ATLANTA — Justin Thomas began the first round 10 shots back of Scottie Scheffler, as he arrived at East Lake as the 30th-ranked player—the last man in the field.
Justin Thomas avoids Tour Championship “buzzkill,” climbs leaderboard to improve chances
Justin Thomas was the last one in the Tour Championship field, but now he has given himself a chance after a strong opening round.
Jack Milko has been playing golf since he was five years old. He has yet to record a hole-in-one, but he did secure an M.A. in Sports Journalism from St. Bonaventure University.
He faced an overwhelming deficit when he and Christiaan Bezuidenhout teed off Thursday morning, the first group to officially play the restored East Lake. But he made up for it with a brilliant 5-under 66, a round that featured seven birdies.
“I played really solid today and felt like I took advantage of the chances I had,” Thomas said.
“If you’re one or 2-over through 12 and starting where I am, it’s a bit of a buzzkill.”
Having started at even-par, Thomas knew he needed to get off to a strong start on Thursday, and thanks to his putter, he did. Thomas gained more than a stroke on the greens during the first round, a stark contrast from how the flat stick has cooperated for him this season. Thomas ranks 160th on tour in strokes gained putting and 144th in putting percentage inside 10 feet.
The two-time PGA Championship winner did not miss a single putt from inside that distance on Thursday. He even drained a 16-footer for par on the third hole, which greatly kept his momentum. Considering he started with a bogey on the par-4 1st, the most challenging hole on the course, Thomas needed that putt to drop to give himself a chance.
A birdie at the par-4 4th quickly followed, and he was then well on his way. More par-breakers at the 6th, 8th, 12th, and 14th holes ensued, and suddenly, Thomas found himself at 4-under for the championship. He then dropped a shot at the par-4 16th but bounced back with closing birdies on the 17th and 18th to cap a splendid start in the sweltering Atlanta heat.
Of course, the 95-degree temperatures, coupled with the newly constructed greens, have made East Lake’s putting surfaces as hard as a rock. They are firm, fast, and hard, leading some to compare this course to a major championship-like venue. Thomas knew that going in, but he did comment on the greens after his round, applauding the setup staff for their work.
“Definitely seemed more receptive than I thought they have been,” Thomas said.
“Yeah, I don’t know if they just put a lot of water on them or what. They definitely were holding better than I thought. I thought they did a great job... I’m sure it’ll go in waves of how they set the course up. But it was, I thought, fairly gettable today.”
Thomas attacked the golf course when he could, and his aggressive play at times paid off. He soared up the leaderboard, out of the doldrums and into the precipice of contention, a great start considering the mighty deficit he initially faced.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
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