Thursday, February 27, 2014

'Two Bad Swings' Lead to Rough Start

Michael Thompson marks down a bogey 6 on his scorecard for hole #3
by Roz Roberts III

Michael Thompson's title defense at the Honda Classic got off to a rough start today.  Things started going a little sideways on the par 5 third hole when he snap hooked his second shot into the water hazard left of the hole which lead to a bogey.  After a bounce back birdie on the fourth hole he then went bogey-triple bogey before he was able to right the ship.

Michael started a streak of nine consecutive pars which included some of the most difficult holes on the course before he bogeyed the middle hole of the Bear Trap (hole 16).  He finished off the round with a 34 foot birdie putt on the 18th hole which will hopefully have some carry over momentum for tomorrow.  He finished four over par for the round and is tied for 133rd.  He will need a special round tomorrow to make the cut, but Michael has played some special rounds on this course before so it's not out of reach.

After the round, Michael sounded upbeat on Twitter:
'I played a lot better than my score showed today. I had 6 lip outs and 2 bad swings. Lots of positives out there. Excited about tomorrow.'

Tee Times
Michael will once again be playing with Lee Westwood and Robert Allenby.  They will begin round two on the tenth hole at 7:55am ET.

Video
Live@ returns with streaming coverage from the third hole.  Golf Channel will air the first two rounds and then NBC will join Golf Channel coverage for the final two rounds.

Golf Channel - 2pm - 6pm ET
Live @ - 8am-6pm ET

Online Links
The ThompsonTide reviews are in and we have two thumbs down for the new PGATour.com leaderboard.  Our complaints are too long to list but our top three are:  the page takes way too long to update causing scrolling to be painful; the wide lines and small fonts require you to scroll a lot which makes our first complaint even more aggravating; and it is just plain ugly,  We've found it pretty much unusable.

New Leaderboard
Shot Tracker Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard
Michael on ShotTracker
Michael's Group on Shot Tracker
Live Map

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

The Defense is On

Michael Thompson reacts to his first win on the PGA Tour at the 2013 Honda Classic
by Roz Roberts III

A year in the making, Michael Thompson's title defense of the Honda Classic is finally here.  The title of previous champion has come with a whole host of new responsibilities including a media day appearance, interviews, and even a stint hosting 'Inside the PGA Tour'.  The outcome of many of those endeavors can be seen from all the posts over the last week.  Despite all of the added responsibilities, Michael looks ready for his defense and comes into the tournament in good from posting top 20 finishes in three of his last four events.

The Honda Classic typically boasts the strongest field of year of any regular PGA Tour event.  This year is no exception where the field list is basically a who's-who of professional golfers.  The PGA National course is known for its difficult closing stretch of holes 15-17 known as the Bear Trap.  Water is in play on each of the holes and each faces a different direction so no matter which way the wind is blowing, the Bear Trap is a true gut check.

Weather
If you watched last year's tournament you'll recall that weather, and the wind in particular, play a huge role in making PGA National the most difficult regular tour event all year.  Tomorrow's weather calls for scattered shows and thunder storms with steady winds of 10 mph or greater.

Tee Times
Michael will be playing with Lee Westwood and Robert Allenby.  The international trio tees of from the first hole at 12:55pm ET.

Video
Live@ returns with streaming coverage from the third hole.  Golf Channel will air the first two rounds and then NBC will join Golf Channel coverage for the final two rounds.

Golf Channel - 2pm - 6pm ET
Live @ - 8am-6pm ET

Online Links
If you've logged onto PGTour.com recently you'll have noticed that they completely overhauled the site.  This means that finding things that I used frequently has become sort of a game of hide-and-seek.  For example, ShotTracker doesn't appear to be available yet and looks to have links from the new updated leaderboard rather than its own link in the Scoring tab.

The leaderboard now combines ShotTracker data with the standard scorecard data and its possible that the standalone ShotTracker pages may be unavailable or re-vamped themselves.  We shall see tomorrow since this will be the first tournament using the new interface.

Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard
Michael on ShotTracker
Michael's Group on Shot Tracker
Live Map



Additional Articles
If you haven't had your fill of articles providing interesting quotes or stats on Michael's win from last year, here are a few more.

Stat attack!: Honda Classic preview
How Michael Thompson won the 2013 Honda Classic
Thompson back at Honda after 'disappointing' 2013

Q&A with Honda defending champ Thompson

Click on the picture to be linked directly to the PGATour.com's Q&A with Michael posted earlier today.

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Clips from 'Inside the PGA Tour'

Michael did a great job hosting 'Inside the PGA Tour.  Here are some highlights.



Michael Thompson and the Crimson Tide
Michael Thompson spends time at home with his Birmingham buddies and reflects on the time he spent at the University of Alabama.



Michael Thompson at Media Day
Michael Thompson relives his first PGA TOUR victory at the 2014 Honda Classic media day.



Visionworks INsight: Michael Thompson
Michael Thompson entered the final round of the 2013 Honda Classic with the 54-hole lead, but had to overcome some obstacles to earn his first PGA TOUR victory.



Michael Thompson shows off his cars
2013 Honda Classic Champion Michael Thompson invites us into his garage and shows off his toys.

A Little Preview of Today's Episode of 'Inside the PGA Tour'




Michael Thompson's Exclusive from 'Inside the PGA TOUR' 

Michael Thompson works on his golf game at Shoal Creek Golf and Country Club in Birmingham, Alabama. Inside the PGA TOUR airs Tuesdays at 6:30pm ET on Golf Channel with re-airs on Wednesdays (check local listings).

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Honda Classic Title Defense

The Honda Classic page from the 2014 PGA Tour Media Guide 
(click on the caption to see the original page)
by Roz Roberts III

Michael Thompson will have a very exciting 'first' week:  he will get to defend a title at a PGA Tour event.  This week marks a year since Michael broke through and won his first PGA Tour title at the Honda Classic.  As part of the hoopla we've got a few things you might enjoy this week.

First, the Golf Channel will re-air the final round of last year's Honda Classic Tuesday night at 8pm ET (check your local listings).  For those of you who missed it (Mom - are you listening?!) or those who want to relive the experience, don't forget to watch it live or DVR it Tuesday night!

Also on the Golf Channel on Tuesday, Michael will be on Inside the PGA Tour.  It looks like it might be on at 3:30pm ET, but once again, check your local listings!

Michael shooting Inside the PGA Tour for the Golf Channel (airs Tuesday).  Photo posted by Michael on Instagram.


Second, there should be some video of Michael's press conference later this week as the defending champion.  When it is posted we'll have it here.

And finally, there will probably be plenty of articles that feature Michael as the defending champion.  I've posted two of the better ones I've seen recently below (just click on the picture).  We'll post more as the become available as the week rolls on.

Good overview with quotes from Michael.

Story from the Miami Herald with an interesting tidbit about almost using the wrong ball during the final round of last year's Honda Classic. 


Sunday, February 9, 2014

Two Top 20 Finishes in a Row


by Roz Roberts III

Michael Thompson finished the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am tied for 19th.  It was second top 20 finish in a row.  For the week, Michael was tied for 3rd in driving accuracy and he was second in strokes gained putting at Pebble Beach - the only course where the stat was tracked.  After a short break, Michael will be looking to carry his good form into his title defense of the Honda Classic which starts February 27th.

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Tough Conditions Favor Thompson's Game



by Roz Roberts III

When you can shoot par and move from a tie for 17th up into a tie for 11th,  you've got the kind of setup that Michael Thompson thrives in.  At the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am wind and rain have wrecked havoc on most of the field.  Michael likes those kind of difficult conditions and in the last two days Michael has climbed all the way into a tie for 11th.  He even cracked the top 5 for a while earlier today until a double bogey on the 10th hole at Pebble Beach dropped him back a bit.

Play was halted for a while today as strong winds made some of the exposed holes at Pebble Beach unplayable as the wind would not allow balls to stay still on the green.  Because of the delay, round 3 was suspended due to darkness with several players still needing to complete their rounds.  After round three completes tomorrow morning, a cut to the top 60 and ties will be made and the final pairings will be announced.

Update:
Michael tees of at 10:28PT with Jim Renner and Brendon Todd.  The Golf Channel will have TV coverage from 10am - 11:30am PT and then CBS will have coverage starting at noon PT.

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


Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Pebble Beach Awaits


by Roz Roberts III

Tomorrow marks the start of the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and Michael Thompson will be making a return appearance after skipping the event the last couple of years.  This is the second, and final Pro-Am of the PGA Tour season.

Michael will be paired with Notre Dame football coach Brian Kelly in the Pro-Am portion of the tournament.  They will be playing alongside Patrick Reed and playing partner Jimmy Dunne III.  The foursome will tee off at 9:50am PT from the first hole at Spyglass Hill.  Spyglass is the hardest of the three courses in the playing rotation and plays to a par 72.

The tournament is played on three courses so, unlike most PGA Tour events, the cut is made after Saturday's third round.  The cut will be set at the top 60 golfers (and ties).

Online Links
ShotTracker data is only available at the Pebble Beach course.  Michael plays SpyGlass in round 1, Monterey Peninsula in round 2 and Pebble Beach in round 3.

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


Sunday, February 2, 2014

Thompson Saved His Best for Last


Michael Thompson watches his birdie putt on hole #13 during the fourth round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

by Roz Roberts III

Michael Thompson saved his best round at the Waste Management Phoenix Open for Sunday's final round.  He shot a four under par 67 and moved up 21 spots into a tie for 19th.  The top 20 finish moves Michael up to 74th on the FedexCup points list.  The fourth round proved to be the highest scoring round of the tournament with many pins being tucked into tight corners of the greens.  Michael managed to score well despite the harder pin placements because his putter got hot.  For the day he was +2.816 in strokes gained putting.

Michael will be playing next week at the ATT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am on the Monterey Peninsula in central California. There aren't many more spectacular vistas in golf than three courses used for AT&T:  Pebble Beach Golf Links, Spyglass Hill Golf Club, and the Monterey Peninsula CC’s Shore course.


Saturday, February 1, 2014

Finishing Strong in Phoenix

Michael Thompson tees off at "the Colesium" in Saturday's third round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open.  The par 3 16th hole is fully enclosed with over 25,000 spectators.
by Roz Roberts III

While he was at Alabama, Michael Thompson latched on to one of coach Jay Seawell's favorite mottos:  "finish strong".  This week Michael has been making that motto a reality at the Waste Management Phoenix Open where, for the third consecutive day, Michael finished his round with a birdie.

Unfortunately, Michael wasn't able to make a big move on Saturday as his one under par 71 only moved him up eight spots into a tie for 40th.  He'll look to climb the leaderboard in tomorrow's final round and finish strong for the week.

Round 4 Tee Time
Michael is paired with Robert Garrigus and James Driscoll for the fourth round.  They tee off at 8:55am local time (10:55am ET).

Video Coverage
Online streaming coverage will be broadcast with Live @ Streaming on PGATour.com from 11:30am - 5:30pm ET.  They have coverage of holes 13 and 16.  Golf Channel and CBS will carry the television coverage.


Sun2-FebPGATOUR.COM
GOLF
CBS
11:30am - 5:30pm ET
1pm - 2:30pm ET
3pm - 6pm ET

Online Links