Thompson Back At It in Utah

 

by Roz Roberts III

Two weeks ago, Michael Thompson competed in his first PGA Tour event in over two years.  He had a good first two days and made the cut easily but fell down the leaderboard over the weekend.  He finished tied for 73rd but it was a good first official step on his comeback trail.

This week he will be competing in the Bank of Utah Championship in Ivins, Utah.  He will tee off Thursday morning at 8:52am local MDT (7:52am PDT).  His group consists of Haotong Li and Jeffrey Kang and they will be starting on the first tee.

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Thompson's First PGA Tournament in Over Two Years Is Finally Here

by Roz Roberts III

Michael Thompson is officially starting his Major Medical Extension return this week at the Biltmore Championship Asheville which is being played this weekend in North Carolina.

Michael will be teeing off at 7:49am EDT (10:49 PDT) from the tenth hole with playing partners Patrick Fishburn and 18 year old amateur Tyler Watts.

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Tourcast

Comeback Continues

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by Roz Roberts III

Michael Thompson's preparation to return to the PGA Tour continues this week in Springfield, Illinois at the Memorial Health Championship presented by LRS.

Michael will tee off from the 10th hole at 7:08am local CDT (5:08am PDT)>

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Two In a Row

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by Roz Roberts III

Riding a strong back nine in the second round of the UNC Health Championship, Michael Thompson made it two consecutive cuts made in his return to competition after a three year break due to injury.  Michael shot a four under par 66 to climb the leaderboard 50 places and is in a tie for 16th heading into the weekend.  

Michael will tee off in the third round, Saturday morning at 10:10am EDT (7:10am PDT) from the first hole.

Online Links

Leaderboard

Michael on Tourcast 

   

The Comeback Tour Continues

by Roz Roberts III

Michael Thompson will be making his second competitive start in two weeks at this week's Korn Ferry Tour UNC Health Championship in Greer, South Carolina.  Michael will tee off Thursday at 5am EDT (2am PDT) and will be looking to make his second cut in as many weeks.

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Michael Gives His First Official Update

 

Knocking the Rust Off

 by Roz Roberts III

After an up and down first round at the Visit Knoxville Open, Michael Thompson played a stellar second round shooting a bogey free six under par 65.  He moved from outside the cutline into a tie for 43rd, more than good enough to play the weekend.

Michael will tee off round three from the 10th hole at 7:52am EDT (4:52am PDT) Saturday morning.

The Korn Ferry Tour online resources are remarkably good with Shotlink data and (almost) real-time data.  You can use the links below to follow Michael's round live or you can use the Tourcast tool to view his round shot by shot after the fact.

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Tourcast

It's Been a Minute

 by Roz Roberts III

It has been just over three years since our last post.  Michael Thompson has been recovering and rehabbing from a series of injuries but he is back in competition this week on the Korn Ferry Tour.  Michael will use a couple of Korn Ferry Tour events to get ready for his eventual PGA Tour return.

This week, Michael tees off at 6:45pm EDT (3:45am on the west coast) on Thursday morning in the Visit Knoxville Open which is being played at the Holsten Hills Country Club.

I haven't been able to find anyone streaming this tournament so I think we will be stuck following online using the following links.

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Tourcast

Thompson's Golf Standing Up to the Texas Wind

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SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - MARCH 31: Michael Thompson of the United States and his caddie Damien Lopez line up a shot on the 14th hole during the second round of the Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio on March 31, 2023 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)

by Roz Roberts III

Two good rounds in windy conditions have Michael Thompson near the top of the leaderboard at the Valero Texas Open.  Michael's first round started very late on Thursday after weather delays and he was only able to complete 10 holes so he played 25 holes on Friday.   Michael shot rounds of 69 and 68 which has him currently tied for fourth place at 7 under par with a large chunk of the field still needing to finish their second rounds.

Once the rest of the field finishes the second round, tee times for the third round will be announced but Michael's tee time will be fairly late on Saturday.

Videos

Michael Birdies Hole 18 in Round 2

Michael Birdies Hole 16 in Round 2

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On to San Antonio

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 by Roz Roberts III

Michael Thompson and the reset of the PGA Tour entourage head to San Antonio, Texas this week for the Valero Texas Open.  Michael will look to follow up on his best performance of the year (T19 at the Valspar Championship) in the final event before the Masters.

Michael is paired with Chad Ramey and Trey Mullinax for the first two rounds.  They tee off from the 10th hole at 11:09 PDT (1:09pm local CDT).

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TourCast

Playoff Beard in Full Gear

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 by Roz Roberts III

Judging by the quality of his playoff beard, Michael Thompson is fully ready for the FedexCup Playoffs.  That's a good thing because they start tomorrow at the Fedex St. Jude Classic in Memphis, Tennessee.  The first event is open to the top 125 players in the FedexCup points list.  Michael currently sits at 103.  In order to advance to round two at the BMW Championship Michael will need a strong enough finish to move him up into the top 70.

Michael is grouped with Callum Tarren and Max McGreevy for the first two rounds.  They tee off from the 10th hole at 9:43am ET (8:43am in Memphis).

Online Links
Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard

Michael's Group on Tourcast 3D

Thompson Returns to 3M Open

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 by Roz Roberts III

Straight off his second top 10 finish of the year, Michael Thompson returns to Blaine, Minnesota as a past champion for this week's 3M Open.

Michael made the most of his opportunities at last week's Barracuda Championship where he made the cut on the number and then proceeded to equal his low round on the PGA Tour with a 9 under par 62 on Saturday and ultimately finish tied for 9th.

Michael will be grouped Cameron Champ (last year's 3M Open winner) and Chez Reavie (last week's Barracuda Championship winner) for the first two rounds of the 3M Open.  They tee off at 12:44pm local time (10:44am PT) from the first hole.  The group is a featured group on the PGA Tour's streaming (see the link below).

Video

Michael's Interview After Winning the 2020 3M Open

Online Links

Michael's First Round Group on ESPN+ Streaming
Leaderboad

Michael's Full Scorecard

Michael's Group on Tourcast 3D

Florida Swing Continues at Valspar

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 by Roz Roberts III

After an unexpected start at The Players Championship last week, Michael Thompson will once again be in action a this week's Valspar Championship.  This is the last stop on the Florida swing.

Michael didn't get into The Players until Friday morning as the last alternate in the field when Tyler McCumber withdrew due to a shoulder injury.  Thursday's first round had been delayed due to heavy rain and McCumber's group was scheduled to tee off just before the horn blew ending the day due to darkness.  Michael ended up finishing tied for 60th but it was an unexpected payday based on the fact that he started the week as the 5th alternate.

Michael will be playing the Valspar Championship with Joel Dahmen and Andrew Landry for the first couple of rounds.  They tee off from the tenth hole for Thursday's first round at 1:03pm EDT (10:03am PDT).

Online Links

Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard
TourCast 3D

Strong Finish for Thompson

Michael Thompson tees off from the first tee in Saturday's final round of the Farmers Insurance Open.

by Roz Roberts III

 Michael Thompson had another strong round at the Farmers Insurance Open's final round on Saturday shooting a three under par 69 to finish tied for 11th.  Michael's round featured an eagle on #6 for the second day in a row and a near hole in one at the par 3 8th.  The only blemish on his scorecard in the fourth round was a double bogey on hole #4 after he hit his second shot into the hazard left of the green. 

Michael's round had several shots that just barely missed besides the near hole in one.  His bunker shot on hole 17 nearly fell into the hole after breaking away from the hole at the last moment.  He also had a birdie putt on 15 come up just a few inches short of the hole.  Despite the near misses, Michael's fourth round still moved him up eight spots on the leaderboard.  The tie for 11th also moves him up the Fedexcup points list to 46th.

Every aspect of Michael's game looked sharp this week.  His bunker play was spectacular where he was 9 for 9 in sand saves for the week including his birdie hole out on hole #14 and near hole out on #17 during the final round.  His bunker play led him  to being 1st in the tournament in strokes gained around the green (+5.188).  He was also strong off the tee where he was tied for 7th in driving accuracy and he was 9th in strokes gained tee to green (+6.520).

Michael's tie for 11th his his fourth top 15 finish at the Farmers Insurance Open in 10 starts.  He has made the cut in 7 of his 10 trips to San Diego not counting the US Open (which would make it 8 of 11).

Photos

Michael Thompson hits his second shot from the rough on hole #10  in Saturday's final round of the Farmers Insurance Open.

Videos

Michael Thompson eagles hole #6 in the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open.  It was his second eagle on that hole in two days.

 

Thompson Starts Slow, Finishes Strong

LA JOLLA, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 28: Michael Thompson hits his tee shot on the second hole during the third round of The Farmers Insurance Open on the South Course at Torrey Pines Golf (Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images)

by Roz Roberts III

Michael Thompson's third round at the Farmers Insurance Open got off to a bad start.  He opened with back to back bogeys.  But from that point on, he played fantastic golf and shot four under par including an eagle at hole #6 and a closing birdie at hole #18.   For the day, he shot a two under par 70 and is tied for 19th heading into Saturday's final round.

Michael will be grouped with Justin Rose and Taylor Montgomery for round four.  For the third consecutive day, Michael tees off at 10:30am PT.  The group will tee off from the first hole.

Video

Online Links

Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard

Photos

LA JOLLA, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 28: Michael Thompson unmarks his ball on hole #1 of the South Course at Torrey Pines during the third round of the Farmers Insurance Open.

LA JOLLA, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 27: Michael Thompson plays his second shot on hole #12 from the rough during Thursday's second round at the Farmers Insurance Open

LA JOLLA, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 28: Michael Thompson hits his tee shot on hole #1 at the Farmers Insurance Open during the second round.

Nearly Flawless!!!

Michael tees off from the fourth hole at Torrey Pines North.

by Roz Roberts III

Michael Thompson put together a nearly flawless round of golf at the Farmers Insurance Open during Wednesday's first round.  He used a combination of driving accuracy,  strong iron play, putting and some timely scrambling to card an eight under par (64) on Torrey Pines North course and is currently in second place.  The North course is decidedly easier than the South course at Torrey Pines but Michael took full advantage on Wednesday.  

Thompson didn't miss a green in regulation until his 12th hole but he was still able to putt for birdie out of some short rough.  He didn't miss a fairway until the 13th hole where he also missed the green in regulation but he was able to get up and down for par.  The only problems he had were on the second shots of his par 5's.  He missed two of those off to the right where he ended up on adjacent holes.  However he was able to make a birdie on hole #9 and he was able to get back in play and make par on hole #10.    His driving was on point all day where he hit 12 out of 14 fairways (T1) and often was literally on the center cut of the fairway.  He also hit 15 of 18 greens in regulation (T11).  

Michael will once again be playing with Cam Davis and Sungjae Im.  They tee off at 10:30am PT from the tenth hole of the South Course for tomorrow's second round.  As a group they were a great watch on Wednesday.  In fact, both Michael and Cam Davis were tied for first place for a big chunk of the day until Davis had a double bogey on the par 5 17th hole. 

Online Links

Leaderboard

Michael's Scorecard

Videos

 

Articles

Fear the beard: Unshaven Michael Thompson fires 64, trails Billy Horschel by one after first round of Farmers Insurance Open

Michael Thompson (64) has a manly beard and a very good reason for keeping it

Photos

Michael makes his birdie putt at hole #1 a the North Course at Torrey Pines during round #1.

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West Coast Swing Gets Underway in the California Desert

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by Roz Roberts III

After a successful trip to Hawaii, Michael Thompson and the rest of the PGA Tour are headed to California this week for the American Express which is held on three courses in La Quinta near Palm Springs.  Michael comes in hot after he finished tied for fifth at the Sony Open.  The American Express will once again be a pro-am played in foursomes for the first three rounds.  Amateurs were excluded last year due to COVID restrictions.

Michael will be playing his first three rounds with Martin Trainer.  They, and their amateur partners, will tee off from the tenth hole at the Pete Dye Stadium Course at 10:00am PT.  Shotlink data will only be available at the Stadium Course.

Online Links

Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard
Michael on 3D Tourcast

Thompson Heads Into the Weekend in 4th

 

by Roz Roberts III

After two great rounds at the Sony Open in Hawaii, Michael Thompson sits in solo fourth place at ten under par heading into the weekend.  Michael carded a seven under par 63 on Thursday and a three under par 67 on Friday.  His round on Friday was highlighted by his scrambling and he avoided carding a single bogey despite some errant tee shots.  

For Saturday's third round, he will be paired with Matt Kuchar in the penultimate group.  They tee off at 1:30pm Hawaii time (3:30pm PT).  

Photos

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Online Links

Leaderboard

Michael's Scorecard

Thompson Starting 2022 Tour Schedule in Hawaii

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 by Roz Roberts III

After a short holiday break, Michael Thompson gets his 2021-2022 PGA Tour season back under way at the Sony Open in Hawaii.  The PGA Tour's "Aloha Swing" concludes this week at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu.

Michael will be grouped with Erik Van Rooyen and Richy Werenski.  They tee off from hole #1 on Thursday at 8:20am local time (10:20am PT).

Online Links

Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard
3D Tourcast

Thompson Makes the Cut and Still Goes Home for the Weekend

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 by Roz Roberts III

The RSM Classic is the one event on the PGA Tour that Michael Thompson can call a home game.  The tournament is played on the Plantation and Seaside courses at Sea Island Resort which just happens to be where he lives in Sea Island, Georgia.  Michael made the cut at -5 overall and is currently tied for 39th.   He'll get to play the weekend AND sleep in his own bed.  That's a win-win.

Michael shot a four under par 66 on the Seaside course on Thursday and shot a one under par 71 at the Plantation course on Friday in much windier conditions.  Michael has managed to keep his tee balls in play and has hit 24 out of 28 fairways which has him tied for 9th in driving accuracy for the tournament.  

Both rounds on the weekend will be played on the Seaside course which will have Shotlink data.  For round three, Michael will be grouped with a pair of Canadians:   Taylor Pendrith and  Michael Gligic.  They tee off from the 10th hole at 9:58am ET.

Online Links

Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard