Michael

Thompson

Thompson made it look easy today with 14 GIR, gaining 2.2 strokes on approach along the way. “These greens don’t really fit my eye because there’s so many little undulations and you can have a 20-footer that breaks three different ways and it’s hard to read sometimes.” Thompson found a workaround for that discomfort and the solution was to stuff it close. Six of his seven birdies were converted from inside of seven feet. The lone exception was a 48'4" birdie bomb at the 11th while he also saved par from 10 feet at the 6th. Thompson arrived with two missed cuts and a solo 64th in three previous tries at Detroit Golf Club. He’s off to a much better start this week, with 54 holes remaining.

Thompson swallowed three bogeys and three doubles in round two but flipped the script entirely today. He striped 11-of-14 fairways and landed 14 GIR. He converted that into nine birdies without dropping a single shot along the way. It was a 13-shot improvement, round-over-round. Thompson will likely need a repeat performance tomorrow if he wants to take home a trophy as he sits 11 points off the pace set by Chez Reavie. Every shot counts for Thompson, though, as he entered the week just 129th in the FedExCup race.

Thompson split 12-of-14 fairways and landed 15 greens in regulation today while taking on the easier of the two courses at Torrey Pines. “It’s shorter, I think the rough is a little bit lighter on the North, and you just know you’re going to have to take advantage because the South course can beat you up. I was really quite surprised with how I played today because my practice leading up into today wasn’t that great. I didn’t play great last week, but something clicked and I made a bunch of putts and I was hitting my lines, so nothing to complain about.” He was arriving off a missed cut at The American Express where he lost 5.4 strokes tee-to-green in his one measured round. There are a few golfers threatening this 8-under score but if it holds it would be Thompson’s sixth time posting a first-round lead or co-lead on the PGA TOUR and first time since the 2016 Honda Classic.

This was the 36-year-old’s 11th Sony and fourth top 25, second straight, and his second top 10, first since a previous-best T6 back in 2012. He improves to 2-for-6 on the season, bettering a T15 two starts ago at Mayakoba, and records his first top 10 since T5 at last season’s American Express 23 starts and 51 weeks ago. The Alabama alum, who is in the published field at this coming week’s American Express, sandwiched rounds of 67-69 with bookend 63s, and tallied 21 birdies versus three bogeys. For the festivities, he ranked 3rd in SG: Approach (6.522) and 4th in SG: Around (2.860), but a lowly 52nd in SG: Off-the-Tee (-2.171), including a -0.512 today on six (of 14) fairways. Seven of Thompson’s eight birdies in the finale dropped from inside of eight feet, with his most memorable a bomb from 61'10" at the par-4 10th.

Thompson took it low on day one but today he was just happy to keep a clean card. Thompson pelted 14 greens in regulation today but gave himself just six birdie-or-better chances from inside of 20 feet. “Didn’t give myself as many chances as I did yesterday, but I scrambled my way around to a 3-under. Hard to complain about that.” For the week, Thompson ranks 120th off-the-tee but 11th on approach and T10 around-the-green. Thompson is playing in his 11th Sony Open and this will be just the fourth time he’s found himself inside of the top 10 after any round at Waialae Country Club.

The 36-year-old, sporting a full beard, was asked about it post-round today: “I started growing it as a playoff beard in July, and it grew in pretty healthy and my wife likes it so I’m going to keep it. I’ve gotten to the point where I’ve got to start maintaining it a little bit...but I like the look.” Well, at 132nd in the FedExCup standings, the beard didn’t help him qualify for the Playoffs last season, but has begun this campaign a perfect 5-for-5 thus far, so perhaps the beard is growing on him. Today’s 63, matches the Alabama product’s best at the Sony in 33 rounds (R4/2017, finished T20), and is vying for his second top 10 in the event in his 11th appearance, first since T6 in 2012 (70-65-68-67). On nine (of 14) fairways and 14 greens in regulation, he squared a lone bogey-4 at hole 7 (3-putt from 12'6"), outflanked by eight birdies, three from between 10 and 34 feet. At last check, the Arizona native lost 0.351 strokes off-the-tee but gained 1.517 approaching, 1.478 around, and 2.930 with the flat stick. See link below to post-round comments.

The 36-year-old, who opened with a six-birdie three bogey 68, was treading water in R2 at 1-under thru 12 holes (2 birdies, 1 bogey) but raced to the house with five more for the good at 13, 15, 16, 17 and 18. The 65 matched the low round from the early starters (with five others) and is his best at the Mayakoba in 16 rounds. The Alabama alum owns two TOUR wins in 259 events, most recently the 2020 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities 32 starts ago as a 36- and 54-hole co-leader (64-66-68-67), which is also the last time he was in the top 10 at the halfway mark.

Possessing a career scoring average of 71.29 on the par-71, Thompson has never found his footing down in Mexico. Posting three missed cuts along with finishes of T-46 in 2012 and T-34 in 2015, the 36-year-old has yet to contend at the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba. Coming into this year’s tournament off three consecutive made cuts, Thompson has been able to play his way into the weekend thanks to his putter. Gaining strokes on the green in each of his starts this season, the former Alabama standout will need to improve from tee-to-green if he wants to crack the top-50. Unable to do so this season, a tight, short golf course such as El Camaleon should fit Thompson’s eye given his history on courses such as Harbour Town Golf Links and Waialae Country Club.

Thompson was locked in with his irons today. He gave himself 13 scoring chances from inside of 22 feet with many of them much closer. He walked into the scorer’s tent having gained 3.454 strokes on approach. “It really was just hitting my lines. Wherever I was aiming, I was hitting my targets from the driver all the way through the irons.” Thompson started the week at 128th in the FedExCup race and talked about what is motivating him this week, “I think it’s nice that I have a multi-year exemption to rely on; however, getting into the FedExCup Playoffs guarantees me into THE PLAYERS Championship next year, so that’s essentially what I’m playing for.” Thompson will need a 21st-place finish or better to have a chance to crack the FEC Playoffs.