Saturday, May 31, 2014

Thompson's Day is All Wet

Michael gets wet to hit his third shot on the par 5 11th hole Friday at the Memorial.

by Roz Roberts III

Michael Thompson's second round at the Memorial Tournament won't be making his year end highlight reel.  He shot a four over par 76 and dropped into a tie for 48th.  The day got off to a rough start when Michael tried to layup on the par five, eleventh hole which was his second hole of the day.  Unfortunately, as seen in the picture above, the layup found the creek bank short and right of the fairway.  Rather than taking a penalty, Michael played his third shot off the bank but that shot came up short of the green and was completely swallowed by the same creek.  He went on to bogey that hole.  It was the first of four bogeys and he also had a double bogey.

The round wasn't without its highlights such as his 144 yard approach on hole #14 that he hit to within 14 inches of the hole.  But the highlights were too few and far between as putt after putt would not drop.  Michael went on to record a -4.483 strokes gained putting.

Tomorrow, Michael will look to get his putter back on track when he tees off with Matt Kuchar at 8:37am ET from the first hole.

Online Links

Thursday, May 29, 2014

'All‑In‑All a Great Day'

DUBLIN, OH - MAY 29: Michael Thompson hits his second shot on the 15th hole during the first round of the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance at Muirfield Village Golf Club. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

by Roz Roberts III

Michael Thompson's day didn't start off as well as it finished.  Early, he 'didn't have the best warm‑up session' as he got ready for his first round at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance.  Then his first tee shot found the rough left of the fairway.  He had to lay up short of the green for his second shot and eventually he was looking at an eleven foot putt for par.  He made the par save and from that point on it was all systems go.
I managed to make a good save on 1 that just kind of got the round going, and then from there on I had eight birdie chances on the front nine inside 15 feet.  It didn't seem like I could miss a shot. I missed a few little short putts, but turned it 4‑under.  And just all‑in‑all a great day.  A little hiccup on 17, but I can't be too disappointed.
At the end of the day Michael was sitting at five under par tied for fifth.  He sits four shots off Rory McIlroy's lead but just a single shot back from second.  He tees off from the tenth hole tomorrow at 1:27pm ET with playing partners D.A. Points and Russell Henley.

When he was asked why Muirfield matches his game so well, Michael said
I like to play a fade.  That's what Jack was known for, and a lot of his course designs fit that type of golf shot.  So visually it just appeals to me.  It's obviously in great condition.  The greens are fast.  I love fast greens.  Putting is my strength, and that's what I rely on.  And when you get really fast greens, it allows me to kind of go out there and do what I do best.  So this is one of my favorite events.  And to shoot a round like today on this golf course is special.

Videos from Round 1

Post Round Interview


Birdie on Hole #11



Online Links
Live @ Streaming Coverage from Holes 11 and 16

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

A Visit to Jack's Place

by Roz Roberts III

Michael Thompson will be making a visit to Jack Nicklaus' Muirfield Village this week at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance.  He will be looking to build on last week's T10th finish at the Crowne Plaza Invitational.  It was his first top 10 finish on the year.  On the year, Michael has made 11 of 15 cuts and notched six top 25 finishes which matches his total number of top 25 finishes from all of last year.  Michael finished last year's Memorial tied for 8th.

Michael will be grouped with Russell Henley and D.A. Points for the first couple of rounds.  They will get round one started on Thursday morning at 8:37am ET from the first tee.

Sunday, May 25, 2014

Thompson Climbing Higher

A birdie barrage on Sunday has Michael Thompson climbing the leaderboard at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial.  He has six birdies through 13 holes and is three under on the day.  He is currently tied for 13th as he heads for the closing stretch.  Michael is paired with Sean O'Hair for his final round.

Online Links

Friday, May 23, 2014

Thompson Climbs Above Cut Line and Then Some at Colonial


by Roz Roberts III

After Thursday's three over par 73, Michael Thompson needed to have a good round today in order to make the cut at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial.  He had a much better day than that.  Michael shot a four under par 66 and vaulted up the leaderboard a whopping 63 spots into a tie for 36th.

Michael started his round with an eagle at the par five first hole and that was a good omen for what was on it's way.  Michael finished his front nine at a respectable one under par but he really got on a roll on the back nine.  He birdied four of the first six holes on the back nine and just missed a short birdie putt on the 16th hole.  He bogeyed the 17th hole and had a nice 11' 6" par save to finish the day.

It was quite a one day turn around for Michael on the putting greens.  On Thursday, Michael's longest successful putt was a mere 4'6" and he was -2.5 in strokes gained putting. Today Michael was +1.5 in strokes gained putting and made eight putts longer than any of Thursday's round including three from beyond 10 feet (15'2", 13'6", and 11'6").

Michael will be paired with John Senden for tomorrow's third round.  They tee off from the first hole at 10:08am CT.


Online Links

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Back on Tour in Texas


by Roz Roberts III

After a week off, Michael Thompson will be teeing it up again at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas.  Hopefully he'll establish a new cuts-made streak following his missed cut at the Players Championship two weeks ago.  Michael has made the cut at this event the previous two times he has played it although he hasn't finished inside the top 35.

Michael will be playing with David Toms and Geoff Ogilvy.  They will tee of at 12:55pm CT  from the tenth hole.  You can follow Michael's round using the following links.

Online Links

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Stumble Out of the Gate Doesn't Derail Thompson

Michael Thompson watches his tee shot on hole #17 during the first round of the Players Championship.

by Roz Roberts III

Michael Thompson's day got off to a bad start when he three putted both of his first two holes and was two over par before 8am.  Despite the rough start, Michael would play the rest of his round at 3 under par and ultimately finished the day with a one under par 71,  He is currently tied for 48th.

Michael and playing partners Brian Gay and Stuart Appleby start their second rounds from hole #10 at 12:57am ET.

Online Links
Leaderboard
ShotTracker Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard
Michael on ShotTracker
Michael's Group on ShotTracker
Live @ Streaming from Hole 17 and Additional Coverage of Holes 8 and 18





Wednesday, May 7, 2014

The Island Awaits


by Roz Roberts III

The island green.  That's pretty much the first thing most people think of when the PGA Tour head's to the Player's Championship at TPC Sawgrass.  The famous island green of the par three 17th hole is often the pivotal hole at the Players Championship.  Just ask Sergio Garcia who was in contention last year until his tee shot on the 71st hole of the tournament found the water.

Michael Thompson will be making his third appearance at the Players.  He comes into the tournament playing well.  He even made it into Rob Bolton's Sleeper Picks article this week.

Michael will be playing the first two rounds with Brian Gay and Stuart Appleby.  Their first round tee time is at 7:47am ET from the first hole.

Online Links
Leaderboard
ShotTracker Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard
Michael on ShotTracker
Michael's Group on ShotTracker
Live @ Streaming from Hole 17 and Additional Coverage of Holes 8 and 18

Fun Tidbit of the Week
Michael spent some time this week checking out 15 year old Jack Fox's Eagle Scout Community Service project which was set up at TPC Sawgrass.  Gary Smits wrote a nice article on the project in The Florida Times-Union.  You can read the full text here:

Ponte Vedra Eagle Scout candidate impresses fellow Scout Michael Thompson


Monday, May 5, 2014

Thompson Rides Putter to His Best Finish of the Year

Michael Thompson tee's off at the 4th during the final round of the Wells Fargo Championship at the Quail Hollow Club on May 4, 2014 in Charlotte, North Carolina.  (Source: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images North America) 
by Roz Roberts III

Round four didn't start off well for Michael Thompson at the Wells Fargo Championship.  He started bogey-bogey to fall down the leaderboard and he didn't hit a fairway until the eleventh hole.  Despite that, he would grind all day and ultimately post an even par 72 which was good enough to finish tied for 11th - his best finish of the year.

On the day Michael only hit two fairways, his lowest total for any round this week.  He also only hit half of the greens in regulation.  Even with those struggles, Michael managed to make six birdies on the day including an 11 yard chip in on the par four 16th hole and a 76 foot birdie putt on the par three 17th (see the video below).

Michael ended his fourth round with a strokes gained putting stat of +1.444 and he finished the week 2nd for the entire tournament.  He is now 9th on Tour in the strokes gained putting stat.

Michael will be looking to continue his good form into this week's Players Championship.

Video of Michael's Birdie on Hole #17

Saturday, May 3, 2014

Thompson Continues Strong Play



by Randy Roberts

For the second day in a row, Michael Thompson shot a 3 under par 69. That moved him up 4 places into a tie for 8th place. He'll look to continue his consistent play as he tees off Sunday at 1:00 EST with Geoff Ogilvy.

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

Friday, May 2, 2014

Thompson's Cuts-Made Streak Reaches Six In a Row

Michael Thompson hits his second shot at the par five tenth hole during the second round of the Wells Fargo Championship.

by Roz Roberts III

After shooting a bogey free three under par at the Wells Fargo Championship today, Michael Thompson's cuts-made streak reached a career high six tournaments in a row.  He has now made 11 out of 13 cuts on the year.  Despite his increased number of cuts made, Michael hasn't had a top ten finish this year.  He'll look to change that this weekend.  He is currently four under par for the tournament and tied for 12th.

Michael's second round was highlighted by some  impressive scrambling.  He only hit 9 greens in regulation but went 9 for 9 in scrambling to preserve the bogey free round.  The closest he came to a bogey was on the par four 12th hole when he made a 19'11" par saving putt.

Just as it has all year, Michael's putting has been stellar.  He was +.901 in strokes gained putting for the first round and +1.667 for the second.  He now ranks 12th on the PGA Tour in the category.

Michael will be playing with Jonathan Byrd for the third round.  They tee off at 12:50am ET.

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

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Thompson Excels on Par 5's, Not So Much on the Par 3's


by Roz Roberts III

During round one of the Wells Fargo Championship, Michael Thompson took advantage of the par fives at Quail Hollow making birdies on three of the four of them.  However, as well as he played the par fives, the par threes at Quail Hollow gave him just as much trouble where he bogeyed three of the four.  A lone birdie on the final hole of the day left Michael at one under par for the round and he is currently tied for 23rd.

Michael will be looking to keep his current streak of five cuts made in a row in tact and move up the leaderboard Friday morning.  The conditions are expected to be mild when Michael tees off at 7:30am ET with Johnson Wagner and Ted Potter Jr.

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

Wells Fargo Championship Is Under Way


Michael Thompson is competing in the Wells Fargo Championship this week at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina.  His round is under way and is is currently even par after his first four holes.

Michael is playing the first couple of rounds with Johnson Wagner and Ted Potter, Jr. .  They started on the back nine.

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