The tournament, begun in 2000 and won that year by former British Open Champion Ben Curtis, features many of the country’s top amateur golfers and is played at Belfair Golf Club in Bluffton, South Carolina. In addition to Curtis, past champions during the course of the previous seven tournaments have included PGA golfers Bill Haas who won in 2002 and 2003 winner Camilo Villegas as well as Nationwide Tour player Aron Price, the 2004 winner.
Oklahoma State golfer Rickie Fowler won the 2007 championship by two strokes over Thompson. Fowler shot 68-63-64-69/264 to finish 2-under. Thompson, a Tucson, Arizona native, shot 68-64-65-69/266 to finish second at 22-under par.
Two of his Alabama teammates were among the golfers who made the cut after 36 holes. Matthew Swan shot 72-75-68-72/287 to finish 1-under par and Gator Todd shot 72-72-74-73/291 to finish 3-over par.
Thompson is one of four Crimson Tide golfers who will be competing this week in 101st Southern Amateur Championship. The tournament will be held July 18-21 at the Country Club of North Carolina in Pinehurst, N.C. Alabama golfers competing include Thompson, Mark Harrell, Matthew Swan and Gator Todd. Alabama’s golfers are all playing near one another in Wednesday’s first round. Harrell will tee off at 7:10 a.m. CT and Todd will be next on the tee at 7:20 a.m. CT off the No. 1 tee, and at the No. 10 tee Swan will tee off at 7:10 a.m. CT and Thompson will follow at 7:20 a.m. CT.