The second event in the Web.com Tour finals gets underway tomorrow in Davidson, North Carolina. The Small Business Connection Championship at River Run is the second of the four event Finals series. Michael Thompson currently sits second on the Finals money list after his tie for second in last week's opening tournament.
At the end of the Finals, the top 25 money earners will earn PGA Tour cards for the 2015/2016 season. The top earner in the finals will get a fully exempt Tour Card and an invitation to the PGA Championship. The remaining 2-25 money earners will be ranked in priority and subject to next year's reshuffle list. Michael has all but guaranteed himself a spot in the top 25 list but will look to finish as strong as possible in the next three events.
Michael is paired with Henrik Norlander and D.H. Lee for the first two rounds. Norlander finished first last week and Lee tied Michael for second. They tee off at 8:14am ET.
Michael Thompson watches his tee shot on the 2nd hole during the final round of the Web.com Tour Hotel Fitness Championship at Sycamore Hills Golf Club on September 13, 2015 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. (Sept. 12, 2015 - Source: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images North America)
by Roz Roberts III and Randy Roberts
Michael Thompson all but guaranteed himself a 2015/2016 PGA Tour card today after he shot a seven under par 65 at the Hotel Fitness Championship and finished in a tie for second. He finished three shots behind fellow playing partner Henrik Norlander who shot a course record ten under par 62.
The Hotel Fitness Championship is the first of four events in the Web.com Tour Finals. The top 25 money earners in these four tournaments will earn tour cards for next year. This is the third year of this format and the previous year required between $33K and 36K to crack the top 25. Michael's tie for second this week earned him $88K which should be well inside the top 25 money earners after the conclusion of all four events.
Next week the Web.com Tour Finals move to the Small Business Connection Championship at River Run in Davidson, North Carolina. Despite locking up a card already, there is still incentive for Michael to keep playing well in the final three events since the 25 cards being handed out will be in priority order based on the combined money list. A higher priority will give him better access to PGA Tournaments next year.
Michael had shot three consecutive three under par 69's before exploding today with eight birdies and a single bogey. He took advantage of the par 5 holes this week as he was 9 under par without a bogey. For the entire tournament Michael only had four negative holes (2 bogeys and 2 double bogeys) against 22 total birdies.
Fun Fact:
• Michael Thompson (T2) and tournament winner Henrik Norlander combined to shoot 17-under par in the final round. Their best-ball score would have been a 12-under-par 60. They birdied the same hole six times during the round.
Michael Thompson finished with a 66 again. That's 3-66's in a row at the Hotel Fitness Championship, -9 overall. The final round has already started, and he currently sits tied for 8th. He tees off at 12:50 EST and is paired with Henrik Norlander.
Michael Thompson followed his first round three under par (69) with an identical score in round two. He is six under par for the tournament and tied for 12th. Michael is paired with Tommy Gainey for Saturday's third round. They tee off at 12:50pm ET.
Michael Thompson watches his tee shot on the 18th hole during the first round round of the Web.com Tour Hotel Fitness Championship at Sycamore Hills Golf Club on September 10, 2015 in Ft. Wyane, Indiana. (Sept. 9, 2015 - Source: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images North America)
Michael Thompson shot three under par during the first round of the Hotel Fitness Championship and is currently tied for 16th. Michael's second round will get underway at 12:51pm ET on Friday.
