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Michael Thompson tees off on hole #16 during the first round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open. |
by Roz Roberts III
Five birdies over the last seven holes during the first round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open propelled Michael Thompson into a tie for ninth place after posting a four under par 67. Michael's round was highlighted by a hot putter as he dropped five birdies from 12 feet or more. He was +4.105 in strokes gained putting which leads the tournament.
Michael even nabbed a birdie at the stadium 16th hole (pictured above) which hasn't been overly kind to him over the years. As usual, the galleries were large. In fact, Thursday's first round attendance at the WMPO topped 118,000 which broke the previous record by more than 30,000 spectators. The tournament expects the large crowds to continue despite a rainy forecast for tomorrow' second round.
For round two, Michael will once again be paired with Mike Weir and Chesson Hadley. They are scheduled to tee of from the tenth hole at 7:15pm PT although that might be delayed slightly since round one was suspended due to darkness.
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