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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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

Bogey Free Round Ends with a Bang!

by Roz Roberts III

Michael Thompson had a beautiful first round at the Sony Open today.  Not only did he go bogey-free for the day, but he carded an eagle on his final hole of the day to finish with a 5 under par (65). He also finished the day tied for 12th.

Michael didn't hit as many fairways as he would have liked (7/14) but he managed to recover time and again and hit 16 out of 18 greens in regulation which kept him out of trouble and presented plenty of scoring opportunities.

Michael will once again be playing with Marc Leishman and Hudson Swafford for round two.  They will tee off tomorrow from the first hole at 7:20am local time (9:20am PT).

Online Links
Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard

Aloha 2017!

by Roz Roberts III

Michael Thompson will be making his 2017 PGA Tour debut tomorrow in Honolulu at the Sony Open in Hawaii.  This will be the first event in a busy West Coast Swing for Michael that will unfold over the next couple of months.  The Sony Open is known for its narrow fairways, warm trade winds, and scenic views of the Pacific Ocean.

Michael will be teeing off from the tenth hole at noon local Hawaii time (2pm PT) with Marc Leishman and Hudson Swafford.

Online Links
Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard

Eagle at the Wire Propels Thompson Into the Weekend

Michael Thompson tees off on the 11th hole during the second round of the Sony Open in Hawaii golf tournament at Waialae Country Club. Photo by Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

by Roz Roberts III

For the second day in a row at the Sony Open in Hawaii, Michael Thompson managed to finish his round on a high note.  In Thursday's first round he finished with back to back birdies while Friday's second round was even more dramatic.

Michael came to his final hole (hole #9) sitting two shots outside of the cut line.  Luckily for Michael, the ninth hole is a short par five and the easiest hole on the course.  Michael's tee shot was beauty that traveled 337 yards and found the right hand side of the fairway.  It left Michael a manageable 156 yards from the hole.  Michael stuck the approach inside five feet, made the short eagle putt and walked off his final hole knowing he'd be making the cut.  This marks the fifth time out of six events this season that Michael has made the cut.

There will be a secondary cut on Saturday since over 80 players made the cut.

In Saturday's third round Michael will once again be grouped with Ryo Ishikawa and Chad Campbell since they all finished the second round at three under par (T66).  They tee off from the tenth hole at 11:45am local time (1:45pm PT).

Online Links
Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard

Michael Thompson plays his shot from the first tee during the first round of the Sony Open In Hawaii at Waialae Country Club on January 14, 2016 in Honolulu, Hawaii.  (Jan. 13, 2016 - Source: Tom Pennington/Getty Images North America)

Wrap-Around Schedule Gets Into High Gear in Hawaii

by Roz Roberts III

2016 has arrived, and as usual the PGA Tour begins the calendar year in Hawaii.  Like last year, the wrap around PGA Tour season is already in progress but the new year really marks the start of the heart of the season.  This week Michael Thompson and his fellow PGA Tour professionals will be competing in the Sony Open in Hawaii.  The Sony Open is known for narrow fairways that routinely average in the top five hardest to hit on Tour.  Accuracy off the tee and good putting are rewarded in Honolulu.

Michael tees off his first round on Thursday morning at 11:50am local time (1:50pm PT).  He will be grouped with Chad Campbell and Ryo Ishikawa

Online Links
I'm sorry to say that PGATour.com has discontinued the old ShotTracker website.  I always had a love/hate relationship with the site but it allowed me to follow Michael's entire group each round during a tournament in a way that the new leaderboard doesn't.  It also allowed me to look at Michael's ShotTracker in a much larger view that I preferred.  So going forward you won't be seeing those old ShotTracker links.  RIP ShotTracker.

Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard
Michael's Player Profile

PGA Makes One More Stop in Hawaii

by Roz Roberts III

Michael Thompson and the rest of the PGA Tour will make their second, and final, stop in Hawaii this week as they hit the island of Oahu for the Sony Open.  The narrow, palm lined fairways of the Waialae Country Club demand accuracy off the tee.  Two years ago, Michael finished in a tie for 6th in this event.

After his great showing at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions last week, Michael will look to keep moving up the OWGR list in hopes of getting into the WGC Accenture Match Play event in  February.  The top 64 players in OWGR to accept invitations to that event will gain entry.

Michael will play the first two rounds with Stewart Cink and Marc Leishman.  The trio will tee off for round #1 from the tenth hole at 12:30pm local time (2:30pm PT) on Friday.

Television Coverage
The Sony Open will be televised exclusively on the Golf Channel.  Here is their broadcast schedule for the tournament.

Thu	01/09	GOLF	7 PM - 10:30 PM ET
Fri	01/10	GOLF	7 PM - 10:30 PM ET
Sat	01/11	GOLF	7 PM - 10:30 PM ET
Sun	01/12	GOLF	7 PM - 10 PM ET

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

Thompson 'Rides the Wave' to Another Top Ten Finish

by Roz Roberts III



As I was following Michael Thompson's final round at the Sony Open, I wondered if Michael thought the holes looked like they were the size of basketball hoops.  There was a stretch on holes #7 through #15 that if the ball was on the green or near the green, it was going to go in the hole.  Over that stretch Michael birdied six of nine holes including three in a row at 13 through 15.  His three under 69 left him at 10 under par for the tournament and in a tie for 6th place

For the round, Michael made 142 feet worth of putts including birdie putts of 41 feet 8 inches and 34 feet 1 inch.   When he was asked about his day putting after the round Michael said

I guess the Crimson Tide was flowing today.  I think I made two putts over 35 feet and that's really rare to happen on these greens.   It's fun to watch that ball disappear.  My buddies back in Alabama, they know me for a good putter and I'm sure they are not going to be very surprised.

But you know, it was just a fun day and great to be out here in Hawaii, Sony has been great and [this is a] good start to the year.

Michael is a master at understatement.  A top 10 finish out of the gate at an event that he didn't even make the cut at last year is a phenomenal start to the 2012 PGA Tour season.  As the tour heads into its West Coast Swing, Michael will be looking "to ride the wave, keep on going and see what happens."

The ride he's been on includes top 6 or better finishes in three of his last four events dating back to the McGladrey Classic at the end of the 2011 PGA Tour season.

Leaderboard
Scorecard
Interview Transcript
2012 PGA Money List
2012 FedEx Cup Points

The TOUR REPORT over on PGATour.com had a nice article on Michael Thompson earlier today.  Click on the image above to be taken to the original article by Mike McAllister or you can read the whole thing right here:

By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM
HONOLULU — Michael Thompson came to the Sony Open in Hawaii with few expectations.
His practice time prior to leaving for Hawaii had been curtailed — first because of an illness, then because of unusually cold weather in his hometown of Birmingham.

Even when he got here, he didn’t feel comfortable with the practice range at Waialae.

"I really just wanted to play and get the rust off my game," he said.

He did more than that. After posting even-par 70 on the first day, the former University of Alabama star found his rhythm on the second day, shooting a 65 and then shot 68-67 on the weekend to give him a top-10 finish at 10 under for the third time since joining the PGA TOUR last year.

"Anytime you reach double digits under par out here on the PGA TOUR, something to be said for that," Thompson said. "Going to ride the wave, keep on going and see what happens."

Thompson made four putts outside 10 feet on Sunday, including a 42-footer for birdie at the 11th hole and a 34-footer at the 13th hole. For the day, he made 142 feet of putts, second most behind John Rollins’ 144 feet.

"I made two putts over 35 feet and that’s really rare to happen on these greens," he said. "And you know, it’s just special. It’s fun to watch that ball disappear."

Thompson ever so briefly held a share of the lead. He was 11 under with two holes to play but bogeyed the par-3 17th when his tee shot got caught in the wind and bounced into the bunker. He failed to birdie the par-5 18th after his 10-foot putt took the grain and pulled away from the hole at the last roll.

Still, it was a good start to the season for the second-year man.

"It was great being in the hunt," he said. "My goal this year is to put myself in contention as many times as I can. To do it on the first tournament is a little out of the ordinary for me."

Thompson Stays Put on Moving Day

by Roz Roberts III

Saturday is known as moving day for professional golfers.  It's the day you can either move up the leaderboard into contention or fall down the leaderboard  resulting in an early Sunday tee time.  For Michael Thompson, his third round at the Sony Open resulted in the slightest of moves from a tie for 17th to a tie for 19th.  Michael shot a two under par 68 which leaves him at 7 under par for the tournament and just five shots off the lead.  Michael's third round included five birdies and 3 bogeys. 

Third Round Tee Time
Michael's fourth round will get underway at 11:17am Hawaii time when he tees off with Billy Mayfair.

Television Coverage
The fourth round will be aired on the Golf Channel from 7pm ET to 10:00pm ET.

Scoring Links
As usual, we've got all the live scoring links you'll need to follow Michael's round right here!

Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard
Shot Tracker
Michael on Shot Tracker
Michael's Group on Shot Tracker

The Tide's Rolling

by Roz Roberts III

It's been quite a week for the Alabama Crimson Tide.  On Monday, the Tide captured their second BCS Championship in two years by dominating LSU en route to a 21-0 victory.  On Tuesday, the men's basketball team beat LSU 69-53.  Today, the two most recent UA alums on the PGA tour made the cut at the Sony Open when Bud Cauley finished his first 36 holes at 6 under par (T7) and Michael Thompson finished his at 5 under par (T17).

Michael had quite an adventurous second round.  He had one eagle, seven birdies, and four bogeys to ultimately card a five under par 65.  At two different points he reached six under par as he steadily climbed the leader board throughout the day.  He capped off a four under par front nine with an eagle on the ninth hole - his first of the 2012 PGA Tour season.  His back nine was more up and down as he had four birdies and three bogeys.

Third Round Tee Time
Michael's third round will get underway at 11:42am Hawaii time with Will Claxton.

Television Coverage
The third round will be aired on the Golf Channel from 7pm ET to 10:30pm ET  and will be rebroadcast at 11pm ET.

Scoring Links
As usual, we've got all the live scoring links you'll need to follow Michael's round right here!

Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard
Shot Tracker
Michael on Shot Tracker
Michael's Group on Shot Tracker

What a Differnce a Year Makes

by Roz Roberts III

After the first round of the Sony Open last year, Michael Thompson was being mentioned in AP articles.  Unfortunately, the notoriety was for shooting the first 80 on the PGA Tour for 2011.  This year, Michael improved on that score by 10 shots as he shot an even par 70. 

After his first nine holes, Michael was sitting at two over par having two bogeys and no birdies on holes 10 through 18. But things were about to turn around on hole #1, a difficult par 4 that ranks as the most difficult hole on the course.  For the first three shots things did not look promising.  Each of his first three shots landed in the rough.  He was sitting 29 yards from the hole in the rough right of the green looking squarely at a bogey or worse.  Michael made the improbable par save and then went on to shoot 2 under par on holes 1 through 9 including birdies on #6 and #9.  The 70 was good enough for a tie for 64th after the first round and it puts Michael in a position to make the cut.

Second Round Tee Time
Michael's second round will get underway at 8:10am Hawaii time from the first tee at the Waialae Country Club.  Once again, he'll be playing with Joe Ogilvie and Gavin Coles.

Television Coverage
The Golf Channel will be covering the Sony Open this week.  Friday's first round coverage is on from 7pm ET to 10:30pm ET.  and will be rebroadcast at 11pm ET.

Scoring Links
As usual, we've got all the live scoring links you'll need to follow Michael's round right here!

Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard
Shot Tracker
Michael on Shot Tracker
Michael's Group on Shot Tracker

Thompson Gets Sophomore Season Started in Hawaii

by Roz Roberts III

Michael Thompson gets his sophomore season on the PGA Tour underway tomorrow at the Sony Open in Honolulu, Hawaii.  Michael will be looking to carry over his momentum from last month's third place finish at the Thailand Golf Championship into the early part of the 2012 season.

As a Tour veteran, Michael will be able to have much more control over his playing schedule.  Last year, as a rookie, Michael was subject to the dreaded re-shuffle list which basically meant he'd have to perform well to earn starts.  This year, his higher priority status means that he'll be able to play in most of the PGA Tour events he wants to.  Michael's early schedule will include starts at the Sony Open, the Humana Challenge, the Farmer's Insurance Open, and the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

This week's Sony Open is being played at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu.  Windy conditions are typical for this event and the wind typically blows cross-course.   The course favors accuracy off the tee rather than distance because the greens are small and the course is lined by numerous palm trees.

First Round Tee Time
Michael's first round of 2012 will get underway at 12:40pm Hawaii time from the tenth tee at the Waialae Country Club.  He'll be playing with Joe Ogilvie and Gavin Coles.

Television Coverage
The Golf Channel will be covering the Sony Open this week.  Thursday's first round coverage is on from 7pm ET to 10:30pm ET.  and will be rebroadcast at 11pm ET.


Scoring Links
As usual, we've got all the live scoring links you'll need to follow Michael's round right here!

Leaderboard
Michael's Scorecard
Shot Tracker
Michael on Shot Tracker
Michael's Group on Shot Tracker

Thompson Bounces Back at Sony Open

A day after a very tough first round, Michael Thompson posted his first under par round as a PGA Tour professional.  He managed to shoot  a one under par 69 for the round, notching three birdies and two bogeys along the way.  His round was highlighted by a 29 foot birdie putt on the par 3 eleventh hole and a 122 yard second shot on the par 4 sixteenth that he hit to within 39 inches  leading to his second birdie of the day.  Despite today's bounce back, Michael still missed the cut and so his 2011 Sony Open has officially come to an end.

Next, he will be hopping on a plane and heading to Palm Springs where he is currently listed as the fifth alternate at the Bob Hope Classic.  The field at the Bob Hope is only 128 players deep, unlike this week's field of 144, which is why Michael didn't automatically get in with his current rookie status.   He, along with nine other golfers, will wait and see if enough competitors drop out to open up a spot in the field.

The Bob Hope Classic is an unusual tournament in that it is a five rounds rather than the usual four.   That means the tournament starts on Wednesday so Michael will know fairly early in the week if he'll be playing in Palm Springs or headed south to San Diego to start practicing for the Farmer's Insurance Open at Torrey Pines which starts on January 27th.

Missed Fairways Lead to Bad Score

Well, today did not go so well for Michael. The scoop on the Waialae course is that it has narrow fairways and you pretty much have to hit them to have any chance at a good score. Looking at his scorecard statistics, he only hit 50% of his fairways, which you guessed it, led to a bad score.

Looking at the 9 holes where he hit the fairway, he did ok, scoring 1 over par for those 9 holes. On the other end of the spectrum, the 9 holes where he missed the fairway he shot a collective +9. So, he's pretty much dug himself a hole that only a Chiliean rescue team could get him out of, but tomorrow is a new day, and next week is a new tournament... So how about if we all go home, have a drink, enjoy the family tonight, and agree to not talk about this day ever again. OK?

Leaderboard

Looks Like Round 1 of the Sony Open Is On

All indications from Hawaii are that there will be golf today.  Here are the relevant links for all you Michael Thompson followers.

If your browser and internet bandwidth support it, I recommend the Shot Tracker feed.  Not only does it provide data after every shot but it will give you conditions of where the ball is and how far it is from the hole.  It also provides a nice graphic representation of the current hole Michael is playing.
 
Michael Thompson Shot Tracker  - A graphic representation of Michael's round (updated per shot)

Current Leaderboard - Just what it sounds like (updated per hole)

Michael Thompson Scorecard. - Basic scorecard and statistical information (updated per hole)

Round One Down The Drain

All good things come to those who wait - or something like that. Michael Thompson's PGA Pro Tour debut will have to wait 24 hours.

Round One of the Sony Open has officially been postponed until tomorrow with plans for 36 holes to be played on Sunday. Judging by the photo on the left taken by PGA Pro Stuart Appleby and posted on twitter.com, they made a good call. I'm pretty sure there's a fairway under that lake.

We'll be posting additional details regarding tomorrow's first round when they become available.

Here's a photo gallery from over a PGATour.com that shows what four inches of water in 48 hours can do to your golf course:  Photos from Sony Open Rained Out Day 1

Sony Open Under Threat of Water

Michael Thompson begins his first official day of work this year at the Sony Open, being held at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu - that is, if the weather cooperates.  Working outside does have a few disadvatages.

If you've been following the Twitter feed coming out of Hawaii for the last couple of days you'll have noticed that the practice facilties were closed due to high winds and over two inches of rain. The Pro/Am event was also canceled. The forecast for today is only slightly better.

Stephanie Wei posted the following snippet to her blog at WeiUnderPar.com

"According to a Tour official, the weather expert says two-three inches are expected overnight and into Thursday morning. As of now, tee times are as stands, but it all depends on the weather. I’m told that some golf will be played, it’s just a matter of when."

The official tee times and pairings came out the other day and Michael begins his first round in the ninth group of the day. He'll be teeing off from the tenth hole. Based on the current forecast, he should see some action even if he doesn't get his full round in.

The complete listing of official tee times and pairings can be found here: PGAtour.com

Sony Open Official Tournament Links of Interest:
 
Michael Thompson Shot Tracker  - A graphic representation of Michael's round (updated per shot)

Current Leaderboard - Just what it sounds like (updated per hole)

Michael Thompson Scorecard. - Basic scorecard and statistical information (updated per hole)

Do You Have Your DVR Ready?

As you should all know by now, this week Michael Thompson will be playing in his first PGA Tournament as a full fledged member - the Sony Open in Hawaii. The tournament runs Thursday through Sunday and will be televised on the Golf Channel. I fully expect you all to be watching live or at least have your DVR's programmed.

On Saturday, however, NBC is airing a 90 minute special on trying to make it onto the PGA Tour called 'Ticket to the TOUR'. It will have a large chunk of coverage on 2010's Q-School. Although Michael is not called out specifically in the advertising, it looks like an interesting "behind-the-scenes" look at the qualification process and, who knows, maybe his eagle on the 17th hole will sneak in there somewhere. Here's a brief description and preview from PGAtour.com

Every fall, professional golfers find themselves on the verge of achieving the ultimate goal of becoming a PGA TOUR member ... with little room for error.

There are the Nationwide Tour members who have played well enough throughout the year to contend for "THE 25" leading money winners finalized at the Nationwide Tour Championship, who earn their PGA TOUR playing privileges for the following year. There are the PGA TOUR members who battle throughout the Fall Series to secure their spot among the top 125 on the money list to secure their full exemption for one more year. And there are those who survive the initial stages of PGA TOUR qualifying with a chance to earn one of 25 exemptions handed out following the grueling six-round Q-School final.

The Sony Open telecast schedule is as follows:

Thursday 1/13: Golf Channel 7p-10:30p ET
Friday 1/14: Golf Channel 7p-10:30p ET
Saturday 1/15: Golf Channel 7p-10:30p ET
Sunday 1/16: Golf Channel 7p-10:30p ET

'Ticket to the Tour' is scheduled to air on NBC Staurday 1/15 at 4:30p ET. (Check your local listings).

The whole 'Ticket to the TOUR' news brief can be found here: Ticket to the Tour

Sony Open to be the Start of Dreams Fulfilled

 Hooterstour.com has yet another article mentioning Michael:

"Sony Open to be the Start of 'Dreams Fulfilled' for Many NGA/Hooters Tour Alumni 

-  Player of Year Michael Thompson, other alumni make their PGA Tour Professional Debuts 

- Over 50 NGA/Hooters Tour Alums in Sony Open Field - 

Myrtle Beach, S.C.- Monday, January 10, 2011 - Exactly one year ago, Michael Thompson (Birmingham, AL) was preparing for the NGA/Hooters Tour Bridgestone Winter Series event at Forest Lake Golf Club in Ocoee, Fla. My, how things have changed.

After struggling through his first year on the NGA/Hooters Tour, Thompson found his stride in last year’s Bridgestone Winter Series, winning once and posting four finishes of T7 or better in eight events. The former U.S. Amateur runner-up carried that momentum into the 2010 NGA season, where he racked up six top-10 finishes, four top-5s and his first Hooters Tour win en route to Player of the Year honors. The former University of Alabama golfer stayed hot into PGA Tour Q-School, where he finished T16 to earn exempt status on the PGA Tour.

“I played on the Hooters Tour this year and had a great year; I loved it,” Thompson told the Golf Channel after earning his card. “So when I got [to Final Stage], I was happy to be here because no matter what, I was moving up to the next level.”

His first start at the next level will come at the PGA Tour level, and it will start in this week’s Sony Open in Honolulu, Hawaii. Thompson is also one of three former NGA Player’s of the Year in the event, joining Chad Campbell and Zach Johnson."

Read the rest of the article at Hooterstour.com:  Sony Open to be the Start of Dreams Fulfilled