Curtis Thompson Walks Line Between Success, Failure

We can always express professional golf’s substantial depth of talent through numbers and anecdotes. And to be sure, there’s another layer of gained perspective in hearing how Brendon Todd recovered from full-swing yips to win again on the PGA Tour or how ridiculously competitive Monday qualifiers have become.

But seeing an example of the game’s depth in real time with your own eyes has a completely different effect. It’s a wake-up call for how slim the margin of error has become and how cruel the game can be to those on the wrong side of it.

Photo: Michael Cohen, Getty Images

Earlier this year, I got to know a player who understands this dynamic all too well. Curtis Thompson, the 26-year-old younger brother of LPGA standout Lexi Thompson and former PGA Tour player Nicholas Thompson, advanced through Q-School in 2014 before spending four consecutive seasons on what is now known as the Korn Ferry Tour. He made the cut in 37 of 85 starts and earned a little ...