Sunday, October 21, 2012

Comin' Down the Final Stretch


Michael shot 1 under in the 3rd round at the McGladrey Classic.  He's at -8 which is good for T-11th.  This is the final tournament of the 2012 PGA Tour season for him.  There's a tournament next week, but he'll be taking part in a University of Alabama alumni tournament instead.

Photos of Michael from the McGladrey Classic

Michael tees off at 12:05 and will be paired with Brian Gay.

Scoring Links
Leaderboard
Scorecard
Michael's ShotTracker
Group ShotTracker

Television Coverage
The Golf Channel 2:00 - 5:00 ET

Friday, October 19, 2012

Thompson "Right Where He Needs To Be" for Moving Day



Michael Thompson had yet another great round at the Sea Side Course at Sea Island, Georgia.  He missed a couple more fairways compared to yesterday, but his iron play was great again leaving him with birdie opportunities and 15 GIR.  He was able to get down to -4 until he had a bit of a hiccup on the 17th hole and ended up taking a double bogey.  Up until then he had the second lowest score of the morning groups.  He finished his round as the clubhouse leader, but the afternoon scores trended lower,and a few players passed him by as the day progressed.  Nonetheless, he still shot 68 keeping his streak of Sea Island rounds in the 60's intact (5 in a row).  He talked about his round in the video below.



He'll be starting Saturday's third round, otherwise known as "Moving Day" tied for 7th and three shots behind the leader Arjun Atwal.

Michael will be teeing off at 11:40 ET and will be grouped with Brian Gay and D.J. Trahan.

Scoring Links
Leaderboard
Scorecard
Michael's ShotTracker
Group ShotTracker

Television Coverage
The Golf Channel 2:00 - 5:00 ET

Articles: 
Thompson Looking Forward to End of Season

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Thompson Continues Where He Left Off at Sea Island


by Randy Roberts

Michael Thompson continued where he left off last year at the McGladrey Classic, shooting an opening round 65 (-5) which has him T-6th going into the second round.  Michael has now shot 65, three out of the five rounds that he's played at the McGladrey, all of which were in the 60's.

He had an all-around great day as he hit 12 of 14 fairways, 16/18 Greens-in-Regulation, and his approach shots landed an average of 18'-3" from the hole, leading the field in that statistic.  His work with the flat stick was a little mysterious as he missed some shorter putts, while making putts of 10'-8", 20'-2", 25'-10" and 21'-8", three of which closed out his round.  I don't remember a round where he made so many long putts for birdie.




Michael tees off at 7:55am ET and will be playing with Nathan Green and Boo Weekley once again.


Scoring Links
Leaderboard
Scorecard
Michael's ShotTracker
Group ShotTracker

Television Coverage
The Golf Channel 2-5 ET



Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Thompson Hopes to Repeat Past Success at Sea Island


by Randy Roberts

Michael Thompson returns to the site of his best finish from 2011, a 3rd place finish at the McGladrey Classic.  Good golf vibes should certainly be flowing for Michael.  In addition to his 3rd place finish last year, he also won his SEC Championship at the Fredrica Golf Club, just several miles away.

Michael's been singled out as a potential player to watch. PGATour.com's Rob Bolton even picked him as #6 on his "Power Rankings" column.

Thompson Glad to be Back in Georgia
Power Rankings


Michael will be teeing off at 12:25 local time with Boo Weekley and Nathan Green.

Scoring Links
Leaderboard
Scorecard
Michael's ShotTracker
Group ShotTracker

Television Coverage
The Golf Channel 11-5 ET

Monday, October 8, 2012

Domination on the Back 9 Leads to 13th Place Finish


by Randy Roberts

Michael Thompson had a great finish in the 4th round of the Justin Timberlake Open in Las Vegas, Nevada. He shot 2 under for the final round, -11 overall to finish T-13th.  He earned an additional $72,500 to move up to 59th on the money list for the year.  His strong finish was in no doubt due to his stellar performance on the back nine.  He shot an amazing 16 under for the tournament on the second half of the course.  Hole 16 was his best hole, which he played at 5 under for the tournament, including an eagle in the 4th round.

I also heard that he and his wife Rachel recently bought their first home together.  Congratulations to them both, it was well earned.  I"m sure Michael, Rachel and their cat Bubbles will enjoy settling in to the new digs!

Michael will be taking this week off and then will be back in action for the McGladrey Classic, where he finished 3rd last year.  See you then!

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Another Day in the 60's in Las Vegas

by Roz Roberts III

During Saturday's third round, Michael Thompson continued his solid play at the JT Shriner's Open.  He shot a three under par 68 and is currently tied for 22nd at nine under par.  After three rounds, Michael is a combined eleven under par on the back nine and, for the second day in a row, Michael finished with a birdie on his last hole.

Michael will be looking to carry his momentum forward into Sunday's final round.  He will be playing with Jeff Overton and Camilo Villegas.  The trio tees off from the first hole at 9:50am PT.

Online Scoring Links
Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard
Michael on Shot Tracker
Michael's Group on Shot Tracker

Friday, October 5, 2012

Five Is Nice

by Roz Roberts III

Michael Thompson rode five consecutive birdies up the leaderboard and inside the cut line in today's second round at the JT Shriners Open.  He shot a five under par 66 and is currently tied for 33rd.  The birdie barrage started on hole #14 (he started on the back nine) and didn't end until he missed a 9 foot birdie putt on hole #1.  During the hot streak, Michael made four putts between 11 and 15 feet.  He also added a birdie on his last hole of the day (#9) when his approach shot from 95 yards came to rest inside of three feet.

Michael will start his third round Saturday at 9:10am PT on hole #10 with Camilo Villegas and Brendan Steele.


Online Scoring Links
Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard
Michael on Shot Tracker
Michael's Group on Shot Tracker

JT Shriners Open's Second Round is Underway

by Roz Roberts III

Michael Thompson shot 1 one under par during the first round of the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.  That leaves him right at the cut line going into the today's second round.  He will only again be playing with Brendon De Jonge and Martin Flores.  The group tees off from hole #10 at 12:41pm PT.

Online Scoring Links
Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard
Michael on Shot Tracker
Michael's Group on Shot Tracker

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Fall Series Kicks Off in Vegas

by Roz Roberts III

After a month off, Michael Thompson will be competing this week at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.  I think this tournament wins the contest for the event with the longest name.  The JT Shriners Open marks the first event in the PGA Tour Fall series which contains four events.  For many players these events mark the last chance to get into the top 125 on the money list which will ensure PGA Tour cards for next year.  This year, Michael is comfortably within the top 125 so he wont have that added pressure on his shoulders.

Michael will be paired with Brendon De Jonge and Martin Flores.  The group tees off from hole #1 at 8:06am PT on Thursday morning.

Online Scoring Links
Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard
Michael on Shot Tracker
Michael's Group on Shot Tracker

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Top 100 Competing for the Deutsche Bank Championship


by Randy Roberts

The FedEx Cup playoffs move to the second round on friday at TPC Boston.  The field is the top 100 players the second round and Michael will be trying to get into the top 70 in order to continue further into the playoffs.

Michael will be teeing off at 1:22 on friday and will be playing with Chris Kirk and Roberto Castro.

Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard
Michael's Shottracker
Round 1 Group Shottracker
Rounds 2 Group Shottracker
Live Projected FedEx Cup Points

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Into the Second Round

by Roz Roberts III

The greens at The Barclay's over the weekend hardened and sped up and scores, especially those later in the day, went up.   Michael Thompson had a difficult time on the greens int he third and fourth round and eventually finished in a tie for 63rd.  He dropped from 66th on the Fedexcup Points List to number 82 but, more importantly, being inside the top 100 gets him into next week's Deutschebank Championship.  This will mark the first time Michael will play at the Deutschebank.

PGATour.com has a nice playoff tracker page that shows the entire field eligible for next week's Deutschebank Championship and the movement within the Fedexcup Points List over each of the playoff events.  You can find it here:  Playoffs Tracker.

Since each playoff event is worth 5 times a regular season event,  there is quite a bit of volatility in the standings after each playoff event.  After next week's second round, the third round will be limited to the top 70 players on the points list.  In order to advance, Michael will need a top 50 finish (or thereabouts).

Friday, August 24, 2012

Moving On Up

by Roz Roberts III

If the old golf adage that "golf is much easier and enjoyable from the short grass" is true, then Michael Thompson had a great time during Friday's second round at the Barclay's.  Michael hit 13 out of 14 fairways on the difficult Black Course at Bethpage State Park and managed to shoot a three under par 68.  He moved up 36 spots on the leaderboard and is now tied for 16th at three under par - just five shots off the lead.   For the tournament, Michael is now tied for second in driving accuracy

Michael's third round featured six birdies including one on the second hole where he sank a 39'9" putt.    Golf writer Doug Ferguson described the 7:30am scene on Twitter:
Michael Thompson makes 40-foot birdie on 2. No fans around green. One marshal claps. Other 6 marshals busy taking pictures.
Tee Times
For the third round, Michael will be paired with Ian Poulter.  The duo tees off at 12:25pm ET.

Television and Streaming Coverage
Saturday's third round coverage will be aired on the Golf Channel and CBS and the PGATour.com's Live@ stream will showing the 13th and 17th holes.

Round 3 Coverage

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

Online Scoring Links
Leaderboard
Michael on Shottracker
Michael's Group on Shottracker
Michael's Scorecard

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Thompson Hangs Tough

Michael Thompson makes a par putt on the 13th hole during round 1 of the 2012 Barclay's
by Roz Roberts III

Michael Thompson fought Bethpage Black to a draw on Thursday during the first round of the Barclay's.  His even par 71 included two birdies, two bogeys, and 14 pars.  He is currently tied for 52nd.  Michael's par 71 looks even more impressive when you consider that the afternoon conditions scored over one and a half shots higher than the morning rounds when the winds were down and the greens were more receptive.

Michael will once again be paired with Charlie Hoffman and Geoff Ogilvy.  The group tees off at 7:21am ET and hope that round one's early scoring conditions repeat themselves on Friday.

Television and Streaming Coverage
Friday's second round coverage will be aired on the Golf Channel and streamed on PGATour.com.

Round 2 Coverage

Golf Channel - Friday 2pm-6pm ET
Live @ - Friday 11am - 6pm ET

Online Scoring Links
Leaderboard
Michael on Shottracker
Michael's Group on Shottracker
Michael's Scorecard

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Are You Ready for Some Playoffs?!

by Roz Roberts III

This time last year, Michael Thompson had just snuck into the top 125 PGA Tour golfers on the Fedexcup Points list which gained him entry into the first round of the Fedexcup Playoffs - The Barclay's.  This year, after his second place finish at the US Open, his entry into the playoffs was assured early and he's now looking to make a deeper run into the four event playoff series.

Each round of the playoffs will shrink the number of eligible players until the final round Tour Championship when the number 1 player will receive $10 million.  This week marks the first round of the playoffs and is open to the top 125 players on the Fedexcup points list.  Next week's Deutschebank Championship is limited to the top 100 players.  The field will shrink to 70 at the BMW Championship and the final round Tour Championship will be limited to the top 30 players.  The points available at each of the playoff events are five times that of a normal event so performing well in the early rounds of the playoffs will allow players to move up the list and continue on.  Michael currently sits at 66 on the points list.

This year the Barclay's will be played at the famed Black Course at Bethpage State Park in New York.  The Black Course hosted both the 2002 and 2009 US Opens and boasts perhaps the most daunting sign in golf:



Michael will be playing the first two rounds of the Barclay's with Charlie Hoffman and Geoff Ogilvy.  The group tees off at 12:11pm ET.

Television and Streaming Coverage
The the first two rounds of the Barclay's will be available on the Golf Channel and the weekend will be covered by both the Golf Channel and CBS.  All four rounds will have live streaming provided by the PGATour.com's Live@ stream.

Round 1 Coverage
Golf Channel - Thursday 2pm-6pm ET
Live @ - Thursday 11am - 6pm ET

Online Scoring Links
Leaderboard
Michael on Shottracker
Michael's Group on Shottracker





Thursday, August 9, 2012

PGA Championship - Round 1 Recap

by Randy Roberts

Michael Thompson shot a nice round of 73 (+1) in the first round of the PGA Championship.  He had two birdies, 3 bogeys and 13 pars for the day.  He currently sits T-66th which is right above the current cut line.

He tees off Friday at 12:50pm ET with Greg Chalmers and Spencer Levin. Scores were slightly higher in the afternoon today, and I would expect the same trend to continue tomorrow.

Mobile Coverage
Download the PGA Championship app for iPhone

Televison Coverage
TNT
Fri 1:00pm-7:00pm ET
Sat-Su 11:00am-2:00pm ET

Scoring Links
Leaderboard
Scorecard
There is no ShotTracker this week

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Michael Thompson Makes His PGA Championship Debut


by Randy Roberts

Michael Thompson will make his debut in the PGA Championship Thursday on the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, South Carolina.  The last of the four majors for the year, he'll be playing against all of the best players in the world.

As if the tough course and competition were not enough, weather will also play a role as rain, wind, heat and humidity are in the forecast each day of the tournament.

Michael will be grouped with Greg Chalmers and Spencer Levin and will be teeing off at 7:40 ET.

Mobile Coverage
Download the PGA Championship app for iPhone

Televison Coverage
TNT
Thu-Fri 1:00pm-7:00pm ET
Sat-Su 11:00am-2:00pm ET

Scoring Links
Leaderboard
Scorecard
There is no ShotTracker this week

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

A Profile in Perseverance

by Roz Roberts III

Greg Hansen is a sports writer for the Arizona Daily Star and if you've followed the Thompson Tide you've probably seen links to pieces he's written over the years.  Yesterday, following the inaugural Thompson Invitational junior tournament in Tucson, AZ, Greg wrote a great article on Michael.

Here's the first part of the article to whet your appetite and you can follow the link at the bottom to read the whole thing.

by Greg Hansen
Arizona Daily Star

As he was standing in a buffet line Saturday, choosing between fettuccine and meatballs, Michael Thompson said the one thing all working men would like to be able to say on a hot August night.

"I'm playing in the PGA championship next week and the FedEx Cup after that."This is a man who has already banked $1,226,834 this year and could double it before Labor Day.

This is a man whose summer schedule has included work in England, Canada, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and, well, anywhere that Tiger and Phil go.

Before Thompson left Oro Valley Country Club, one of the 60 junior golfers playing in the eponymous Thompson Invitational asked if he could see Thompson's PGA Tour card.

It was as if he wanted proof.
Is there really a PGA Tour card at the end of the golfing rainbow? Can life be that good?

Thompson opened his wallet and passed his card to the junior golfers.

"When I was your age," he said, "I told my friends at (Rincon/University) high school that I was going to be on the PGA Tour. They would just laugh. I never let anybody tell me it wasn't possible."

Mike and Beth Thompson sat at a dinner table Saturday night as their son spoke about his life. I watched them as much as I watched Michael handle himself so ably. Their eyes glistened. Can you imagine the pride?

This is no accident. You don't finish No. 2 at the U.S. Open, or runner-up at the U.S. Amateur, because you got hot. Thompson climbed to No. 57 on the FedEx Cup rankings for the same reason he earned 21 merit badges and became an Eagle scout. He put in the work.

"Michael is so positive," said Susie Meyers, a former UA star and LPGA regular who became his golf mentor 13 years ago. "You knew he'd be successful at whatever he chose."

Catch the rest of the article here:

Greg Hansen: Tour card, drive take Michael Thompson far

 

 

Sunday, August 5, 2012

The Thompson Invitational Completes It's Inaugural Tournament


by Randy Roberts

The inaugural Thompson Invitational was completed today at the Oro Valley Country Club in Tucson, AZ.
You can watch the video below for a short description and interview with Michael.

The champions in each division were:
Girls 13-14: Ocean Pangan, Scottsdale, AZ
Boys 13-14:  Michael Feagles, Scottsdale, AZ
Girls 15-18:  Morgan Messick, Tucson, AZ
Boys 15-18: Tyler Kathrineberg, Mesa, AZ





Tucson News Now

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Thompson to Host Junior Invitational



by Roz Roberts III

After finishing the RBC Canadian Open at two under par in a tie for 61st, Michael Thompson will be taking a week off from the PGA Tour and will be hosting the inaugural Thompson Invitational in his hometown of Tucson, Arizona.

Here's a snippet from the Arizona Daily Star describing the event.  The entire article can be found by clicking on the title.


Thompson takes tour break to open junior tournament
by Greg Hansen

After he completes his round today in the Canadian Open, Rincon/University grad Michael Thompson will take a week off from the PGA Tour and return to Tucson.

Thompson, runner-up at the 2012 U.S. Open, has established the Thompson Invitational, a statewide junior tournament for boys and girls 13-18 that will stage its inaugural event next Saturday and Sunday at Oro Valley Country Club. It is Thompson's way of giving back to the Ricki Rarick junior golf program and the state's JGAA, the formative golf organizations of his junior days.

His longtime swing coach, Susie Meyers, a former UA and LPGA golfer, and her husband, Dan, a former Arizona Amateur champion, are the forces behind the event that they hope will become the premier junior tournament in Arizona. More than 50 junior golfers have entered the inaugural Thompson Invitational.

So far this year, his second season on the PGA Tour, Thompson has earned $1,215,966 and is ranked No. 57 in the world golf ranking.

Tournament Links
Tournament Information
Leaderboard

Friday, July 27, 2012

Thompson Makes Cut in Canada Again

by Roz Roberts III
 
For the second year in a row, Michael Thompson has made the cut at the RBC Canadian Open.  In doing so, Michael ended his short streak of missed cuts after he shot an even par 70 during the second round at the Hamilton Golf and Country Club in Ontario, Canada.  He is currently tied for 53rd.

In both of the first two rounds, Michael hit 10 out of 14 fairways which has him in a tie for 11th for the tournament in driving accuracy.  During the second round Michael's putter regained some of its typical fire power and he ended the second round with +1.916 in strokes gained putting.  His second round included four birdies and would have been much better except for the 18th hole where he made a kerfuffle of things and ended up with a triple bogey.

Michael tees off on Saturday at 11:13 am ET with Seung-Yul Noh and Canuck Graham DeLaet.  The group will begin their third rounds from the tenth tee.






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

Thursday, July 26, 2012

RBC Canadian Open - Round 1


by Randy Roberts

Michael Thompson got off to a hot start in round one of the RBC Canadian Open.  Scoring three birdies in a row on holes 3,4 and 5 had him in red numbers early on.  He had a great streak of 9 holes in a row with 100% fairways hit and 100% greens in regulation.  Although I'm sorry to say that the streak came to an end, he was able to score one more birdie before he was done, offset by two bogeys to finish at -2 and T-24th. All in all it was nice round, and I hope he enjoyed a pop when he was done.

Michael tees off on friday at 7:40 am ET with Spencer Levin and Nick O'hern.

Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard
Michael's ShotTracker
Group ShotTracker

Thompson To Play In The Canadian Open



by Randy Roberts

Michael Thompson returns to North America this week to play in the Canadian Open.  This year's Canadian Open is taking place at the Hamilton Golf and Country Club in Ancaster, Ontario located aboot 50 miles west of Toronto.  The tournament rotates through Canada, so although he played in this tournament last year, he's on an all new course.

If Michael plays well, he may be rewarded with entrance into next week's Bridgestone Invitational.  The top 50 on the OWGR list are invited and he currently sits at 57th.

Michael tees off at 12:40 ET with Nick O'Hern and Spencer Levin.
It will be televised 3-6pm ET on the Golf Channel.

Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard
Michael's ShotTracker
Group ShotTracker

Friday, July 20, 2012

'I'm glad I came over'

by Roz Roberts III

Michael Thompson missed the cut at the Open Championship at Royal Lytham and St. Anne's after posting rounds of 74 and 73 on the par 70 links course but just making it into the field defied the odds.

Before the week began, Michael sat as the second alternate behind Ben Crane but the field was oversubscribed due to some of the odd qualification rules.  Before the tournament began 159 spots had been handed out.  The field is intended to be 156 players and alternates would not get in until the number of players dropped below the magical 156 player limit.  Last week both Jason Day and Web Simpson withdrew which left the field at 157 players.  Undeterred by the long odds of getting into the field, Michael decided to head to England after the John Deere Classic on a charter for PGA players.
I decided [to come to England] the moment I found out I was right behind Ben.  It was kind of weird this year in that the field was basically overbooked.  I just basically said that it's an opportunity to come over here and practice, prepare, just like any other tournament.  And for a British Open, that's experience that I need for the future.  If I didn't get in we'd go sight‑seeing, because it's fun as an American to be over here. 

It was known that Russ Cochran's back was giving him trouble which left his status uncertain but in a surprise move, Robert Karlsson withdrew on Wednesday and that left Michael two spots short of getting in.  However, Ben Crane, who was the first alternate, hadn't traveled to England.  Under somewhat controversial circumstances, Ben Crane was removed from the alternate list and Michael was instated as the first alternate.  Michael said,
Robert Karlsson's withdrawal kind of surprised me.  I wasn't really expecting anybody besides maybe Russ, but I knew he wouldn't make a decision until early morning Thursday. 
So on Thursday morning, the first day of the tournament, Michael headed over to the golf course in hopes of getting some good news.  He still needed one player to withdraw.
We heard through other caddies that Russ' back was hurting him, and so it was just kind of an outside chance [that he'd withdraw] and so I got here anyways at 5:30 in the morning.  I've been waiting around for a while and found out at 9:00 a.m. that I got in.  So that gave me a little bit of time to prepare mentally for the day.
But, you know, it was a great opportunity, a great chance.  I'm glad I came over.  This is a great opportunity with my first British Open and hopefully the first of many.
I played 18 [practice holes] on Tuesday and nine on Wednesday, so I was prepared, just as getting ready to play any Tour event.  The only downside was having to get here at 5:30 in the morning. 
But, you know, that's what I had to do and I did it and everything worked out.
So, you know, it was just good luck, God's will, whatever you want to call it, that it all worked out in my favor.
Unfortunately for Michael, limited practice time translated into a missed cut as Michael had some difficulty adjusting to the links greens.
 It's very different for us Americans coming over here and playing just with the speed of the greens because we're used to 12 on the Stimpmeter, and these are 8 or 9, and so it's definitely an adjustment.  It reminds me a lot of playing on the Hooters Tour, the speed of the greens.  These are a little smoother than playing on the mini‑tours.   But it's just all about getting a good mindset, having a good feeling, seeing the ball go in the hole before you hit it.  And the better you're able to do that, the better you're able to visualize that happening, the easier it is to make putts.  And these greens are a little different, a little interesting in that there's a lot of little mounds.  And so you're putting over a lot of little mounds, which makes reading the greens a little difficult.
I couldn't make any putts.  I gave myself some good looks.   And a few wayward tee shots on this golf course and you're in deep trouble, literally.  And I guess that's the way Open golf is, and you've got to keep it in the short stuff.  It doesn't matter if it's the fairway or there's intermediate rough.  As long as you have a swing at the ball you can score well.
So after a great experience with his first British Open, Michael will be catching the charter back next week to the Canadian Open where he will tee it up all over again.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

'All This Waiting Has Paid Off'

by Roz Roberts III

After a week of waiting Michael Thompson has officially gotten into the Open Championship.  He will be replacing Russ Cochran and teeing off at 11:53am BT.  He will be paired with Steven Alker and Lee Slattery.

Upon getting the news, Michael Tweeted:

I jut found out that I'm taking Russ Cochran's place in . All this waiting paid off. Time to get that



Wednesday, July 18, 2012

British Open Waiting Game Begins


by Randy Roberts

As I write this the first players have teed off at the British Open.  It's been a wild and crazy day when it comes to the alternate list, as Robert Karlsson withdrew. As the 157th player entered into The Open, no replacement was added to the field which has a 156 player maximum.  One more Withdrawal from the tournament and 1st alternate Ben Crane would earn a spot.  Except for the fact that Ben Crane was still at his home in Oregon.  After much confusion, it was determined that Ben Crane should be removed (it's not clear whether it was voluntary or not) from the alternate list, thus promoting Michael Thompson to the position of first alternate.  Of course if no one else withdraws, Michael won't get a chance to play.

So at this hour Michael is at the tournament..... waiting.

So here's the summary of what happened:
Player #159 (Jason Day) withdrew - no replacement added
Player #158 (Webb Simpson) withdrew - no replacement added
Player #157 (Robert Karlsson) withdrew - no replacement added
if Player #156 withdraws - 1st alternate Ben Crane Michael Thompson is entered.

We're going to be hopeful here at the Thompson Tide.  In fact Roz says he added Michael to his fantasy golf team, part of his quest to have Michael on his team for every tournament he plays in.  We'll soon see if Roz is hopeful or crazy, or both.  You never know who might drop out at the last second.

Normally we would post links to Michael's scorecard and shot tracker, except in this case there is no scorecard and there is no shottracker. There is however, a leaderboard which can be found at the link below:

Leaderboard

For all the latest Open Championship news, you can follow their twitter page found here:
The Open on Twitter

To read more about the alternate list drama you can read the articles below:
Robert Karlsson Out of Open
Manassero Dashes to Lytham in hope of late Open call

Monday, July 16, 2012

Thompson Enjoying Practice in England

by Roz Roberts III

Here's a snippet from the AP (via HuffingtonPost.com) in which Michael was interviewed earlier today.  It provides a pretty good status on the Open Championship alternate situation although the part about Michael being at the John Deere Classic is a little misleading.  Michael was there on Sunday to catch the charter but he didn't play in the tournament.

by Paul Newberry
AP National Writer

ALTERNATE DECISIONS: Ben Crane and Michael Thompson are the top two alternates for the British Open. Both were at the John Deere Classic on Sunday, but that's where the similarities end.

Crane, the first alternate, was headed to his summer home in Oregon.

Thompson, the second alternate, got on the charter flight for PGA Tour players and headed the other direction for England.

"I saw him in the airport," Thompson said Monday on the practice range. "He was surprised I was coming."

Crane has not given up on playing the British Open. He has booked flights the next two days. And while it seems like he's taking a big risk by staying in America, that's not necessarily the case.

Because of a peculiar set of circumstances, the British Open already has more players than its 156-man field.

Even if someone withdraws, the alternate list will not be activiated. Crane would need two players to WD before he gets in. Thompson needs three players to bail out. The third alternate is Matteo Manassero, who flew home to Italy.

For Thompson, it wasn't as big of a deal to make the long flight with little hope of getting in. He doesn't have a history of back pain, for one thing. And he has never played the British Open. This is different from the U.S. Open, which doesn't allow alternates to play the golf course until they officially are in the tournament.

At the British Open, Thompson can play the course as often as he likes.

"That's a big reason why I came," he said. "I could prepare like everyone else. I had friends who were alternates at the U.S. Open, and they couldn't play at all."

This is not the first time playing links golf for Thompson, a runner-up at the U.S. Open. He played in the Palmer Cup while at Alabama – matches between college players from the U.S. and Europe – and stayed a little longer to play Turnberry and Dundonald on the Ayrshire coast of Scotland.

"I have a good feeling about getting in," Thompson said. "But I don't have any control over that. I'll be ready to go on Thursday. If I don't get in, my wife and I are going to tour the countryside."

The full article this snippet came from can be found here:

Tony Jacklin Has No Plans for Comeback at Age 68

British Open Field Watch 2012

image

by Randy Roberts

Michael Thompson has traveled to England to play in the British Open, but he may never get a chance to actually play. I have no idea why but an extra spot was given out sometime this weekend, thus raising the current field to 157.  Since alternates are not put in until the field drops to 156 players, the path to Michael getting in looks like this:

Player 157 drops out, no replacement added
Player 156 drops out, Ben Crane is added.
Player 155 drops out, Michael Thompson is added.

I have not heard of anyone being on injury watch, so we'll just have to wait and see what happens.



Tuesday, July 10, 2012

British Open to Take Place - Who Knows Who'll Be In It



by Randy Roberts

My hopes were up this morning as I read on the perennial golf news powerhouse "Rockford Register Star" that Michael Thompson was the second alternate in the British Open.  The article (which you can read here) went on to explain that with Webb Simpson and Jason Day likely missing out on the tournament due to pregnant wives, that Michael Thompson should make it into the field.

Turns out, it's not that simple. But before we get into the nuts and bolts, we can say that one thing we do know for sure is that Michael is the #2 alternate behind Ben Crane (confirmed in a tweet from Michael earlier today).  What I didn't know this morning is that the British Open has a strange habit of overbooking it's tournament which is suppose to have a minimum of 156 players.

Although there's some discrepancy in what the current number of entries is (the official website does not include everyone yet), according to Wikipedia and an article from Golf Digest, there are currently 156 players in the field. For discussion purposes, I'm going to go ahead and go with this number.  This weekend there are two additional spots that will potentially be given out (one from the John Deere Classic and another from the Scottish Open ).  That puts the likely field at 158.  If one person drops out, an alternate does not go in until there is less than 156 players.  So the path to Michael getting in looks like this **:

Player 158 drops out, no replacement added
Player 157 drops out, no replacement added
Player 156 drops out, Ben Crane added to field.
Player 155 drops out Michael Thompson added to field.

Webb Simpson has already stated that he wouldn't play so we can pencil him in as "Player 158" in the list above.  Jason Day's wife is due tomorrow, and may skip the tournament, but that's still up in the air. Let's go ahead and pencil him in as Player 157 for now.  That means there needs to be two additional players that drop out due to injury or other reason for Michael to get in.  That's all assuming that you trust wikipedia's numbers which I trust only slightly more than the Rockford Register Star.

Are we all good now? Clear as mud.

**terms subject to change

UPDATE #1: Jason Day has officially withdrawn. Webb Simpson has not officially WD'd yet.

Player 158 Jason Day drops out, no replacement added 
Player 157 drops out, no replacement added
Player 156 drops out, Ben Crane added to field.
Player 155 drops out Michael Thompson added to field.

UPDATE #2: Webb Simpson has officially withdrawn.
US Open Champ Simpson out of British


Player 158 Jason Day drops out, no replacement added 
Player 157 Webb Simpson drops out, no replacement added
Player 156 drops out, Ben Crane added to field.
Player 155 drops out Michael Thompson added to field.


Thompson Headed To The British Open

Thompson Headed to The British Open England
Thompson Possibly Headed to The British Open England, Maybe


by Randy Roberts

The rewards of finishing runner up at the US Open continue to roll in.  I'm not exactly sure which method was used but Michael Thompson was named the second alternate for The Open Championship. (Editors note: I was able to pass college classes on partial differential equations and Laplace transforms, but the process of selecting the field for the Open Championship confounds me.)   


With both Webb Simpson and Jason Day's wives pregnant and ready to give birth, both of them may have to drop out and miss the tournament, allowing Michael to play.  Dowd Simpson is due in late July, and Webb has already said that he would be skipping the tournament. Ellie Day is due July 11, and Jason has said that he would skip the tournament if the baby hadn't come yet.  Even if Jason Day is able to attend, there are 155 other players who could withdraw due to an injury or other reason.

On twitter, Michael was asked whether he had gotten in the Open, and he confirmed that he was indeed heading across the pond.
@wesleyhelton: @MSlickThompson Did you get in the Open?” I'm second alternate. Heading over there on Sunday.
If he's able to make it into the confirmed field, it would mark Michael's first time playing in the British Open, and his fourth appearance in a major. 


Update: Turns out it's even more complicated.  I need to get a supercomputer to calculate out the Open Championship field algorithms to work out the details, then I'll post a more elaborate update. Basically, there's no guarantees and Michael's chances may be even more slim.

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