Justin Thomas steadies himself in the shower and winds to get an the early British Open lead
Justin Thomas is off to another impressive start in Scotland Justin Thomas is off to another strong start in Scotland, whereas Bryson DeChambeau as well as Rory McIlroy struggled Thursday at Royal Troon.
By Doug Ferguson | The Associated Press
Justin Thomas is off to another great start for the second straight week in Scotland, even if his British Open score doesn’t look that way. He began the first round on Thursday with a 3-under 68 that set an early target and left him satisfied.
Don’t forget that the player was just a week ago at the Scottish Open. Royal Troon required the most effort and, with just enough rain and plenty wind the links across the Ayrshire coast proved capable of slaying players with no prior notice.
U.S. Open Champion Bryson DeChambeau continued to miss par putts and, at one point the shot was moved out of the deep rough just four yards which led to the double bogey. He had a score of 42 on the first nine, and was contemplating an upcoming short trip to Scotland.
Rory McIlroy, hopeful of rebounding to the U.S. Open collapse, made a double bogey at the famous “Postage Stamp” eighth hole as well as sucked the driver out of the hole on the 11th to make a double bogey. He was already 5-over and was fading.
Thomas was not unaffected.
He was among three players to reach 4-under as early players and was playing with the wind in his back on the inward 9 at Troon. Then his shot off the tee landed in an area that demanded an extra drop, and he missed a putt of 4 feet and made a double bogey. The next shot was a wild swoop into grass so thick that the caddie yelled out in the galleries, “Last call. Can anyone see the ball on from the left?” They eventually found the ball, but it was a route to the bogey.
“A little bit of a hiccup in the beginning of the back nine but stayed patient and kept plugging,” Thomas added.
In fact, Thomas managed to keep his cool. He was able to avoid another bogey by hitting 12 feet of par putt and then a 6-iron to 8 feet to birdie on 17th. There was also an 18th hole birdie which showed how the wind was helping him -an iron from the tee, wedge to 25-foot on the closing 458-yard hole.
Justin Rose, who had to pass the final qualifying to be eligible for the Open He also impressed with his bogey-free round of score of 69. He was joined by a team that included Nicolai Hojgaard from Denmark as well as Alex Noren, who only was able to qualify through qualifying for Scottish Open.
Matt Wallace was one of those who was at 4 under in the round, but then he made a three bogeys at the 9th hole. He was 69 when he finished and was joined by Adam Scott.
These are the five points you need to be aware of about The Royal Troon Golf Club.
Justin Leonard, a winner at Royal Troon in 1997, came back on the green for his first appearance since the 2016 tournament and was awarded the honour of the first golf shot, which was accompanied by the sparkling claret jug placed next to him on the podium. He scored an 80, one of the five rounds that were more than 80. The list also comprised John Daly, who made an 8 on the last hole for an 82.
Master’s champion Scottie Scheffler is one of the top players in the world. one player as well Tiger Woods were among the players who played late during the day. The wind was more powerful. The rain never seemed distant. It was difficult for all.
Backs are longer, and generally is a windy one. The opposite direction was used in the beginning and nonetheless caused some difficulties.
“It’s going to play as easy as it can all week, I think, because the ball is getting up there on these holes,” Scott stated. “Last game I took part in, I was able to put 3-irons and 2-irons going into each hole, but today the sand wedge was that went into 15. In trying to figure it out, it was akin to an exercise round — the back nine for me today.”
Thomas did not do well after that 62 in the beginning of his participation in the Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club which is a links-themed course, but not linked turf. Thomas didn’t take much from the course other than to say that it was his opinion that he played better than the 68 the course he played on the course at Royal Troon.
Another memory that was lost in time was the 82 that he first started playing a year ago in Royal Liverpool. Thomas had a tough place this year, attempting to stay out of his chance to play in the PGA Tour postseason (he did) and trying to put his golf game back on the right track. He hasn’t had a win for more than two years. He walked away from Royal Troon feeling for certain he was heading towards the correct direction.
Copyright AP – Associated Press