Bangkok: Final summer time, Rayhan Thomas was in a lot ache in his proper palm that he couldn’t play golf the traditional manner.
Rayhan Thomas of India throughout Spherical One of many Worldwide Sequence Thailand on the Thai Nation Membership, Bangkok. (HT Photograph)
So, he determined to do the subsequent smartest thing – play with simply his left hand.
For nearly three months, as he waited for his ultimate season with Oklahoma State College (OSU) to begin and the ache to subside, the 24-year-old Dubai-based Indian continued taking part in at Karsten Creek.
Fairly remarkably, Thomas quickly broke 100 on what is taken into account a tricky format, and inside three weeks, he additionally broke 80!
“Well…it was from the ladies’ tee and we played with certain conditions under which even the out-of-bound areas were treated as hazards,” mentioned Thomas, who shot a bogey-free seven-under-par 63 within the second spherical of the Worldwide Sequence Thailand at Thai Nation Membership on Friday. That helped him climb to tied 14th place at eight-under-par whole.
The 63 was additionally his lowest spherical in his five-month profession as an expert golfer.
“It was fun. My teammates would give me strokes and I managed to win quite a few lunches beating them. However, it has become a part of my drill now. I still hit one-handed shots to get certain feels.”
Throughout the interval, Thomas hit his driver round 210 yards, and the 7-iron to 135 yards.
Thomas had a surgical procedure in October final 12 months, and was off golf till January this 12 months. He turned skilled after ending school in Could and made a blistering begin to his new profession by ending tied eighth in his first Asian Tour occasion – on the Worldwide Sequence Morocco.
The street forward was all the time going to be arduous. He’s attempting to qualify for each Korn Ferry Tour (the pathway to the PGA Tour), and the DP World Tour. He has certified for the second stage in each. He has additionally gained on his debut on the home PGTI circuit, the place he gained the Coimbatore Open in August.
“The thing right now is that I do not have any Tour to play on. I am thankful to the Asian Tour who gave me these opportunities on the International Series. Hopefully, I can also play the Asian Tour Q School later in the year,” added Thomas.
“The dream situation for me would be to secure a card on one of these bigger Tours. I want to have a schedule next year, where I know where I am playing over the next 3-4 months.”
Among the many many highlights in Thomas’ CV is the gorgeous spherical he performed alongside 2011 Open champion Darren Clarke on the 2017 Dubai Creek Open as a 17-year-old. The younger Thomas left the main champion gobsmacked with 9 successive birdies, which matched the world report (Mark Calcavecchia on the 2009 RBC Canadian Open) in a recognised Tour occasion.
“I have vivid memories of that entire round. And I keep going back to it all the time,” mentioned Thomas.
“It always motivates me. Sometimes, when I played the first nine holes to even-par, I tell myself: ‘There is only one person in this field who has made nine birdies in nine holes’. We all try and play little mind-games with ourselves, and that is mine.”
Thomas was one among three Indians to make the reduce within the match, the place American Peter Uihlein led the sphere at 14-under following a second-round 62.
Gaganjeet Bhullar was the best-placed among the many Indian contingent, tied ninth at 9-under par. The Chandigarh professional is bogey-free for his first two rounds. Karandeep Kochhar (-5) was the opposite Indian to make it to the weekend after a 69. The reduce was utilized at 4-under par.