Leonard Stephen Thompson (born January 1, 1947) is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour, Nationwide Tour, and Champions Tour.
Early life and amateur career Thompson was born in Laurinburg, North Carolina. He attended Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and was a member of the golf team. He was a teammate of future fellow PGA Tour players Joe Inman and Lanny Wadkins. In 1969, Thompson graduated from college.
Professional career In 1971, Thompson turned pro. He had more than 70 top-10 finishes in PGA Tour events during his career winning three times. His first win came in 1974 at Jackie Gleason's Inverrary Classic. His best finish in a major championship was T-7 at 1979 Masters Tournament.
During his late forties, Thompson, like so many of his colleagues, played some on the Nationwide Tour to prepare for the Champions Tour. His best finish in that venue was 6th at the 1996 Nike Tallahassee Open.
After turning 50 at the beginning of 1997, Thompson began play on the Senior PGA Tour. He has three wins on this Tour. He played in his milestone 1000th PGA Tour and Champions Tour event combined at the 2009 SAS Championship.Round 1 notes: SAS Championship
Personal life He lives in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
Awards and honors In 1997, Thompson was inducted into the Wake Forest University Athletics Hall of Fame
Amateur wins 1969 Sunnehanna Amateur
Professional wins (8) PGA Tour wins (3) No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin ofvictoryRunner(s)-up1Feb 24, 1974Jackie Gleason-Inverrary Classic−10 (72-69-69-68=278)1 stroke Hale Irwin2Oct 30, 1977Pensacola Open−16 (70-65-65-68=268)2 strokes Curtis Strange 3Jul 30, 1989Buick Open−15 (65-71-69-68=273)1 stroke Billy Andrade, Payne Stewart, Doug Tewell
Other wins (2) this list may be incomplete 1975 Carolinas Open 1985 Carolinas PGA Championship
Senior PGA Tour wins (3) No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin ofvictoryRunner-up1Aug 9, 1998 Coldwell Banker Burnet Classic−10 (68-66=134)Playoff Isao Aoki2Jul 9, 2000State Farm Senior Classic −11 (67-69-69=205)Playoff Isao Aoki3May 13, 2001Enterprise Rent-A-Car Match Play Championship1 up Vicente Fernández
Senior PGA Tour playoff record (2–0) No.YearTournamentOpponentResult11998Coldwell Banker Burnet Classic Isao AokiWon with birdie on second extra hole22000State Farm Senior Classic Isao AokiWon with birdie on second extra hole
Results in major championships Tournament197119721973197419751976197719781979Masters TournamentT41T24T7U.S. OpenCUTT21T35CUTPGA ChampionshipT35T17T10T22T15T42T54 Tournament19801981198219831984198519861987198819891990Masters TournamentCUTCUTU.S. OpenT43CUTCUTPGA ChampionshipT26T61T22T84T48CUTT34 Note: Thompson never played in The Open Championship
CUT = missed the half-way cut "T" indicates a tie for a place
See also 1971 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates 1987 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
References
External links