Justin Thomas could be forgiven if he felt like snapping his sand wedge in half at the British Open overnight, after the World No.20 turned in an 11-over round of 82 on the opening day. The nightmare outing, which featured four bogeys, two double-bogeys and a cringe-inducing quadruple bogey on the 18th hole at Royal Liverpool, left fans in utter disbelief at the 30-year-old’s struggles.
While it was hometown hero Tommy Fleetwood who set the early running with a five-under-par 66, Thomas was left in utter despair after becoming trapped in the 18th hole bunkers, a miserable end to what had already been an difficult day. Having missed the cut in three of his last four starts, Thomas faces an uphill battle to make it at The Open, after getting off to an inauspicious start by chipping into the bunker on the first hole.
His struggles on the 18th were a reflection of how the entire round had been for the American star, chunking his first shot out of the final hole sandtrap directly onto another one opposite. So bad was his lie that he had to hit back towards the tee for a bogey in order to set up another approach to the green.
Fans had plenty of sympathy for the struggling star. His best showing so far in 2023 was fourth place at the Phoenix Open in Arizona back in February.
