Justin Thomas birdied his ultimate two holes to shoot a 3-under-par 68 and set the early tempo on the 152nd Open Championship on Thursday at Royal Troon in Troon, South Ayrshire, Scotland.
Thomas, a two-time main champion who is struggled in fresh seasons, rang up seven birdies to make up two bogeys and a double. A chip-in birdie at the second one hollow despatched him on his approach, and he was once 4 beneath via 11 holes ahead of dropping his tee shot on the par-4 twelfth.
Settling for double bogey there and bogey at No. 13 did not take him out of the operating amid the cool, wet prerequisites at the Scottish seashore. Thomas birdied the par-3 seventeenth from 8 ft to tie a gaggle of co-leaders at 2 beneath, and he were given a 25-foot birdie putt at No. 18 to fall to take the lead outright.
“I believe like the entirety has been turning the proper approach, and I have been running at the proper issues,” mentioned Thomas, who is winless for the reason that 2022 PGA Championship. “Identical to I mentioned, I have never truly had a lot to turn for it. That is simply how this sport works every now and then. However I do know that I am shut the best way it’s, and I am simply going to stay taking part in and now not play for effects, simply play for my sport, and it’s going to deal with itself.”
Alex Noren of Sweden, Nicolai Hojgaard of Denmark, Justin Rose of England and Russell Henley posted 2-under 69s previous within the day. Rose, 43, who needed to undergo ultimate qualifying to make the sphere, was once the one one to shoot a bogey-free spherical.
Adam Scott of Australia, Englishman Matt Wallace and Chris Kirk had been within the clubhouse at 1-under 70.
Rory McIlroy of Northern Eire already is at risk of lacking the lower after a disastrous stretch of holes. On the par-3 8th hollow nicknamed the Postage Stamp for its small inexperienced, McIlroy discovered the Coffin bunker off the tee. On his first try to punch out, the ball trickled backtrack the slope into the sand.
After taking double bogey there and bogey at No. 10, McIlroy drove out of bounds on the par-4 eleventh and incurred some other double bogey. He was once 6 over via 16 holes at 3 p.m. native time.
Tiger Woods, Brooks Koepka and Collin Morikawa had simply teed off within the afternoon wave.
–Box Degree Media
