First Round Roller Coaster Ride for Thompson

by Roz Roberts III

Michael Thompson's first round par 72 at the Shell Houston Open was anything but boring.

Michael got off to a fast start with three birdies in his first six holes including back to back birdies on holes #12 and #13.  In the span of the next eight holes, Michael would go from near the top of the leaderboard to near the bottom.  He made consecutive bogeys on holes #17 and #18 and things got really ugly with consecutive double bogeys on holes #4 and #5.

If you know Michael, you know that giving up at that point was not an option.  He rallied with three birdies over his final four holes and had managed to climb back to even par 72.  He is currently tied for 64th and he'll be looking to carry the momentum of his final holes into tomorrow's second round.

As you would expect with a round that had six birdies, two bogeys, and two double bogeys, Michael's stats were a mixed bag except for his putting stats which were off the charts.  His Strokes Gained Putting was +3.541 which ranked third for the round and his putting average was a mere 1.455.

Round 2 Tee Time
Michael will once again be playing with Russell Henley and John Merrick.  They will be teeing off from the first hole at 1:00pm ET.  The group should be featured in the television coverage on Golf Channel tomorrow from 4:00 - 7:00pm ET.

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

Shell Houston Open Provides Masters Tune Up

by Roz Roberts III

If you watch the coverage of the Shell Houston Open this week you may notice a remarkable similarity to Augusta National, host course of the Masters, and that's not by accident.  The SHO has embraced its role as the premiere tune-up to the Masters.  They have configured the Redstone Golf Club's Tournament Course to closely mirror many aspects of Augusta including the course's length; the size, slope, shape, and speed of the greens; the shaved banks; and even the way the fairways are mowed.

Michael Thompson will be continuing his Masters preparation as he joins a strong field at the SHO.  Michael played Augusta last week as part of that preparation but this week he'll get in some good old fashioned competition under Master style conditions.  Look for the greens to be running at a blazing 13+ on the stimpmeter.

Round 1 Tee Time
Michael will once again be in one of the featured groups of the tournament.  He will be playing with fellow 2013 first time PGA Tour winners Russell Henley and John Merrick.  The group will tee off from the tenth hole at 8:00am ET.

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

A Little Foreshadowing?

by Roz Roberts III

As Michael Thompson takes a well deserved week off to re-charge his batteries after a busy three week stretch out on tour, here's a look back at an interview Michael did last year after his second place finish at the US Open.  If you watched some of the interviews Michael did after his victory at the Honda Classic you'll recall he referenced some of his previous experiences while he was in contention and some lessons he learned.  This interview from 9 months ago foreshadows some of the success that would be coming his way.  It's worth a second look!

"I Hate Snakes, Jock!"

photo via @LeeWilliamsPGA

by Randy Roberts

The Copperhead Course at the Innisbrook Resort earned it's reputation as a difficult course today, averaging two strokes over par.  The closing three holes, dubbed "The Snake Pit" got it's bite on Michael Thompson, as he went 3 over par on those three.  Despite everything, Michael sounded upbeat, tweeting:

"Well................. I still like the golf course! And now I'm eating Chipotle! What an awesome day!"

Finishing the round at 6 over par, he'll have some work to do tomorrow in order to charm Copperhead.




Thompson tees off at 8:30 ET and will be grouped again with Scott Brown and Matt Kuchar.

Online Links
Leaderboard
Michael on Shot Tracker
Michael's Group on Shot Tracker

Rolling Into Tampa Bay

by Roz Roberts III

Michael Thompson is rolling a tide of momentum into the Tampa Bay Championship being played at the Copperhead course at the Innisbrook Resort.  He has had top 10 finishes in each of the first two tournaments on the "Florida Swing".  He'll be looking to make that three in a row at a course that he says fits his game well.

For the first time in his career, Michael will be playing in a featured group.  The group, made up of the tour's most recent winners, consists of Matt Kuchar who won at the WGC Accenture Match-Play Championship, Scott Brown who won the Puerto Rico Open, and Michael who won the Honda Championship.  The group will tee off the first round at 1:20pm ET from the first hole.

The first round will be on the Golf Channel from 3:00-6:00pm ET.

Online Links
Leaderboard
Michael on Shot Tracker
Michael's Group on Shot Tracker

During today's coverage of the pro-am, Michael was interviewed. In case you missed it, you can watch it below.