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