Alabama senior golfer Michael Thompson shot a 1-over par 73 during the first round of the Masters. While this has Thompson just 5 strokes off of the lead, and only 1 stroke behind Tiger Woods, the real success is that he has a 3 stroke lead over all other amateur golfers in the field.

The Masters started giving an award to the highest finishing amateur - referred to as the “low amateur” - in 1952, and Thompson has put himself in a strong position to win the coveted Silver Cup. In order to win, he does have to make the 36-hole cut, but another strong round on Friday should accomplish that.

It wouldn’t be a terribly shocking accomplishment for Thompson. The folks over The Love of Sports predicted it in their pre-Masters picks. And Thompson’s success at Bama has certainly earned him prominence in the world of Amateur golf - something hammered home with his 2nd place finish at the U.S. Amateur Championship.

Good luck to Michael for the rest of the weekend!