Now 40, he went on to become coach of the University of Oregon golf team.
The motto from his golf team at Alabama was to "finish strong, " and Thompson did just that.
Since then he has been coaching the University of Oregon's golf team, but he decided to have a go at last week's U.S. Open regional qualifying event despite limited preparation.
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He's had three eagles out there today and is playing the best golf of my team right now.
But weakening demand for once-big sellers like athletic shoes, golf equipment and licensed team apparel will make for a tough comeback.
Each has six separate sections: team sports, golf, apparel, footwear, lodge and fitness.
There the best players from Europe and the US will battle it out when golf's most prestigious team competition is held in Wales for the first time.
Bringing the trophy back to the Home of Golf is the perfect way to continue Team Europe's celebrations.
Once the numbers have been crunched and the decision made, it is just a question of which team of automatons puts the most golf balls in the back of the net.
The European golf stars were well behind the U.S team on Saturday night but they received a healthy dose of inspiration from captain Jose Maria Olazabal.
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The trophy is awarded to the player, born or resident in Europe, or team who have made the "most outstanding contribution to golf during the preceding 12 months".
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Like many golf fans, I was shocked at how the United States Ryder Cup team let a big lead slip away, allowing the European team to retain the title.
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Golf analysts have long held that the mixture of nationalities on the European team, which draws players from Southern Europe to Scandinavia, means it is more capable of embracing maverick talents than the homogenous U.S. squad.
The team of the year honor was awarded to Europe's Ryder Cup golf side , which launched a stirring final-day comeback to beat its American counterpart at the 2012 tournament at Medinah in Illinois.
Instead of joining the crowd to play golf the next day, Galli flew to Toronto for a dinner speech to his Canadian sales team.
Golf already has plenty of high-profile professional platforms, both in terms of individual and international team play.
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