Thomas endures more major misery with disastrous 82

Just a month after shooting an 81 in the second round of the US Open the former US PGA champion went one worse on opening day at Hoylake

MAKING NAY HAY: Justin Thomas plays from the rough on the 12th during day two of the Genesis Scottish Open 2023 at The Renaissance Club, North Berwick. Pic: Steve Welsh/PA Wire.

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.

Elsewhere world number three Jon Rahm drew first blood at the Open - but not in the way he intended after a fan sustained a head injury from one of his errant shots.

The Masters champion sprayed his tee shot at the 12th into the gallery where it struck a man close to his right temple and left him with blood streaming down the side of his face.

By the time Rahm arrived on the scene the spectator was already receiving treatment but the Spaniard then discovered there was insult to add to the injury he had inflicted as his ball had ricocheted into the nearby bunker and was so close to the face he had no option but to play out back towards the tee.

"How are you?" asked the Ryder Cup star. "OK. How's your lie?" replied the fan. "It's terrible," was Rahm's response.

More pain was to follow for the golfer at least as he could only bogey the 442-yard par-four and that dropped him to one over.

PA