For former Kansas University golfer Chris Thompson, a member of Lawrence Country Club, the only words on the board were “Did you know?”

One of the marshals working the tournament could have helped with a piece of information.

“Look,” he said to the other marshal, “he doesn’t have a tour bag.”

“He must like his caddie,” the other retorted.

Instead, Thompson’s bag, carried by former KU teammate Jake Istnick, isn’t much different from the ones you see weekend hacks strapping onto their backs on their way to triple-digit scores. The massive bags are laid down next to greens and are a load to carry. Thompson’s bag has kickstands.

Other than the lack of name recognition and the considerate choice of bag, Thompson has not stood out from the rest of the players in the Byron Nelson Championship. He looks like just another touring PGA player, scrambling his way to pars and rare bogeys on bad holes and mixing in birdies.

He’s not, but his game doesn’t look any different from most of the PGA pros.

Three rounds into the tournament that concludes today, Thompson never has had an overall score above par. He shot 2-over par 72 Saturday, dropping him to even-par and tied for 52nd on a day his putter betrayed him. His putter was on fire the first two rounds, especially the second and it was the edge of the cup that was signed over and over on near misses in the third round.

“I’ve never seen so many in one round,” Istnick said.

Said Thompson: “I almost feel like I played better today than the first two days, but some days it goes in, some days it doesn’t. Today was one of those days it didn’t. But overall, the experience has been incredible. This is where it’s at.”

Thompson carded a double bogey 6 on No. 3 after hitting his tee shot onto the edge of what his caddie called “bamboo-type stuff,” took a drop and put his next shot into a tough spot at the bottom of a hill to the left of the green. He battled back to even for the day with a couple of birdies, but couldn’t get the putter to respond the way it had earlier in the tournament.

Not many in the gallery knew Thompson’s name, but many in the field who had competed against him in college, on the Web.com Tour and on the mini-tour circuit know and respect his game.

Jimmy Walker, ranked No. 1 in the FedEx Cup standings, spotted Thompson on the practice green before the round, walked over to him and said to the fellow Big 12 alum, “Good to see you again. I’m glad you’re here.” Walker played for Baylor.

Thompson said he knew about 35 of the players in the field.

“He’s had a dozen guys come up and congratulate him, and more than a dozen came up and asked where he’s been,” Istnick said.

The answer to that question is in the minor leagues of golf, so close so many times to breaking through. This is the first PGA Tour event for the two-time All-American.

“I think when I look back, the best part about this week is just to get some … I don’t know if closure is the right word, but if I came here and played bad, fine; if I came here and played well, great; but just not to know how your game stacked up has been the hard part,” Thompson said. “I feel pretty good about the way I’ve played so far. I’m proud of the way I’ve played. I feel like I’ve played pretty tough.”

And he has one more round to go.

“I feel like a good, strong round tomorrow would make it a great week,” he said.

Thompson, 37, tees off at 8:51 a.m. and plays his final round with Patrick Cantlay, 15 years his junior.