Son of 'Throwin' Samoan' needs no assistance with distance
So how far can you hit a golf ball?
Probably not as far as Jack Thompson Junior, who can hit it more than 400 yards.
His longest drive in competition is 418 yards. His swing speed? 152 miles an hour – close to 30 miles an hour more than the average PGA Tour Pro.
“I’ve been with every World Champ there is, and I’ve never seen speed like this before,” said swing coach Paul Larson.
Next week, Thompson, the son of legendary Washington State quarterback Jack Thompson, will compete in the Re-Max World Long Drive Championships in Las Vegas for the very first time. His biggest challenge? Keeping the ball inside the 45-yard-wide grid.
"They've called me “Scatter Gun” in the past," Thompson Jr. said. "I guess I got that nickname because the first five years, I had a bit of trouble finding the grid."
He’s armed with an arsenal of 20 drivers, depending on conditions – but fortunately for him, there’s no putter in the bag.
I’m definitely not a putter or short game guy – I'm good for a scramble, but once you get me around the green, it’s foreign to me," Thompson said.
“If he gets down and keeps it in the grid, he’s gonna take the whole thing home,” Larson said.