Get your birdies now because this will be as easy as Royal Troon plays in this 145th Open Championship. The scoring conditions are absolutely perfect. The course was already soft after an excessively rainy July, which makes a links course much more gettable. Then Thursday’s first round opened with perfect sunshine and minimal wind.
The Open leaderboard 2016: Justin Thomas is on fire at Royal Troon
The up-and-coming American is the early pacesetter, posting four birdies in his first four holes at The Open.
Royal Troon’s opening nine holes are among the shortest and easiest on The Open rota. We’ve heard player after player say all week that you must post red numbers on those first six or seven holes if you want to make a move up the leaderboard. Once you make the turn, the holes get tougher and longer, and the prevailing wind is no longer helping.
Justin Thomas has been the hottest player on the course in this first wave of the first round, playing his first four holes in 4-under to rocket to the top of the leaderboard. He was nearly 5-under through his first four holes, but an eagle putt burned the edge and refused to drop up on the 4th green.
I would draw a photo of Justin Thomas' round so far but this makes more sense pic.twitter.com/6KaS6sAtxI
— Shane Bacon (@shanebacon) July 14, 2016
Thomas is not more that 150 pounds, but he absolutely uncorks off the tee to blast drives as far as almost anyone, save for the top two or three bombers in the game. He’s using that length on Thursday morning on the shortest stretch of a course that’s added only 150 yards since Arnold Palmer won here more than 50 years ago.
Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and Jason Day are all getting out on this gettable front nine now as well and the pressure will be on to get those birdies in their first hour on the course.
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