Say What: Nicholas Thompson
 
Aug. 29, 2007

By entering 23 tournaments this season, Nicholas Thompson has played more events than any other player inside the top 25 on the 2007 Nationwide Tour money list. But Thompson's busy schedule has paid off as he is currently sixth on the money list, with $265,055. A bulk of that money came in two tournaments, the HSBC New Zealand PGA Championship, which Thompson won, and the BMW Charity Pro-Am at The Cliffs, where he finished second. Thompson is virtually guaranteed a return trip to the PGA TOUR in 2008.

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Nicholas Thompson has one win on the Nationwide Tour this season. (WireImage)
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Nicholas Thompson in 2007
Starts 23
Wins 1
Top-10s 6
Top-25s 7
Cuts made 17
•More stats, click here

Thompson played the TOUR in 2006, entering 32 events and finishing 180th on the money list. His best performance came at the B.C. Open presented by Turning Stone Resort. A final-round 64 helped him to a tie for sixth, his best-career finish.

Recently, Laury Livsey of the PGA TOUR's communications department sat down with Thompson for this edition of "Say What".

What is your most-hated food?
I'm a pretty good eater, but it would have to be spinach.

How many golf clubs do you have at your house?
A couple golf bags full. Probably around 50. Not too many.

Do you have any good hole-in-one stories?
Well, I made four in 2006. They were all in practice rounds, and one was really memorable. I made it at the U.S. Open in a practice round. I was the first person to hit a shot that day, I was playing with Brett Quigley. It landed on the green and rolled in the hole like a putt. It was my first swing of the day on No. 10 (at Winged Foot).

What was your favorite memory playing on the 2006 PGA TOUR?
Teeing off in my first PGA TOUR event in Hawaii (Sony Open in Hawaii). Having the status. It was pretty neat.

What was college like for you at Georgia Tech?
I focused a lot on golf. I made good grades. I had a 3.35 (grade-point average). I could have done better, but that would have taken away from my golf. I got my degree in business management.

If somebody handed you a persimmon driver today, how far would you hit a drive?
I have hit a wood wood. I know I'm young, but I have hit one before. I'd say probably 230 yards. I hope the head wouldn't fly off.

Do you have any good club-breaking stories while swinging?
I've had heads fly 60 or 70 yards. No casualties, though.

How many songs do you have on your IPod right now?
Probably a thousand songs, the widest array you can imagine. It goes from '70s and '80s rock all the way to rap and then to country.

What won't you listen to?
Jazz and classical.

As a guy who logs a lot of miles on airplanes every year, what do you typically do during those long flights?
Sleep. I'm the king of sleeping on an airplane. I'm as good at that as I am at my job.

What's the trick to sleeping on a plane?
You have to get to sleep before the plane takes off. That's key.

Is there one restaurant in the U.S. you like above any other?
Tamarind in Atlanta. It's Thai food. It's unbelievable.

Can you eat with chopsticks?
Oh yeah. I can even eat rice with chopsticks.

What do you do to relax when you're at home?
I do things around the house. I mow the lawn. I clean the place.

You realize that's a horrible answer, right?
I know, but you have to do that stuff.

What was the last concert you went to?
The Black-Eyed Peas played at the 84 LUMBER Classic last year in Pennsylvania. It was Saturday night after the third round.