Ryan Lavner has shared what has completely baffled him about the performances of Justin Thomas at The Open Championship after the American produced a brilliant first round at Royal Troon.
Justin Thomas has threatened to rediscover his old form on a few occasions over the last couple of years, but there have certainly been plenty of setbacks – with the two-time major champion missing the cut at The Masters and the US Open earlier this season.
Thomas reminded everyone of how good he could be, with an eight under opening round at the Scottish Open to take the lead. Unfortunately, he was unable to sustain that over the rest of his tournament at The Renaissance Club and ended up finishing well back of Robert MacIntyre.
Thomas opened with a three under at Royal Troon, but has just one top 25 finish at The Open during his career, so he will be desperate to not fall away in the same way he did last week.
Why Justin Thomas’ Open Championship record is baffling
Some players simply do not have the game to compete on links golf, particularly when it is such a unique test compared to what is played on the PGA Tour most weeks.
Thomas’ record suggests that he is one of those, and that has clearly left Lavner stunned. Speaking on the Golf Channel Podcast, the writer suggested that everything points to Thomas being able to steal the show in Open conditions.
“It’s amazing to me that Justin Thomas, in his Open Championship career, he’s now making his eighth career start, he has just one finish better than a T40,” he said.
“If you look at what Justin Thomas does well, he flights his trajectories, he can shape the ball both ways, at least in his heyday, he was one of the best iron players, if not the best iron player on the planet. And what has he historically struggled with, putting. That’s never been a strong suit for him; this season in particular, it’s a weakness. That is what you want to see from an Open Championship player, shot-making, creativity, great iron play, you can get away with pretty average putting.
“It boggles my mind that JT has never played well in The Open. He said that if he could play one style of golf for the remainder of his career, it would be links golf. The love affair that he has with this style of play is such a great fit that I want it to work.”
Scottish Open disappointment could now prove to be beneficial
In some ways, Thomas’ performance at the Scottish Open will now feel particularly helpful as he looks to build on his first round at Troon. It will provide a real reminder of what can happen if he is not able to quickly get into his stride in his second round.
Thomas just needs to remain patient and then take the opportunities when they come his way, particularly on a course like Troon which is so often waiting to trip you up.
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