Hugh Delane "Rocky" Thompson (October 14, 1939 – March 13, 2021) was an American

professional golfer A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...

who played on the

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champion ...

and the

Champions Tour PGA Tour Champions (formerly the Senior PGA Tour and the Champions Tour) is a men's professional senior golf tour, open to golfers age 50 and over, administered as a branch of the PGA Tour. History and format The Senior PGA Championship, f ...

Early life and amateur career

In 1939, Thompson was born in

Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, third-most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge. The bulk of Shreveport is in Caddo Parish, Lo ...

. He attended the

University of Houston The University of Houston (; ) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas, United States. It was established in 1927 as Houston Junior College, a coeducational institution and one of multiple junior colleges formed in ...

and graduated in 1962.

Professional career

In 1964, Thompson turned pro. He played on the PGA Tour for many years but never recorded a victory. His best finish was a solo second place at the 1969

Western Open The Western Open was a professional golf tournament in the United States, for most of its history an event on the PGA Tour. The tournament's founding in 1899 actually pre-dated the start of the Tour, which is generally dated from 1916, the ye ...

. Thompson's fortunes changed, however, once he reached the age of 50 and began competing on the Senior PGA Tour in 1990. His first win came at the 1991 MONY Syracuse Senior Classic. Thompson, who had played a combined 611 events on the PGA Tour and Senior PGA Tour, without a victory, famously said his impassioned celebratory speech: "But now if I never, ever win a PGA Tour event, right now, this minute, today, this week—" Thompson paused, his short soliloquy becoming louder with each enunciated syllable. He then hit his crescendo when he thrust his hips a little for effect, threw his fist in the air and yelled—screamed even— "I am the man!" Later that same year, he won at the Digital Seniors Classic. In 1994, he won the GTE Suncoast Classic. He holds or shares several Champions Tour records.

Personal life

Thompson was mayor of Toco, Texas, in the 1990s. He died on March 13, 2021, at the age of 81.

Professional wins (4)

Regular wins (1)

* 1978 Greater Bangor Open

Senior PGA Tour wins (3)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Rocky American male golfers Houston Cougars men's golfers PGA Tour golfers PGA Tour Champions golfers Golfers from Shreveport, Louisiana People from Lamar County, Texas Golfers from Plano, Texas 1939 births 2021 deaths 20th-century American sportsmen