Writing from Wheaton, Illinois
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Matt Thompson has been on the verge for a while. The 24-year-old native of Battle Creek, Mich., was the runner-up in the 2009 Michigan Amateur, and fell a stroke short in the 2011 Michigan Open despite birdies on two of the last three holes.
He’s on the verge again. After a 5-under-par 67 on Cantigny Golf’s lush Woodside-Lakeside layout, Thompson has a one-stroke lead entering the final round of the Chicago Open. Thompson’s 36-hole aggregate of 4-under 140 is one swipe better than the 140 of Minneapolis’ Thomas Campbell, who stitched a 70 to his Monday 71.
Thompson, who turned pro after graduating from Michigan, has won in Illinois before. He captured Northwestern’s Windon Memorial in the fall of 2011.
This field, full of seasoned pros chasing the $7,000 first prize, is as deep or deeper than the one Thompson faced in that Michigan Open. Campbell, to note Thompson’s closest pursuer, already has a pro victory this year, and while it’s on the Dakotas Tour, in some ways as far as you can get from PGA Tour headquarters in the U.S. and still play for money, he has the oversized check and the bragging rights that go with it.
And that duo has company. Michael Schachner and Carlos Sainz Jr., from Libertyville and Elgin respectively, are two behind at 2-under 142. Atlanta’s Jordan Mitchell is at 1-under 143. A gaggle of seven at even par 144 includes Milo French and Tim Streng, two of the three overnight leaders, while Eric Sipple, who joined French and Streng in front after his opening 70, is at 1-over 145.
In all, there are 14 players within five strokes of Thompson as the third round commences, and lurking at 147, seven strokes in arrears, is Mike Small, the soon-to-be Illinois Golf Hall of Famer. He’d have been two strokes closer but for a penalty for stepping on his ball while searching for it in the rough during the first round. That woe was felt by three other players as well.
Thompson was not alone in carding a tournament-best 67. Daniel Zimmerman of Middleton, Wis., matched that score, and did so after an opening 80, the best recovery of any player. He did so by making nine birdies, offset by four bogeys, at Cantigny.
The cut fell at 8-over 152 and encompassed 55 players, including three amateurs. Among those missing the cut: Medinah teaching pro Connie DeMattia, erstwhile Aurora fixture Bob Ackerman, and amateur Toni Kukoc, who prizes his 2010 Croatian Amateur title as much as his three NBA titles earned with the Bulls.
– Tim Cronin