HOYLAKE, England — Justin Thomas plays his shot from the bunker on the 18th hole during The 151st Open at Royal Liverpool Golf Club on July 20, 2023. | Photo by Oisin Keniry/R&A/R&A via Getty Images
Justin Thomas is one of us. The Senior Open Championship is giving golf fans so much carnage that no one is under par.
Justin Thomas may have missed the cut at the 3M Open, but it gave him a chance to enjoy the Senior Open Championship at Royal Porthcawl in Wales.
Saturday’s third round brought about terrible conditions. Nobody finished under par as only a handful of players, including Padraig Harrington, carded even-par rounds.
But Sunday’s conditions were even worse, with winds gusting up to 40 miles per hour. Intermittent rain also made the stars on the Champions Tour suffer even more.
“Not gonna lie, I can’t stop watching the #SeniorOpen… A PROPER links golf weather day,” Thomas tweeted. “It is absolute carnage for those guys and (I’m sorry) it is fun to watch haha.”
Not gonna lie, I can’t stop watching the #SeniorOpen… A PROPER links golf weather day. It is absolute carnage for those guys and (I’m sorry) it is fun to watch haha
— Justin Thomas (@JustinThomas34) July 30, 2023
It is rare to see professional golfers over par, but these veterans have dealt with it all week. This kind of carnage is perfect for major championships. It is challenging and demoralizing.
Plenty of golf fans replied to Thomas’ tweet in agreement. They too loved seeing the sheer brutality of Royal Porthcawl and the high scores that the Welsh course produced.
Thomas knows how tough that environment is to play in. He has had his own struggles recently, especially at The Open, where he shot an 11-over 82 in his opening round at Royal Liverpool.
Seeing professional players struggle as they have the past four days is somewhat of a hit to their egos. They are consistently making bogeys and high numbers like an amateur player would. Even the dreaded “snowman” has made an appearance on some scorecards.
Granted, most everyday golfers would have quit after just a few holes this weather, so these guys are still far superior.
But The Senior Open has been incredibly entertaining to watch.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and on Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.
