The Tide Rolls Into Palm Springs

by Randy Roberts

Michael Thompson arrived in the Southern California desert oasis of Palm Springs this week riding a wave of momentum that dates back to the beginning of June.  Since then he has missed only 4 of 17 cuts and has five top 10 finishes including:

Nationwide Tour - Melwood Open , 6th
PGA Tour - Traveler's Championship, 4th
PGA Tour - The McGladrey Classic, 3rd
Asian Tour - The Thailand Golf Championship, 3rd
PGA Tour - The Sony Open, T-6th

This will be Thompson's first time playing in The Humana Challenge (formerly known as "The Bob Hope Classic").  Last year, he was an alternate, but there was not enough last minute withdrawals in order for him to play.  In years past the event was played on four courses over five days.  This year, it's been paired down to three courses over four days: The Palmer and Nicklaus Courses at PGA West as well as the La Quinta Country Club.  Of the three, the Palmer Course has the lowest scoring average and the La Quinta Course has the highest.  Michael did get to practice on these three courses last year, so he has had some experience even though he hasn't played in the tournament.  (not true, my bad)

Besides playing on three courses, a unique aspect is that this is a pro-am event.  Michael will be playing with Wesley Edens who co-founded Fortress Investment Group.  Finishing off the foursome will be PGA pro Briny Baird and Deutsche Bank CEO Seth Waugh.

Michael tees off from the 10th tee on the Nicklaus course at 9:30 PST.  The tournament will be televised on the Golf Channel from 12:00-3:00pm PST.

Leaderboard
Amateur Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard
Note: Shottracker will only be available on the The Palmer Course