What's In a Name?

The "two" Michael Thompson's listed on the PGA Tour's webiste.

by Roz Roberts III

So you may have noticed that Michael Thompson's official world golf ranking (OWGR) has been climbing lately (he is currently #111).  Immediately after his third place finish at the Thailand Championship last month his ranking actually went down for a while and here's the explanation from AP golf writer Doug Ferguson (it came from a larger column over the wires and has now found a life of its own including the PGA.com website here:  Michael Thompson Vaults Up World Ranking):

 

by Doug Ferguson

Associated Press

HONOLULU

NAME GAME: You've heard stories about players who take time off and move up in the world ranking. How about the case of Michael Thompson, who moved up 52 spots after not playing one week?

It's a true story — although it's the product of confusion over his middle initial.

Thompson was coming off a rookie season on the PGA Tour in which he finished 98th on the money list to easily retain his card. He played in the inaugural Thailand Golf Championship at the end of the year and finished third behind Lee Westwood and Charl Schwartzel. When he looked at the world ranking, he actually dropped two spots to No. 183.

"I got back from Thailand and saw that I got no points," Thompson said.

He called his agent, and before long the tour and world ranking board were involved.

Thompson played his first PGA Tour-sanctioned event at the 2008 Masters, the year after he was runner-up in the U.S. Amateur. Because there already was a Michael Thompson in the ranking archives, he was assigned "X'' as his middle initial. This is a common practice. He played the Masters, U.S. Open and Traveler's Championship in 2008 as an amateur, and he tied for 28th in his pro debut that fall in the Texas Open.

When he earned his card, the tour entered him in the system using his proper initial — "H'' for Hayes.

But the Michael X. Thompson remained in the system and was awarded the 12.8 points for a third-place finish at Thailand that should have gone to Michael H. Thompson.

There was no golf played the following week, but in the final world ranking of 2011, the points were restored, and Michael H. Thompson had gone from No. 183 to No. 131.

----------------------

And just to follow up on the "Michael X. Thompson" identity, the PGA Tour website has two Michael Thompson's listed.  One has his correct career statistics and one has all of the associated video and media that has been collected by the PGA over the years.  You can see the comparison of the two pages in the photo at the top of this post.

Fantasy is Starting to Catch Up to Reality

Not only was Michael Thompson promoted to Yahoo!'s B list of players, he's currently tied for the second most productive player on the list.

by Roz Roberts III

Michael Thompson's performance on the golf course is starting to get noticed by the fantasy golf geeks.

*** Quick Disclaimer ***

Before you fantasy golf geeks send me a bunch of hate mail - I've got a fantasy golf team on Yahoo! too so just go ahead and admit it - we're geeks.

*** Back to the Post ***

For the first time, PGATour.com fanatasy golf columnist Rob Bolton has Michael Thompson listed in his Power Rankings column.  Michael didn't quite crack the top 10 picks for the week but he did make it to #11.  Here's what Rob had to say:

Michael Thompson One of the TOUR's most underrated putters. Finished T6 at Waialae and ranked fifth in Strokes Gained-Putting and T2 in birdies. (Also had an eagle.) Three top-six finishes worldwide dating back to a solo third at The McGladrey Classic.

Now just because Rob Bolton hasn't had Michael in his Power Rankings column before doesn't mean Michael's been off his radar screen.  Last year he predicted Michael would finish inside the top 125 (which he did) and he had him ranked #74 before the year started ahead of some very good golfers in his 2012 Fantasy Cheat Sheet.

Up until now the positive press hasn't translated to a lot of people picking Michael on their Fantasy teams.  Last week Michael was on less than 1% of the fantasy teams on Yahoo!.  Unfortunately for those of us who've been using Michael to sneak up on everyone who hasn't been following his career, I think the secret might be out of the bag.

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

Frosting on the Cake for a Great Rookie Season

by Randy Roberts

Michael Thompson capped off a stellar 2011 by taking solo 3rd at the Thailand Golf Championship in Bangkok, Thailand and earning an additional $61,000.  Shooting a final round 70 (2 under par), he was one of only two players to play every round at 70 or better and I think he was first in bogey avoidance.

I remember his swing coach Susie Meyers once saying that it would be good for Michael to play on some of the other tours around the world in order to get experience on different types of golf courses and style of play.  He certainly got the most out of his trip to Thailand, coming away with a lot of experience that he can now hold in his back pocket.  Not only did he get to visit a part of the world he'd never been to, but he got to compete against some of the best players from the Asian and European Tours.  He got to play the final two rounds in the lead group along with all the added media attention that comes with that.  Not to mention he got to play alongside the world's (after this week) #2 golfer Lee Westwood.  It looked to me like he was much more relaxed compared to his prior experiences being in the final group.  From the TV coverage it appeared like he and his caddie were firing on all cylinders as a team, often discussing the best approach to take, and (according to the announcers) making sound golf decisions.  All in all, I think his performance in Thailand bodes well for the future as he continues to improve his game and prepares him for when he'll be in similar situations again  in 2012.

Leaderboard
Scorecard

Thompson in Third After Three Rounds in Thailand

by Randy Roberts


Michael Thompson had another solid round of golf, finishing at 3 under for the day and 12 under overall after three rounds at the Thailand Golf Championship.  Charl Schwartzel pulled away from Michael shooting 5 under, -15 overall.  Meanwhile, Lee Westwood gave up a shot with a one over par for -19 overall but still holds onto a four shot lead.

Playing in the final group, the majority of his round was featured on the Golf Channel where he received praise from the announcers for his steady play and ability to make good shots from tough locations:

"This guy's got some game.  He's really impressing me. He's got all of the shots it seems like. He's one of those players that quietly goes along, doesn't make much noise, but at the end of the week he's gonna be near the top of the leaderboard."

Near the top of the leaderboard he is, with his solo third position.

His tee time for round 4 is at 11:15am local time in Bangkok.  That's 8:15pm PST.  The final round will be televised on the Golf Channel.

Photos from Round 3

Leaderboard- Link 1
Leaderboard - Link 2

Thompson Tearing It Up In Thailand

by Randy Roberts

Michael Thompson shot 6 under par in round 2, propelling him into a tie for second with Charl Schwartzel behind leader Lee Westwood who commands an astonishing 11 stroke lead.  After the round Michael sounded upbeat:

"I’m feeling great. To be in second place in any tournament is a great feeling no matter what day it is. Looking forward to the weekend, I have two more days in Thailand. I’m going to go out and enjoy it. I’ll get to play with two great players. It will be exciting."

Chasing down the world #3 player Westwood along with Masters Champion Schwartzel at his side is a daunting task, but Michael sounded up for the challenge.

"It is Saturday. It is a day when you can get aggressive. For me, the whole year has been about my process. This is my rookie year on the PGA Tour so I learned a lot. To have the opportunity to play with two of the top guys here is a great honour. I’m going to go out there and hopefully challenge them and see what I can do. I’m not going to be a pushover. I’m looking forward to it."

Traveling to the other side of the globe has been a tiring yet exciting experience for Michael:

"Me and my wife got here Sunday morning. A little tired but excited to come out here. We haven’t travelled so far before. I’ve been to Japan and that was a whirlwind experience. But to come out here and experience the culture and the great food is just a joy. To be able to play the game that I love is just icing on the cake."

Michael will be in the final group along with Westwood and Schwartzel.  His tee time is 11:30am local time on Saturday, which is 8:30 PST on Friday.

Leaderboard
Click on "Hole by Hole" on the leaderboard to see his scorecard. (Upper left corner)

Thompson in Thailand

by Randy Roberts

Michael Thompson has traveled half way across the globe to play in the Thailand Golf Championship this week.  Held at Amata Spring Country Club outside of Bangkok Thailand, the tournament is the last of the season for the Asian Golf Tour.

The tournament's website gives you a hole-by-hole description, along with photos.  They also have a nice bio on Michael.  Michael will be one of only 8 players from the US in the field. 

The picturesque course encircles two lakes, and features a hole that is located on a floating green, accessible only by boat.

The tournament will be televised on the Golf Channel, however it will be on a tape delay.  Check your local listings for when it's going to air.

Michael's 1st round tee time is at 8:00 am local time in Bangkok on Thursday.  It's 15 hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time, on the other side of the international date line, which means he'll be teeing off at 5pm PST on Wednesday.

Leaderboard
Scorecard

Time Converter

Current time in Bangkok, Thailand

The Thompson Tide's Top 5 Golf Moments of the Year

by Randy Roberts and Roz Roberts III

Michael Thompson had one great rookie season on the PGA Tour in 2011.  Along the way there were a lot of great golfing moments and great golf shots.  We've paired down the list to our top five (plus one) of the year.

Honorable Mention: JT Shriners Open - Hole 14 - Closest to the Pin

Although I have been unable to find video of this shot, it was the most exciting shot I saw in person.  On the 156 yard Par 3 14th at TPC Summerlin, Michael's tee shot landed 7 inches from the hole.  He was "Closest to the pin" for that hole all week.

5. Almost Hole in One During Round 1 of the Viking Classic
Our #5 Top Moment of the season came from the first round of the Viking Classic where Michael went flag hunting.  My favorite part of this video is from the audio in the background where someone calls "drinks for everybody."  Unfortunately, the ball didn't cooperate but it was still a heck of a shot!



4.  The "Epiphany" - Have Faith, Let Go
Our number 4 moment didn't even happen on a golf course.  It happened in the brave new world of the "Twiiterverse".  After missing the cut at the Fedex St. Jude Classic (his 5th missed cut in 6 PGA Tour events), Michael Tweeted the following:

"For those of you who might be freaking out about my missing cuts, do not fret.  I had an epiphany today and I promise there is better golf to come!"

Exactly what the epiphany was has been unknown: was it something to do with his swing, a new diet, going to bed earlier?  With his wife Rachel's new blog, some new insight can be gleamed into what the epiphany was about: relying on a higher power.

Rachel writes:

"He realized ... that he was trying too hard to play well and not just letting whatever was meant to happen...happen. Michael realized that he had forgotten about God and was trying to figure it all out himself. When Michael was able to give his life up to God and let God lead him in the direction of His plan (not Michael's, not Rachel's, not anyone else's), all the daily stress of the tour was completely taken away..."

The very next week he had his first breakout tournament of the year and our #3 Top Moment.

FYI: You can read more of Rachel's blog over at "Thompson Squared On The PGA Tour"

3. 62 In the Final Round at the Traveler's Championship
An amazing final round 62 at the Traveler's Championship propelled Michael up the leaderboard and was good enough for a fourth place finish.  It was Michael's first top 5 performance of the year and moved him up the re-shuffle list which allowed him to play in more tournaments as the year went on.  Here's Michael's final birdie on hole #18 which moved him into the clubhouse lead on Sunday.



2. McGladrey Classic (Birdies on 4, 5, and 6 Vault Thompson Into the Lead on Sunday)
Our #2 top moment was really our top tournament of the year.  It came at the end of the season at the McGladrey Classic where Michael grabbed the lead in the final round after three consecutive birdies on the front nine.  Here's the third of the three at hole number 6.  Michael secured his 2012 PGA Tour card with his second top 5 performance of the year and his highest finish (third place).



1.  Last round of Q School - 40' eagle putt to secure 2011 PGA Tour Card
Finally, our top shot of the year was the one that began it all.  A 40 foot eagle putt to earn a 2011 PGA Tour card.  'Nuff said!

Thompson Squared on the PGA Tour - "Rookie Year"

In Rachel's latest post she recaps Michael's year and discusses the faith it took to not only quit her job, but to successfully navigate the trials/tribulations (and successes) of being a rookie out on the PGA Tour.

Apparently I have developed a zealous wave of inspiration with this blog, making it very easy to come up with ideas. I already have the titles for the next 8 posts (though nothing written yet). However I warn you not to expect this level of productivity to continue. I will write when I have something interesting to write about...That being said, I guess I will devote my second post to recapping Michael's rookie year to make sure everyone is on the same page going into next year. I know many of you reading this already know it all and if so, you can do what you do in series books where the second chapter is always devoted to re-introducing the main characters...skip to the next chapter to get into the good stuff. For those of you who have no idea how my life changed from a career in Physical Therapy to a career as the manager of a professional golfer...

Continue reading at ThompsonSquaredGolf.blogspot.com 

Welcome to the Blogosphere, Rachel Thompson!

Michael's wife Rachel just started a blog of her own.  She's written her "Inaugural Address" and outlines what they've been up to and some upcoming tournament news.  Check it out, it's a great read.  I'm looking forward to reading about their adventures together.

Thompson Squared on the PGA Tour