Leonard Thompson (golfer)
# Leonard Thompson (golfer)

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. Thompson graduated from college in 1969.

## Professional career

Thompson turned pro in 1971. 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 (now known as the Champions 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.

Thompson was inducted into the Wake Forest University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1997.

## Personal life

He lives in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

## Amateur wins

* 1969 Sunnehanna Amateur

## Professional wins (8)

### PGA Tour wins (3)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Feb 24, 1974 | Jackie Gleason-Inverrary Classic | −10 (72-69-69-68=278) | 1 stroke | Hale Irwin |
| 2 | Oct 30, 1977 | Pensacola Open | −16 (70-65-65-68=268) | 2 strokes | Curtis Strange |
| 3 | Jul 30, 1989 | Buick 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. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Aug 9, 1998 | Coldwell Banker Burnet Classic | −10 (68-66=134) | Playoff | Isao Aoki |
| 2 | Jul 9, 2000 | State Farm Senior Classic | −11 (67-69-69=205) | Playoff | Isao Aoki |
| 3 | May 13, 2001 | Enterprise Rent-A-Car Match Play Championship | 1 up | 1 up | Vicente Fernández |

Senior PGA Tour playoff record (2–0)

| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 1998 | Coldwell Banker Burnet Classic | Isao Aoki | Won with birdie on second extra hole |
| 2 | 2000 | State Farm Senior Classic | Isao Aoki | Won with birdie on second extra hole |

## Results in major championships

| Tournament | 1971 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Masters Tournament | | | T41 | | | | T24 | T7 |
| U.S. Open | CUT | | T21 | | | | T35 | CUT |
| PGA Championship | | T35 | T17 | T10 | T22 | T15 | T42 | T54 |
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1986 | 1989 | 1990 |
| Masters Tournament | CUT | | | | | | | CUT |
| U.S. Open | | T43 | | CUT | | | CUT | |
| PGA Championship | T26 | T61 | T22 | T84 | T48 | CUT | T34 | |

Note: Thompson never played in The Open Championship

CUT = missed the half-way cut "T" indicates a tie for a place

