The Kansas golf program is headed for a weekend of a rare level of exposure, thanks to Gary Woodland and Chris Thompson playing so well in the first two rounds of the Byron Nelson Championship at TPC Four Seasons Resort Las Colinas golf course in Irving, Texas.
Gary Woodland, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour and ranked 19th on this season’s money list, finished his Friday morning round at 3-under par 67, giving him a two-day total of 5-under, which as of early afternoon put him one stroke off the lead shared by five players.
Woodland, 29, carded four birdies and one bogey.
Thompson, playing in a PGA Tour event for the first time at the age of 37, shot 1-under 69 for the second day in a row, putting him at 2-under, which will be good enough for him to make the cut. For most of the day, the projected cut line has shifted between 1-over and even.
Thompson played a bogey-free front side and birdied No. 3, a par 4, by dropping a 24-foot putt. His back nine included a pair of bogeys (Nos. 1) and 16) and a pair of birdies (Nos. 11 and 16). His back-side birdie putts were 16 and 10 feet in length.
Making the cut guarantees Thompson a paycheck, but the key numbers for him won’t be the ones on the check as much as on the leader board. In order to automatically qualify for the next PGA Tour event, Thompson must finish in the top 10.
At the time of his finish, with most players still on the course, Thompson was tied for 22nd.
I can’t handle the stress of watching the results on the computer, so I’m hopping in a car and driving to Dallas to catch the final two rounds live.
