Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Thompson settles for 2nd again
SAN FRANCISCO — Michael Thompson finished in second place five years ago at The Olympic Club in the U.S. Amateur.
Sunday, he tied for second with Graeme McDowell at the U.S. Open — only this time the consolation prize was worth $695,916.
“I knew from the beginning of the week, if I can just shoot right around 1 over every day I would be happy,” said Thompson, who held a three-stroke lead after the first round. “I didn’t expect at all to shoot under par. Then go out and shoot way under par on a U.S. Open is kind of unbelievable.”
Thompson said having played Olympic’s tight, twisting fairways under pressure back in 2007 made a huge difference.
“I think it helped me a ton,” he said. “I learned to love the course. I play a fade, or at least try to. That’s the shot I like. And this little golf course sets up perfect for a fade.”
Thompson finished a dozen groups before the final pairing then had to sweat out the ending. He finished at 2 over, a shot behind winner Webb Simpson.
“I’m so young in my career, I’m just going to take this as a positive experience and build on it and hopefully gain some momentum for the rest of the year,” said Thompson, 27. “I want to make it all the way through the FedEx Cup. That’s one of my goals. So I think this is a great steppingstone for me.”