Thompson is medalist at Champions Tour q-school

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PGA TOUR

The 2008 Champions Tour Q-School graduates (from left to right, in order of finish) Robert L. Thompson, John Morse, Tom McKnight, James Mason and Steve Thomas.

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. -- Thanks to back-to-back birdies on Nos. 15 and 16, Robert Thompson (Huntsville, Texas) captured medalist honors at the Champions Tour National Qualifying Tournament at TPC Eagle Trace. Thompson finished with a 72-hole total of 7-under-par 281, one stroke better than John Morse (Marshall, Mich.).

Thompson began the final round one stroke behind Morse and trailed by two strokes at the turn. However, birdies on Nos. 11, 15 and 16 gave Thompson momentum and when Morse made a bogey at No. 17, he grabbed the lead for good.

"I was playing well when I came here. I shot 67 in open qualifying at San Antonio and didn't make it, but I won the regional qualifier in Texas before coming here," Thompson said. "There are some difficult holes on this course and I just tried to keep it in good places. Some of those water holes are tough and I think I just hit it into the water once all week. It was a good week and I was pleased with how I played."

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The 51-year-old Thompson made two key birdies on the back nine to take control. He made a 4-footer on No. 15 after blasting out of the sand and then drained an 80-foot putt for another birdie at No. 16 which moved him into a tie with Morse at 7-under-par. He took over the lead on the next hole when Morse made a bogey.

This marks the second time in Thompson's career that he was medalist at a PGA TOUR-sanctioned national qualifying tournament. He shared co-medalist honors at the 1981 PGA TOUR's Fall National Qualifying Tournament in his hometown of Huntsville, Texas. Thompson is a teaching pro at Whispering Pines GC.

Thompson made 161 career starts on the PGA TOUR and played in 75 events on the Nationwide Tour. This past year he made just two starts on the Champions Tour, finishing tied for fourth at the Turtle Bay Championship and tied for 59th at the Senior PGA Championship.

Tom McKnight (Bluffton, S.C.) captured third place at 3-under-par 285 and James Mason (Dillard, Ga.) was fourth. Mason made a par on the second playoff hole to grab that slot. Steve Thomas (Tupelo, Miss.) and Ronnie Black (Tucson, Ariz.) played an extra hole for the fifth and final fully-exempt spot and Thomas earned the spot when he made a birdie on the third playoff hole and Black made bogey to finish sixth. Mason, Thomas and Black had all tied for fourth place at the end of play at 2-under-par 286.

There was no cut in the 72-hole qualifier. The top-5 finishers earned fully-exempt status for the 2009 season, while the finishers 6-12 will be conditionally exempt. In addition, the top 30 finishers and ties will be eligible to compete for spots in open qualifiers at all co-sponsored events on the Champions Tour in 2009.