Bay Hill Club and Lodge did not exactly give Justin Thomas an enthusiastic welcome on his long-awaited return to the PGA Tour after back surgery, and the former world number one faced perhaps his most challenging moments at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Thomas’ Opening Round on Thursday was a very harsh awakening. Moreover, with the amount of competitive rust he had, it was never going to be easy for him, and his comeback round really disintegrated very quickly on the card.
Recalling his mental lapses, Thomas stated there is “no excuse to make that many mistakes”. At the end of the first day, he finished with a disappointing score of 7 over par, which put him in a tie for last on the scoreboard with a 79.
The most evident rust in Thomas’s game was on the putting surface. Thomas admitted he had “putted terribly” as he struggled with the pace of the greens, which ultimately crushed any chances he had of salvaging a respectable score.
Six bogeys and two double bogeys cluttered his scorecard, and the only bright spot was a mere three birdies for the entire round. On the back nine, the focus was on strategy, but it was the concentration that became his toughest battle.
A Mentally Taxing Return to Competition
Thomas likened his challenging return to the course to Xander Schauffele’s return last season. He mentioned that picking this “dicey” course to start “kind of sucks”. The course has been getting more and more difficult as time goes on.
Despite the tough course conditions, Thomas did not use them as an excuse. He mentioned that some of the other players handled the conditions a lot better than he did. “Everybody else is out here playing the same place I am”, he mentioned.
His top priority is recovery. He said he does not have the “mental capacity” to hit more balls. Instead, he will rest this evening to recover.
With the cut line approaching, Thomas needs to play well to reach it. He intends to improve his score in his first tournament back on Friday. The tournament’s opening hurdle is in front of him, and he will have to be at his best to clear it.