Thursday, September 24, 2015

Third Event of the Web.com Finals Rolls Into Ohio

by Roz Roberts III

After finishing last week in a tie for 56th, Michael Thompson sits in fourth place on the Web.com Tour Finals money list.  This week, Michael will be competing in the third of the four event finals series at the Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship.  This week's tournament will be played on the Scarlet course at Ohio State University .

Michael tees off at 12:42pm ET with D.H. Lee and Steve Marino.

Some Questions and Answers With Michael
Q&A:  Michael Thompson

Online Links
Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard
Web.com Tour Finals Official Money List
Web.com Tour Finals Projected Money List

Friday, September 18, 2015

What a Way to Make the Cut!


by Roz Roberts III

Michael Thompson had quite an adventurous back nine today in the second round of the Small Business Connection Championship at River Run.

His back nine started with a double bogey at the tenth hole that forced Michael back to even par and just outside the cut line.  He then birdied two of the next three holes to once again move inside the cut line by a couple of shots but he then gave those shots back with bogeys at holes 15 and 17.  He came to the par five 18th hole needing a birdie to make the cut.

His tee shot found the fairway putting him in a good situation to make birdie but he did that one better as he eagled the 18th hole and made the cut by two shots finishing two under par for the day and the tournament.  He is currently tied for 44th.

He tees off in tomorrow's third round at 9:20am with Roberto Castro.

Online Links
Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard
Projected Live Tour Finals Money List

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Round Two of the Web.com Tour Finals Rolls Into North Carolina


by Roz Roberts III

The second event in the Web.com Tour finals gets underway tomorrow in Davidson, North Carolina. The Small Business Connection Championship at River Run is the second of the four event Finals series.  Michael Thompson currently sits second on the Finals money list after his tie for second in last week's opening tournament.

At the end of the Finals, the top 25 money earners will earn PGA Tour cards for the 2015/2016 season.  The top earner in the finals will get a fully exempt Tour Card and an invitation to the PGA Championship.  The remaining 2-25 money earners will be ranked in priority and subject to next year's reshuffle list.  Michael has all but guaranteed himself a spot in the top 25 list but will look to finish as strong as possible in the next three events.

Michael is paired with Henrik Norlander and D.H. Lee for the first two rounds.  Norlander finished first last week and Lee tied Michael for second.  They tee off at 8:14am ET.

Online Links
Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard


Sunday, September 13, 2015

Thompson Secures Card with T-2 Finish

Michael Thompson watches his tee shot on the 2nd hole during the final round of the Web.com Tour Hotel Fitness Championship at Sycamore Hills Golf Club on September 13, 2015 in Fort Wayne, Indiana.  (Sept. 12, 2015 - Source: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images North America)
by Roz Roberts III and Randy Roberts

Michael Thompson all but guaranteed himself a 2015/2016 PGA Tour card today after he shot a seven under par 65 at the Hotel Fitness Championship and finished in a tie for second.  He finished three shots behind fellow playing partner Henrik Norlander who shot a course record ten under par 62.

The Hotel Fitness Championship is the first of four events in the Web.com Tour Finals.  The top 25 money earners in these four tournaments will earn tour cards for next year.  This is the third year of this format and the previous year required between $33K and 36K to crack the top 25.  Michael's tie for second this week earned him $88K which should be well inside the top 25 money earners after the conclusion of all four events.

Next week the Web.com Tour Finals move to the Small Business Connection Championship at River Run in Davidson, North Carolina.  Despite locking up a card already, there is still incentive for Michael to keep playing well in the final three events since the 25 cards being handed out will be in priority order based on the combined money list.  A higher priority will give him better access to PGA Tournaments next year.

Michael had shot three consecutive three under par 69's before exploding today with eight birdies and a single bogey.  He took advantage of the par 5 holes this week as he was 9 under par without a bogey.  For the entire tournament Michael only had four negative holes (2 bogeys and 2 double bogeys) against 22 total birdies.

Fun Fact:
• Michael Thompson (T2) and tournament winner Henrik Norlander combined to shoot 17-under par in the final round. Their best-ball score would have been a 12-under-par 60. They birdied the same hole six times during the round.




Articles
Five Takeaways: The Hotel Fitness Championship

Highlight Videos
Birdie on 14
Birdie on 17
Post Round Interview

Thompson Makes it a Hat Trick


Michael Thompson finished with a 66 again. That's 3-66's in a row at the Hotel Fitness Championship, -9 overall. The final round has already started, and he currently sits tied for 8th. He tees off at 12:50 EST and is paired with Henrik Norlander.

Online Links
Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard
Projected Web.com Tour Standings

Friday, September 11, 2015

Second Straight Round in the 60's Has Thompson in the Hunt


Michael Thompson followed his first round three under par (69) with an identical score in round two.  He is six under par for the tournament and tied for 12th.  Michael is paired with Tommy Gainey for Saturday's third round.  They tee off at 12:50pm ET.

Online Links
Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard





Thompson Opens Web.com Tour Finals With Solid First Round

Michael Thompson watches his tee shot on the 18th hole during the first round round of the Web.com Tour Hotel Fitness Championship at Sycamore Hills Golf Club on September 10, 2015 in Ft. Wyane, Indiana.  (Sept. 9, 2015 - Source: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images North America)

Michael Thompson shot three under par during the first round of the Hotel Fitness Championship and is currently tied for 16th.  Michael's second round will get underway at 12:51pm ET on Friday.

Online Links
Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard

Thursday, September 10, 2015

Let the Finals Begin!


by Roz Roberts III

Michael Thompson will begin his quest at a PGA Tour card through the Web.com Tour Finals system tomorrow when he tees off in the Hotel Fitness Championship in Fort Wayne, Indiana.  This is the first of four finals events.  At the end of the fourth event, the top 25 money earners in those events will earn PGA Tour cards for the 2015/2016 season.

Michael tees off at 7:51am ET.  You can follow his round with the online links below.

Online Links
Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard

Article Describing the Web.com Tour Finals Format and Storylines
PGA Tour cards up for grabs at Web.com Tour Finals

Sunday, September 6, 2015

Web.com Tour Playoffs Provide One More Shot at a Card

by Roz Roberts III

If you've been following ThompsonTide for any length of time, you probably already know that Michael Thompson didn't finish inside the top 125 on the FedExCup Points list or the PGA Tour money list.   The result of that is that Micheal didn't earn a card for next year through those two qualification criteria.

However, Michael's quest for another tour card isn't done for the year.  There are 25 more PGA Tour cards available through the four event Web.com Tour Finals which start next week.  Players who finished the PGA Tour season ranked 126-200 are eligible to compete and Michael will do just that.

The top 25 money earners over the four event finals will earn PGA Tour cards for next year.

As we get closer to next weeks first event, the Hotel Fitness Championship, we will post scoring links to help follow the action.