Former Kansas University golfer Chris Thompson approaches the 17th green with his caddie, former KU teammate Jake Istnick, during the third round of the Byron Nelson Championship golf tournament, Saturday, May 17, 2014, in Irving, Texas.

The way most of us look at it, the fine line between birdie and bogey, a foot here, a bounce there, is a matter of luck. That’s not how those who make a living playing golf explain it.

Nobody would have thought otherwise if former Kansas University two-time All-American golfer Chris Thompson had attributed the bogey he carded on the second-last hole he played in the Byron Nelson Championship, his first PGA tour event, to bad luck. His tee shot on the par 3 from an elevated tee box was right on the front-left pin and landed maybe 5 feet shy of perfect. It rolled back into a green-side bunker.

Tough break?

“I just lost control of the ball a little bit,” Thompson said. “I needed to flight it better. I hit a good shot, perfect line, and it just ballooned. Instead of having 6 or 8 feet for birdie, it gets caught in the wind and comes back in the bunker.”

Afterward, Thompson put flighting the ball high on his list of things to improve in advance of his next big opportunity.

That comes Monday, when he tees it up for 36 holes in Springfield, Ohio, in a U.S. Open sectional qualifier. He advanced from a local qualifier in Spring Hill, firing a 68 at Sycamore Ridge on May 7.

Sectional qualifying takes place at 10 courses across the country Monday. Thompson chose to play his sectional qualifier at Springfield Country Club. His selection of that course, which he had not played, was based more on feel than science.

“They usually have (a sectional qualifier) in St. Louis or Kansas City,” Thompson said, “but there is not one this year. So I went online and looked at the courses. I just decided this one looked good to my eye online. It’s tree-lined, which is what I grew up on (Independence Country Club). I like to be able to see shots. The tree-lined fairways kind of frame shots.”

Thompson will get to know the course better with a practice round today.

Elsewhere in Ohio, former KU golfer and Lawrence Country Club member Gary Woodland was cruising along in great shape in the Memorial at Muirfield Village in Dublin, three-under par on the day and eight-under for the tournament through 10 holes Saturday when he encountered the roughest three-hole stretch of his career: 7, 5, 6, three consecutive double bogeys on holes 11 through 13, one day after Rory McIlroy had three consecutive double bogeys on holes 13 through 15.

Other than that stretch, Woodland had nothing worse than a par on his card.

Golf is full of mysteries, good and bad.

Not all golf news of late has been generated by professionals. Long-time broadcaster Roger Twibell, a KU grad, carded the sixth hole-in-one of his career Thursday on No. 11 at Mission Hills, his second ace on the hole. About an hour later, Twibell holed out from 160 yards on No. 17.

Thompson, who also has played rounds recently at LCC and Eagle Bend in preparation for his U.S. Open sectional qualifier, was playing behind Twibell when the announcer officially fell in love with his new TaylorMade irons.