Hunter Thomson Interview: From Backyard Greens to PGA Tour Dreams

May 28, 2025

Canadian Amateur Golf

Joanne Hruska

Hunter Thomson finished the year at 24th place in the PGA TOUR University Rankings—a crucial milestone, as the top 25 earn status on the PGA TOUR, Korn Ferry Tour, or PGA TOUR Americas. Thomson is the only Canadian ever to finish inside the Top 25 rankings and has secured full tour status for the rest of the season on the PGA Tour Americas.

With his participation in the RBC Canadian Open just around the corner in Toronto, I had the chance to catch up with him. As someone who’s known Hunter since he was a kid, I couldn’t resist asking him a few personal—and nostalgic—questions.

Hunter Thomson laying the foundation

Joanne: One of my earliest memories of you is when your parents built a little golf hole in your backyard—you were probably only six years old at the time. How many hours a week do you think you spent practicing out there?

Hunter: I for sure spent at least an hour or two per day out there. When the weather was nice, probably almost 15 hours per week. I even remember the exact routing of the course I built in my head to this day. It wasn’t much, but it really helped me fall in love with the game. Without that, I’m not sure I would be where I am today.

Hunter Thomson Wins His First Tournament - presented by Jamie Reimer

Joanne: I also remember how, when PGA Tour events were on, you used to sit and handwrite every player’s stats in pencil—glad technology has caught up and saved you a bit of time! Did you ever imagine, even back then, that one day you would be the player on TV, competing in the RBC Canadian Open?

Hunter: I’m not really sure, to be honest. I think when I was a kid I would imagine it, but I didn’t start believing it until I was probably about 11 or 12. Since then, though, I knew it would become a reality one day. Now I’ll be able to look at my own ShotLink stats at the Canadian Open, which is a dream come true for me.

Hunter Thomson at a Canadian Junior Golf Association tournament

Joanne: Over the years when I’d see you, I’d always ask about your goals. I remember last year you said one of them was to crack the Top 200 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR). At the time, you were ranked somewhere around 600 and you are currently ranked 68. How did you believe you could climb that high, competing against the best amateurs in the world?

Hunter: When I was in the beginning of my college career, I would play with good players and just think “I can absolutely do that, I’m better than him.” That is how I knew I would be able to break through to the next level. In golf, a lot of the time you don’t have to do anything special, you just must be consistent over time.

Joanne: I also remember asking where you hoped to finish in the PGA TOUR University Rankings, and you mentioned Top 25—but admitted it felt like a long shot. And now, here you are at No. 24. How does that feel?

Hunter: It was a long shot, but sometimes things work out! My tournament at Regionals a couple weeks back was massive, and that vaulted me into the top 25. For the longest time, I was hanging around the mid 30s and high 20s, which gave me a chance with a big week. I am ecstatic that I have status on the Americas tour, and this will help launch my pro career in a big way.

Joanne: "Do you have a tip or two for the rest of us amateurs looking to improve our games?"

Hunter: A few things… these are easy to do with discipline. If you are willing to lower your scores, these things will undoubtedly help.

#1. Get your first chip on the green. Avoiding double chips will save you a shot here or there, which adds up. Even if you must putt it, do it. It takes out a lot of variables. Get the ball on the green!!!

#2. In practice, work on speed control with putting. Mostly from 10-40 feet, as regardless of skill level, most putts come from this distance range. If you can 2 putt most of the time, you will save a lot of shots. If you combine these two tips, it will be tough to make double bogeys, and your scores will improve significantly. These are also two very easy things to control with a little willpower and time.

Joanne: Lastly, are there any current goals you’d like to share, or anything else you’d like to add as you gear up for this next big chapter?

Hunter: The biggest goal I have right now is to have a good season on Americas tour, and finish top 10 in the points list, giving me an upgrade to the Korn Ferry Tour. That would be an amazing step forward in my career at this point. Within the next year, I aspire to have status out on Korn Ferry.

Hunter is turning professional next week at the RBC Canadian Open, and we are very grateful for this last interview with us as an amateur. We wish him the best of luck on his quest to fulfill his PGA Tour dreams.