Cut Watch at the Players

by Roz Roberts III

After finishing his first round going eagle-birdie, Michael Thompson started his second round with a double bogey and never quite found his groove on Friday at the Players Championship.  He managed three birdies on the day but he also had four bogeys.  Michael came to the 18th hole at three over par for the day needing a birdie to guarantee he'd make the cut.  His drive found the fairway and his approach left him with a 7 foot 8 inch putt for birdie.  Unfortunately, his birdie putt didn't fall  and he finished his round outside the cut line at even par for the tournament tied for 77th early in the day.

After his round, Michael sounded a little frustrated when he Tweeted

Gave myself a chance on the last but still just another missed cut.

However, Michael might not have looked at the afternoon's weather report.  Winds were scheduled to pick up and the greens were expected to dry out and get firm and fast.  Based on those conditions it seemed likely that scores were going to go up and the cut line would move closer to Michael's score of even par.

As golfer after golfer succumbed to the difficult course under difficult conditions, the cut line steadily moved up until the end of the day when Michael was safely inside the cut, tied for 63rd.

After it became clear he was safe, via Twitter, Michael said

I admit I spoke too soon. Now I'm excited to get 2 more rounds under my belt on this golf course.

It is the second year in a row that Michael has made the cut at the Players which is known as one of the deepest fields of the year.  Last year, in his first attempt, Michael finished tied for 51st.  He'll be looking to improve on that as he plays the weekend.  The course is expected to be setup with difficult pin placements and the weather should provide harder and faster conditions on the weekend so scores are expected to go up over the next couple of days.

Michael will be paired with Padraig Harrington during the third round.  The duo will tee of at 9:10am from the first hole.

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