More major misery for Justin Thomas after first round to forget at 151st Open

Thomas was in a tie for 154th after the opening round.

Phil Casey
Thursday 20 July 2023 20:36 BST
Justin Thomas chips out of a bunker on the 18th during day one of The Open at Royal Liverpool (Richard Sellers/PA)
Justin Thomas chips out of a bunker on the 18th during day one of The Open at Royal Liverpool (Richard Sellers/PA) (PA Wire)

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A month after admitting a second round of 81 in the US Open was “humiliating and embarrassing”, Justin Thomas suffered more major misery in the 151st Open.

Thomas was already seven over par for the day when he hit his tee shot on the par-five 18th at Royal Liverpool out of bounds.

The two-time US PGA winner safely found the fairway with his second attempt, but then found a greenside bunker with his approach and, from an awkward lie, could only advance his fifth shot into more sand.

From there Thomas was forced to play out backwards into the rough and, after eventually finding the putting surface with his seventh shot, two-putted from 12 feet for a quadruple-bogey nine.

An 11-over-par 82 left Thomas in a tie for 154th in the 156-man field, Hong Kong’s Taichi Kho having carded an 83 which included a 10 on the 18th following similar bunker trouble.

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