Seven Birdies Help Thompson Make Cut for Third Week In a Row

by Roz Roberts III

After finishing round 1 with a double bogey, Michael Thompson knew he was going to need a good second round if he was going to make the cut at the John Deere Classic in Silvas, Illinois.  Michael started the day in a tie for 94th and the cut line is set to the top 70 golfers plus ties.

The round got off to a slow start as Michael made pars on his first four holes.  It took one more par to actually kick Michael's round into gear.  On hole #14, Michael ended up in a sand trap and had a 13'4" putt to save par.  Michael made that critical putt and momentum was on his side.  He birdied the next three holes before he bogeyed hole #18. Michael ended his first 9 holes at 2 under par and two shots outside the cut line.

Michael played the next six holes at one under par and was sitting just one shot off the cut with three holes to play. Michael found himself looking at a 17 foot putt for birdie on the par 3, seventh hole. Michael made the putt and was inside the cut line for the first time all day. He went on to birdie the next hole to finish two shots inside the cut line and in a tie for 50th. On the day Michael shot five under par and had 7 birdies with two bogeys.

This makes the third straight week that Michael has made the cut in a PGA Tour event, which is a first for him.

Round Three
Michael tees off from the first tee at 8:10am CT with Scott Piercy.

Scoring Links
Here are the round three scoring links:

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

John Deere Classic Underway

I got caught in the headlights last night and forgot to post the links for the The John Deere Classic which began today at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois.  Michael shot an even par in round 1 and is currently tied for 94th.

Michael tees off in round 2 at 1:55 CT with DJ Brigman and Billy Horschel.

Here are some links for following the action.

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

AT&T National a Great Event for Fathers and Sons

by Roz Roberts III

If you've been out to a PGA Tour event lately, you'll have noticed that the PGA Tour has been making a concerted effort to reach out to younger fans.  At most tournaments they host a youth clinic in which young golf fans can get up close to a PGA Tour player or two.  But where the PGA Tour has been really successful in reaching young fans is with their players being approachable and available to fans for autographs and photos.

Over at marplenewtown.patch.com they published a post on the AT&T National tournament and how it was such a great event for father's and sons.  If you follow our blog or know anything Michael Thompson, you won't be surprised to find that he is mentioned specifically in the article.  Here's a brief snippet from the post by Joseph Santoliquito:

Perhaps no one received a bigger thrill than the number of kids that filled the galleries. Seated in the 18th-hole gallery absorbing every shot were a pair of precocious onlookers, 13-year-old David and 10-year-old Michael Asch, the sons of KYW radio anchorman Jeff Asch.

David’s personal favorite was Rickie Fowler, a stylish young golfer who was decked out in ostentatious orange from head-to-tie on Sunday—including his orange shoes and tee. Fowler, who’s never won a PGA Tour event, suffered through a bad front nine on Sunday that took him out of contention.

“I play golf and learned from watching the pros this closely that golf isn’t an easy game to play and you need patience,” said David, an eighth grader at Wissahickon Middle School. “I don’t have a lot of friends my age that are into golf, but I like the game and I like playing it. This is my first golf tournament and it’s great. I’m having a great time. But I wanted to see Fowler win because he is a young guy and he’s never won before. I was hoping to see him win his first PGA event.”

Michael, David’s younger brother, received a little more from the event—an autographed Ping cap from Michael Thompson’s caddy, who came over on the first tee and handed the cap to young Michael, telling him he may need it if it rained later. It was a forever keepsake for someone watching a major golf event live for the first time.
...
Perhaps a lasting image of the AT&T National didn’t come on the course, but rather in the 18th-hole gallery. It was Michael Asch in his Phillies’ Cliff Lee T-shirt and his new autographed golf cap nestled in his father’s arms resting quietly as the day was winding down.

It was a great day for Watney and agreat day for fathers and sons.

The full article can be found here and is well worth a read:

Nick Watney Wins the AT&T National at Aronimink:  But the PGA Tour event was a great time for fathers and sons

Thompson Finishes "Week Off" in a Tie for 38th

by Roz Roberts III

Michael Thompson was supposed to be vacationing this week.  The life of a PGA Tour rookie, however, rarely proceeds as planned.  After receiving a sponsor's exemption into this week's AT&T National, the week off became a work week and an unexpected trip to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Michael took advantage of his opportunity and finished the tournament in a tie for 38th.  For the second straight round, Michael shot a 1 over par 71 including a birdie on his final hole on the difficult Aronimink Golf Club course.

The finish moved Michael up the Fedex Cup points list into 127th and solidified his position at 119 on the money list.  There are major benefits to finishing inside the top 125 on both of those lists.  The top 125 players on the Fedex Cup points list get invited to the end of the year playoff series which starts with The Barclays at the end of August.  The top 125 players on the money list at the end of the year get a PGA Tour card for the following year.

Solid Play Leads to Second Straight Working Weekend for Thompson

by Roz Roberts III

After a solid par 70 in the first round of the AT&T National, Michael Thompson was looking to make his second straight cut.  However, round two started off rather slowly as Michael started the day with a double bogey followed by a bogey.  Despite the three over par start, Michael just put his head down and played solid golf.  He was eventually rewarded with back-to-back birdies on holes 16 and 17 and went on to play his final 9 holes at two under par to finish the round at one under par.  The one under round of 69 was good enough to leave him in a tie for 21st and well inside the cut line for the second straight week.

Michael finished Saturday's third round at one over par.  Michael was sitting at 2 over par going into hole #18 when he landed his second shot within 3 feet of the hole which lead to an easy birdie and gave him some much needed momentum heading into the final round.

After the round, via Twitter, Michael said "That birdie on the last hole is going to bode well for me tomorrow! Excited to dominate tomorrow!"

Michael slipped 19 spots into a tie for 40th.  Overall, the scores were significantly lower on Saturday than they had been on Thursday and Friday.  Some players said that the grounds crew had significantly slowed the greens down by heavily watering them overnight, however, everyone expects the greens to be faster and firmer for the final round.
  
For Sunday's fourth and final round, Michael is paired with amateur Patrick Cantlay and Chris Riley.  They tee off from the tenth hole at 9:40am ET.  Cantlay has gotten lots of press recently after he finished as the low amateur at the US Open and made the cut at both the Traveler's Championship and the AT&T National.

Scoring Links
Leaderboard
Michael Thompson Scorecard
Michael Thompson Shot Tracker
Michael Thompson's Group on Shot Tracker