Friday, November 22, 2019

And the Biggest Mover in Round Two Was...

by Roz Roberts III

Michael Thompson used a bogey free seven under par (65) to move up 76 spots on the leaderboard at the RSM Classic into a tie for 34th.  It was the biggest move of the day.  Michael shot one over par in Thursday's first round and was sitting well outside the cut line.  Michael made the bulk of his move up the leaderboard on Friday with a six hole stretch in which he had five birdies.

Michael will be playing his third round with  Chesson Hadley and David Lingmerth.  The trio tees off from the first hole at 9:30am ET.

Online Links
Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard


Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Fall Season Ends at Home


by Roz Roberts III

The PGA Tour's fall section is coming to a close this week at the RSM Classic.  For Michael Thompson and the other PGA Tour professionals that call Sea Island, Georgia home the last travel of the season  will be a breeze.  The RSM Classic utilizes both the Seaside and Plantation  courses at  Seas Island Resort.

Michael will be playing the first two rounds with JJ Henry and Scott Brown.  They start their first round at 10:35ET from the tenth hole of the Seaside Course.

Online Links
Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Thompson Climbs Into the Top 10


by Roz Roberts III

Michael Thompson followed his second round 68 at the Safeway Open with another one on Saturday and he's now tied for 9th heading into Sunday's final round. Sitting at nine under par for the tournament he is  five shots off the lead of Cameron Champ. 

Michael's third round was highlighted by an eagle on the par five 16th hole (see video above) and his day might have been one shot better if his birdie put on the 18th hole had decided to fall in the hole rather than lipping out.  Michael managed to climb 13 spots on the leaderboard during moving day.

Michael will be playing with Charles Howell III for the final round.  They tee off at 1:10pm PT.

Online Links
Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard
Round Three Recap
Round Two Recap
Round One Recap


Friday, September 27, 2019

New Season Underway in Napa

Embed from Getty Images
NAPA, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 27: Michael Thompson hits on the 11th hole during the second round of the Safeway Open at Silverado Resort on September 27, 2019 in Napa, California. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

by Roz Roberts III

The 2019-2020 PGA Tour season began a mere two weeks after the Fedexcup playoffs.  This week's Safeway Open is the third event of the new season and it's the second event Michael Thompson has competed in.

Michael missed the cut by a single shot last week at the Sanderson Farms Championship although he finished strong making birdies on four of his final five holes.  Michael seems to have carried that momentum into Napa at the Safeway Open as he shot a one under par 71 on Thursday and a four under par 68 on Friday which has him tied for 22nd (-5) heading into the weekend.  Michael's rounds have been propelled by a hot putter.

Michael is paired with Max Homa for Saturday's third round and they tee off at 11:50am PT.

Online Links
Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard

Wednesday, August 7, 2019

The Playoffs Have Arrived


by Roz Roberts III

The 2018/2019 PGA Tour regular season has come to end.  It is now playoff time.  The PGA Tour playoffs have been shortened to three events from the previous four.  The first event, the Northern Trust which is being held at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, New Jersey.  Michael Thompson will be competing in the playoffs for the first time in a few years.  He comes into the event ranked 83rd in the FedexCup Playoff points list.  Only the top 70 on the list will move on to next week's BMW Championship.

Michael is grouped with Brian Harmon and Adam Schenk.  They are the first group off the first tee at 7:10am ET.

Online Links
Leaderboard
Michael's' Scorecard



Friday, May 10, 2019

Thompson Bogey Free in Dallas

DALLAS, TEXAS - MAY 10: Michael Thompson of USA plays a shot during the second round of the AT&T Byron Nelson at Trinty Forest Golf Club on May 10, 2019 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
by Roz Roberts III

After two bogey free rounds in the 60's, Michael Thompson finds himself in ninth place heading into the weekend at the AT&T Byron Nelson.  Michael shot five under oar on Thursday and three under oar on Friday.  Friday's round was played under more adverse blustery conditions but Michael stayed out of trouble and was able to salvage par each time he missed a green in regulation.

Michael will be grouped with Beau Hossler and Rberto Diaz for Saturday's third round.  They tee off from the first hole at 11:16am local Dallas time (CDT)

Online Links
Leaderboad
Michael's Scorecard


Friday, May 3, 2019

NASCAR Podcasting with....Michael Thompson?

Michael sat down with the Glass Case of Emotion Podcast crew for an interview this week at the Wells Fargo Championship.  The podcast normally centers on NASCAR but this week they recorded from Quail Hollow so they talked with Michael and Harold Varner III along with some NASCAR drivers that participated in the Wednesday Pro-Am.

Here's the segment in which Michael sat down and discussed golf, cars, and more.




The full podcast can be found here:  Glass Case of Emotion Podcast

Wednesday, May 1, 2019

Thompson Turns Focus to Quail Hollow

by Roz Roberts III

Michael Thompson tees off tomorrow at the Wells Fargo Championship.  The WFC is played at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina and is typically one of the more difficult host courses on the PGA Tour.

Michael is coming off another top 10 finish after he finished tied for 10th at the RBC Heritage.  It was Michael's fourth top 10 finish out of 12 starts on the season.  With over 440 Fedexcup points (good for 58th right now), Michael has solidly secured a top 125 finish for the season which will earn him entry into this year's Fedexcup playoffs and a fully exempt PGA Tour card for next year.

Michael tees off tomorrow at 7:10am ET with playing partners Josh Teater and Denny McCarthy from the first hole.

Online Links
Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard
Michael's PGA Tour Page

Saturday, March 16, 2019

Ready for Moving Day at THE PLAYERS

Michael Thompson watches his tee shot on the 17th hole island green during the second round of THE PLAYERS Championship.

by Roz Roberts III

Michael Thompson is in the middle of his most consistent stretch of play on the PGA Tour ever so it doesn't come as a surprise that he made the cut at this year's PLAYERS Championship despite having missed the cut in this tournament in his previous three appearances. He used a great three under par round on Thursday to put himself in good position and followed it up with a one under par round on Friday to ensure his opportunity to play the weekend. He is currently four under par for the tournament and is tied for 29th.

He will play Saturday's third round, also known as moving day, with Justin Rose. They tee off at noon EDT.

Photos from Round Two

Michael Thompson hits his tee shot on the 12th hole during the second round of THE PLAYERS Championship.


Michael Thompson watches his tee shot on the 12th hole during the second round of THE PLAYERS Championship.


Michael Thompson hits his second shot on the 12th hole during the second round of THE PLAYERS Championship.


Michael Thompson hits his tee shot on the 17th hole during the second round of THE PLAYERS Championship.


Michael Thompson makes his par putt on the 17th hole during the second round of THE PLAYERS Championship.

Monday, March 4, 2019

Thompson's Putter Catches Fire in Florida

Michael Thompson drains his birdie putt during the fourth round of the 2019 Honda Classic.

by Roz Roberts III

After tearing up the West Coast Swing with his ball striking, Michael's putter came alive last week at the Honda Classic.  He rode his flat stick to his fifth consecutive top 20 finish and his sixth of the year in eight starts with a T-16.  Michael was third in strokes gained putting for the tournament gaining nearly 8 and half strokes on the field.

Michael's consistently excellent play over the last few weeks has earned him some nice perks including entry into this week's Arnold Palmer Invitational and he is all but guaranteed a spot in the Players Championship in two weeks.  Technically he is the first alternate in that field but not all of the players ahead of him in the priority list are healthy so he will get into that event based on his current status on the FedexCup points list (41st).  His strong play will also ensure he remains at, or near, the top of the reshuffle list through the Charles Schwab Challenge on May 26 and, in reality, all year long.

He has also almost certainly locked up a Tour card for next year with 380 Fedex Cup points.  Last year the 125th golfer (Seamus Power) had 377 points to secure his 125th spot and the year before JJ Henry needed 365 points to secure top 125 status.  Michael realized the accomplishment and took some time to enjoy it.  Via Instagram he said
It wasn't a win today at the Honda Classic but I locked up my card for next year and the wine still tastes good tonight!




It was also nice to see Michael get some TV time.  Obviously he had won this event before but he's also getting credit for his excellent form since the start of 2019.



Videos


Michael Thompson birdies No. 2 at Honda during Sunday's final round


 
Michael Thompson closes with birdie at Honda during Saturday's third round

 
Michael Thompson flushes his tee shot to set up birdie at the Honda Classic in the third round

 
Michael Thompson sinks 27-footer for birdie at Honda in the first round


Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Michael is featured over at Golfdigest.com


Golfdigest.com's Dave Shedloski has written a really nice article on Michael Thompson. In it, Michael discusses the changes he's made in his competitive mentality, diet, exercise and swing. It's really a great article and worth checking out. Here's the direct link:
https://www.golfdigest.com/story/how-is-michael-thompson-turning-around-his-career-by-turning-up-the-pressure

Monday, February 18, 2019

Thompson Plays His Way Into Genesis, And It Was Very Good!

by Randy Roberts
  Embed from Getty Images

One week ago Sunday, Michael Thompson finished T10 at Pebble Beach, guaranteeing a spot at Riviera Country Club's Genesis Open. His solid play continued at the Genesis, finishing the four rounds: -2, -7, +2, -1 for an overall score of -8, T7. That's his best finish on the PGA Tour since 2016.

He was interviewed on CBS after his round on Saturday. He credited his recent success on feeling healthy thanks to a physical therapist who was added to his team for 2019. He also mentioned the importance of routine and consistency in doing practice drills. He commented that his swing coach had been helping him develop a new swing, and that he was happy to finally see some positive results from making that change.

How good is this current hot streak? Here's a few numbers:
  • 6 of 7 cuts made this season
  • 5 of those were top 25
  • 3 of last 4 were top 10
  • Earned his way to the #1 spot on the reshuffle list which means he'll be receiving more tournament entries.
  • Moved up 9 spaces to 40th on the FedEx Cup list
  • Moved up 49 spots to 142nd on the OWGR rankings
  • Already earned more FedEx Cup points as he did in 2018 or 2017
  • Is all but guaranteed a tour card for next year, based on where previous year's FedEx Cup lists had their cut off.
So yeah, it was very good indeed.

Michael's been away from home for quite some time now, so he'll be taking a little time off, but will be back in action at the Honda Classic. I won't be surprised to see him make it onto Rob Bolton's Sleeper Picks for that tournament, if not the Power Rankings. Could the magic of Michael's 2013 Honda Classic win be repeated? I can't wait to find out. 



Sunday, February 10, 2019

Another Top 10 Finish!


by Roz Roberts III

Michael Thompson is enjoying his best start to a PGA Tour season.  After a sparkling six under par 66 during today's final round at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am, Michael will finish tied for 10th.  It's his second top 10 in the two West Coast Pro-Ams this year. As a benefit of the top 10 finish Michael gets into next week's Genesis Open at Riviera Country Club.  He had been the first alternate but now he doesn't need anyone to withdraw in order to make the field.

Michael's round Sunday was bogey free in wet, windy conditions and moved him 26 spots on the leaderboard.  It was by far his best round of the tournament.

On the year, Michael has made 5 cuts in the six events he has played and has four top 20 finishes including two top 10's.  He will be moving up the reshuffle list which should help get him into more events over the next few months on Tour.  The reshuffle list will be reset at the end of the Genesis Open.

Online Links


Michael's great approach leads to birdie on the 10th hole during Sunday's final round at the Pebble Beach ProAm

Reshuffle List

Saturday, January 26, 2019

Thompson Continues to Shine in San Diego

Michael Thompson strikes his tee shot on hole #4 at Torrey Pines South during round 3 of the Framers Insurance Open.  Michael birdied the hole.
by Roz Roberts III

For the second week in a row Michael Thompson is threatening the top of the leaderboard on the PGA Tour.  This week, three consecutive rounds in the 60's have Michael ten under par and tied for 11th heading into Sunday's final round at the Farmers Insurance Open.

The weather at Torrey Pines has been ideal with San Diego perfect 70 degree weather and calm winds so scoring has been unusually good.  The South Course has been averaging right around par (72) which is a shot or two better than the last several years.

Michael tees off on Sunday at 9:45am PT from the first hole with Hideki Matsuyama and Scott Brown.

Online Links
Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard

Moments From Torrey Pines 

Michael taps in his birdie on hole #3 of Torrey Pines South during Round #1.

Michael plays his second shot on hole #4 of Torrey Pines South during round #1. 

Michael looks over his birdie putt on hole #4 during round 1.

Michael hits his tee shot on hole #16 during round 1 of the Farmers Insurance Open.



Michael birdies hole #18 on the South Course during the Farmers Insurance Open.  He tips his hat to several female spectators who had been demanding that all players "take off their hats!"



Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Thompson Finds First Top 10 of the Season in the Desert

by Roz Roberts III

Michael Thompson finished the Desert Classic with a birdie on the final hole to secure his first top 10 finish of the 2018/2019 season.  In the end, Michael finished tied for 9th at 18 under par.  Michael's final round was up and down for the first nine holes of the day where he had both an eagle and a double bogey over that stretch but he righted the ship on the back nine where he carded four birdies.

Michael will look to carry his momentum into this week's Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.  He tees off in the first group from the first hole on the South Course at Torrey Pines.  He is grouped with Nick Taylor and Brandon Hagy.  They tee off at 9am PT.


Online Links for Farmers
Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard



Pictures and Videos from Round Four at the Desert Classic
The following videos aren't very good and I take full responsibility for their poor quality but they give some flavor to the tournament so I posted them anyways!



Michael's Tee Shot on the First Hole



Michael's Eagle on Hole #5



Michael's Birdie on Hole #18







Saturday, January 19, 2019

The Heat Wave Continues

Michael Thompson dials in his approach shot during the third round of the Desert Classic
by Roz Roberts III

Michael Thompson's third round at the Desert Classic was even better than his first two.  He shot a seven under par 65 and is now tied for 5th heading into Sunday's final round at -17 for the tournament.  His seven under par round contained nine (yes you read that right) birdies.  He actually birdied six of his first nine holes to climb the leaderboard early in the day.

Tomorrow's final round will be played on the Stadium Course at PGA West which is the same course he played today.  Michael will be playing with Patrick Cantlay and Steve Marino in round four.  The trio tee off at 10:30am PT.

Thanks to my lovely and generous wife I'll  be making a road trip tomorrow morning out to the desert to cheer Michael on.  I'll try to get some pictures and maybe even a video or two to post tomorrow night.

Videos
Highlights from Michael's third round at the Desert Classic.

Michael Thompson nearly holes out on No. 7 at Desert Classic

 


Michael Thompson gets up-and-down for birdie at Desert Classic

 

Online Links
Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard

Friday, January 18, 2019

Thompson Heating Up in the Desert

by Roz Roberts III

After posting a really good four under par 68 in the first round of the Desert Classic, Michael Thompson improved on that by two shots in a sparkling second round and is now ten under par and tied for 11th going into the weekend.

The Desert Classic, previously known as the Bob Hope Invitational and the Humana Challenge among other incarnations, is a Pro-Am taking place across three separate courses in the Palm Springs area of California.  A cut is made after the third round when each golfer has played each course once.

On Saturday, Michael will play the host Stadium Course at PGA WEST.  After the cut the Stadium Course will host the fourth and final round.  The good news is that the Stadium Course supports ShotLink data so it will be much easier to follow Michael's third round online as the other two courses don't have ShotLink coverage.

Michael tees off on Saturday at 8:50am PT.

Online Links
Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard