My brother Roz was at the course today and followed Michael all day.  Here's his report to me on what it was like:
I have no idea what was on TV but there was a camera filming every shot of the day.  Big crowd following early but as he fell down the leaderboard the gallery got smaller and it was easier to follow.  The course has some crazy cross-overs between holes so it was sort of hard to keep up with the group at points.

Michael said that the greens were super hard.  You had to land the ball up to 20 or 30 yards short of the green on some shots to get the ball to stop on the green.  At the end of the day there were a lot of spike marks that made getting the ball on the line he wanted difficult.
You wouldn't believe how fast these greens are.  I don't think TV does the slopes justice.  There were putts that Michael barely touched that traveled 20+ feet and well past the hole.  The double bogey on 18 comes to mind. 
Michael played the tough stretch of 1-6  at 1 over par.  He had two bogeys and both were 3 putts.  He missed some fairways in this stretch but I think he hit all of the greens in regulation.

The birdie at the last was definitely a confidence booster.  Michael was very upbeat after the round and said the course was "ridiculously difficult".  He said it played completely different from day 1.  That might be a result of playing in the afternoon.  Don't know if they showed it but his tee shot on 8 looked like it ended up about 3 feet from the hole.  Even that putt Michael said was difficult because it was down hill side slope and there were a lot of spike marks in his line.  He decided to hit it firm.  He also told his caddie, Mattie Lou that he was going to celebrate if he made the putt - thus the happy dance at the end of the round.  It was funny because it was out of character for Michael but I think it showed he was having fun.
If you blinked, you would have missed the celebration, so here's the clip.

Thompson Falls Back, Never Gives Up


by Randy Roberts

Michael Thompson's day got off to a rough start. Missing fairways and ending up in the punishing rough made it an Olympic marathon type of day.  Michael fought back though, ending the day tied for fourth at +1, two shots back from Woods, Toms and Furyk.

As usual, Michael sounded upbeat in his press conference and is looking forward to battling the tough course at Olympic.
"I am not a pushover by any means. I don't believe I'm that way, and so I've always prided myself in going out and being competitive and never giving up; and in a U.S. Open it's a perfect example of the person who doesn't give up usually finishes really well."
Scoring Links
Leaderboard
Playtracker (Note: Faster updates than the regular leaderboard.  Works great on iPad)

Tee Times
Michael will be teeing off at 2:35 PST and will be paired with Blake Adams

TV Times
NBC 1:00-7:00 PST
usopen.com Live Video from Holes 8 and 18: 1:00-7:00 PST



Video
Interview

Articles
Interview Transcript
Last Sunday, the Arizona Daily Star's Greg Hansen predicted Michael would do well this week



Thursday, June 14, 2012

Who is Michael Thompson?

Tonight while watching the US Open coverage on the Golf Channel, they started to talk about Michael  Thompson and what kind of a guy he is.  In 2.5 minutes they gave a really clear picture of who he is and what kind of character he has.  Since this type of thing never gets put on a highlight reel, I thought it was important to share it.




If you'd like to watch the clip from the Masters that they were talking about you can click here.

Thompson At The Top!

Shooting -4 at the US Open gets you some attention.

by Randy Roberts

Wow! What a day we Michael Thompson fans have had.  By now, you've probably heard that Michael finished the day in 1st place at the US Open.  He shot four under par, which is rather remarkable considering  only five players finished under par.

I'll be posting links to all the articles and photos I can find.  Keep coming back throughout the night as this post will be growing.

Round 2 Tee Time
Michael will be teeing off from the ninth hole on Friday at 12:52PT for his second round.  He will once again be playing with Steve Marino and Colt Knost.

Scoring LinksYou can follow online with the following links although there isn't a ShotLink style shot-by shot update like a normal PGA Tour event.  Roz will hopefully be Twitting updates from the course tomorrow if he can get his phone through security!


Leaderboard
Play Tracker (a course overview and you can add Michael Thompson as a player to watch) 
Michael's Scorecard and Stats

Articles


golfweek.com: 'Fun' in an Open? Thompson enjoys 1st-round 66 by Sean Martin


usopen.com:  It's Thompson And Tiger

nytimes.com:  A Player In His Third Major Grabs the Lead and the Attention

azstar.net:  Tucson's Michael Thompson Shoots 66 to Lead US Open (AP)

bonstonglobe.com: Michael Thompson upstages field at US Open

cbssports.com: Familiarity with Olympic has Michael Thompson leading US Open

espn.com: Michael Thompson up by 3 shots

usatoday.com: Michael Thompson takes lead, Tiger lurks at US Open

mercurynews.com: US Open notebook: Michael Thompson makes most of return to Olympic Club, leads US Open by three shots

al.com: Former Alabama star Michael Thompson's resurrected low shots put him at the top in US Open

sports.yahoo.com: 2012 US Open: Michael Thompson Starts Off Strong

foxnews.com: Thompson leads by 3 at US Open

utsandiego.com: Straight shooter: Good-guy Thompson leads U.S. Open

Videos

Two interviews are availabe at the US Open's Video on Demand section
follow the link above and select "Thursday June 14" from the dropdown menu

Round 1 Recap - ESPN

Photos


Getty Images

US Open Photo Gallery

Interview Transcripts


Post Round on NBC

Post Round in Media Center

Thompson Returns To The Olympic Club, But This Time For The US Open


by Randy Roberts

By the time you read this, Michael Thompson may have already teed off in his first major as a professional golfer.  In many ways, he's come full circle, as it was at the Olympic Club that he finished as runner up to Colt Knost at the 2007 US Amateur.  With the 2nd place finish he earned a spot in two majors: The 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines and the 2008 Masters.  He played both as an amateur before he turned pro.

A few years have passed since then, but along with that he's gained a lot of valuable experience which he is looking to put to good use as he plays in his first major as a professional.  When he was interviewed by ESPN's Michael Collins he spoke about his memories from the 2007 US Amateur and how he was trying to remember the shots, the good times, and the great golf, all in hopes to be able to continue that positivity this week.  He's even staying at the same house as in 2007.  As is often the case for the US Amateur, locals volunteered to host players, and Michael had the good fortune to be hosted by a couple that lives on the famed Lombard Street in San Francisco.  That couple has remained friends with Michael since 2007 and I presume they invited him to stay with them again.  (Michael's not the type to just show on someone's doorstep with his golf clubs and a couple of free tickets to the US Open, although that would certainly work for me if he tried it!)

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It sounds like Michael will have a good contingency of friends and family rooting him on this week.  The other half of ThompsonTide.com, Roz, is flying up on Thursday along with his family, and my sister Dawn will be attending as well.  I also heard that Michael's parents will be there to root him on, as they did at the 2007 US Amateur.  Roz will probably be tweeting updates as he's on the course on friday and hopefully saturday as well.

Tee Time
Michael tees off at 7:37 PST along with Colt Knost and Steve Marino.

Television Times

Thursday
ESPN: 12:00-3:00, 5:00-10:00
NBC: 3:00-5:00

Scoring Links
Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard
Since this event is not put on by the PGA, there is no ShotTracker this week
However, the USGA does have a "Play Tracker" which is pretty good.
Playtracker

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Thompson Gets In a Little Practice

Click on the above image to be taken to the full resolution version on PGATour.com


Michael Thompson was seen out on the Olympic Club's Lake Course earlier today in preparation for tomorrow's first round of the US Open.  Michael will be teeing off at 7:37am PT with Colt Knost and Steve Marino from the first hole.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

What Olympic Has In Store


AP writer Antonio Gonzalez did a nice article on the par 5 16th hole at the Olympic Club which comes in at a whopping 670 yards.  Michael is quoted mid-way through and it is worth a read.  This version came from USAToday.com.


670-yard 16th longest in U.S. Open History


Monday, June 11, 2012

Thompson Interviewed at Olympic

Runner Up Returns


Michael was mentioned in an AP article on Monday.  The full article can be found on the Washington Post's website here US Open Storylines.  The part on Michael reads as follows:


By Associated Press, Monday, June 11, 5:22 PM

RUNNER-UP RETURNS: The small silver plaques for runners-up inside The Olympic Club are often more recognizable than the posters and memorabilia of the winners. Names such as Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson and Payne Stewart adorn the walls for their second-place finishes.

Try Michael Thompson, too.

No, not from a U.S. Open. Back in 2007, Thompson finished runner-up in the U.S. Amateur championship at Olympic.

He lost 2 and 1 against Colt Knost in a grueling 36-hole finale, and he hadn’t played a meaningful round on the Lake Course again until after he qualified for the U.S. Open last week.

“I’ve been wanting to come back here for over two years,” Thompson said. “This golf course has a special place in my heart.”

Thompson still recalls almost every shot from that taxing week.

One of his shining moments came in the opening round when he beat Webb Simpson 5 and 4, shooting 5 under through the opening 14 holes, including a 15-foot birdie on No. 10. Thompson also made a 50-foot birdie on the fifth in the final.

“I’ve started thinking about all the shots I hit that week,” Thompson said. “All the tee shots, all the holes, just trying to feed off those good vibes. It will be much tougher to duplicate.”

Monday, June 4, 2012

It's Official!!! Thompson is Headed Back to the US Open

Michael finished solo 2nd at 142 over two rounds.
by Roz Roberts III

After posting the best round of the day (a four under par 68), Michael Thompson launched himself up the US Open Sectional Qualifier leaderboard in Rockville, MD and right into the 2012 US Open!  He finished the 36 hole qualifier at two under par and finished second.  Seven spots into the US Open were handed out at the Mid-Atlantic qualifier.  After a first round 2 over par 74 which was good for a T22, Michael needed to post a low score to secure a spot.  That's exactly what he did - posting a three under par front nine followed by a one under par back nine and climbing 20 spots up the leaderboard in 20 mph afternoon winds.

The US Open is being played at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, CA which is the site of Michael's second place finish in the 2007 US Amateur.

The US Open will be Michael's first major as a PGA Tour professional but it won't be a new experience as Michael was the low amateur in the 2008 US Open in Torrey Pines.

Random Facts
Only 7 players were under par at the Mid-Atlantic Qualifier.  All seven qualified without the need for a playoff.

Two of the seven players who qualified at the Mid-Atlantic Qualifier had the last name of Thompson (Michael and fellow pro Nicholas Thompson)

Two of the seven players who qualified at the Mid-Atlantic Qualifier are from Birmingham, AL (Michael and Jeff Curl)

Related Articles
 Washington Post Article
10 Players Who Can Challenge Tiger

Sunday, June 3, 2012

36 Holes for a Coveted Spot in the US Open

by Roz Roberts III

For hundreds of golfers, both amateur and professional, tomorrow is a day in which dreams can come true or be put on hold for another year.  Across the United States, sectional qualifying tournaments will be held to fill the field for the 2012 US Open.  Each tournament will be 36 holes in length over the day with a coveted spot in the US Open awarded to the top players in each event.

Michael Thompson will be playing in the sectional qualifier at the Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Maryland.  He will be competing with 77 other golfers for 7 spots.  His first round gets started at 7:20am.

Update:
Michael posted a second round of -4 and is in the clubhouse at -2.  He is currently T2 and now has to wait to see if has punched his ticket to the 2012 US Open.

Online Scoring Links

Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard