How would you feel if you continued to not succeed at what you loved so much? Disheartened, most probably, right? Like any normal person would. But, well, that is not what JT feels. He likes to hustle. For Justin Thomas, Links courses are synonymous with “love,” as he has a special connection with it, or more like a love-hate kind of relationship. He loves them, and golf links do not think much of him. It took him some time to develop this affection, and it remains unchanged, even after this year’s Royal Troon blow.
JT finished T31 with 6-over-par at The Open Championship held at Royal Troon. Recently, the 31-year-old was on the ‘No Laying Up‘ podcast and was asked about how many rounds of golf he played overseas that were not practice rounds for the two tournaments he played in and not competitive rounds for the tournaments that he played in. He was questioned about how many other extra rounds of golf he played in the UK and Ireland.
Responding to the question, Thomas said, “I played five total. So yeah, I played what was played in North America on Monday, the Scottish Open. And then, after the Open, I went on a little trip to Ireland and played for four rounds in three days there. So yeah, I’m a psychopath. I played a lot of golf.”
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The major championships are already challenging and demand a lot of energy and focus from golfers. But just after the Open Championship, Justin Thomas went to Ireland to record an episode of Smylie Kaufman Show. He played four good rounds of golf there with his friends, including Jordan Spieth. Knowing how taxing it could sound to some people, he jokingly described this behavior as psychotic.
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“I mean, I’ve always had plenty of confidence. And I’ve always loved links golf,” said Thomas. Despite knowing his past struggles and experiencing difficulties with the Links courses, Justin Thomas’s affection for Links courses remains the same. The 31-year-old further added, “I think I’ve struggled as much as I love links golf; my record is not very good at it.” For the past three years, the golfer has struggled to deliver ideal performances. In 2021, he finished at T40, and the following year, he finished at T53. Last year, Justin Thomas missed the cut for the Open Championship.
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In 2016 at Royal Troon, where he finished T53, he missed the cut in both 2017 and 2018 as well. Although he made a comeback in 2019, finishing T-11 it was for that year only. So, what drives this 31-year-old pro to enjoy links courses?
Why does Justin Thomas love Links golf?
After the first round of this year’s Open Championship, it was looking good for the golfer. He shot 68 in his first round and claimed the clubhouse lead after recovering from a double bogey-bogey at the start of the back nine. Before heading to the second round the 31-year-old talked about his performance and his reasons for liking the Links course as revealed on the Open Championship’s website.
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“If I had to choose one style of golf to play for the rest of my life, it would be a links course. It’s fun. I could stand there in the middle of the fairway on 18 from 180 yards, and I feel like I could hit seven different clubs, but that’s the fun part of it, and I have to use a little bit of my creative side, which I like doing,” said Justin Thomas describing his reasons.
What do you think about Justin Thomas and his attachment to the Links course, and his “psychopath” kind of love for golf?