Thomas sees silver lining in cruel missed cut

Joy Chakravarty 14:14 11/03/2017
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  • Encouraging signs: Rayhan Thomas.

    The Dubai-based teenager, now ranked India’s No1 amateur, shot rounds of six-over par 78 and three-over par 75 to finish on nine-over par at the halfway stage.

    Play was suspended yesterday due to darkness after a second straight day of interruption due to a thunderstorm. All the players playing in the afternoon group were yet to complete their rounds.

    The cut, on what is proving to be a very difficult Gary Player course at DLF Golf & Country Club, is expected to fall at five-over par.

    “I must say I am a little disappointed to miss the cut, but I played super solid this week. I did hit the ball very solid. If they did my proximity to the hole stat, I think I would be in the top-five of the field,” said 17-year-old Thomas, who finished tied 60th in Omega Dubai Desert Classic last month.

    “But in the future, if I have to make a choice of playing badly and missing the cut, or to play like this and miss the cut, I’d much prefer the second option.

    “I really had one bad hole, the 18th where I hit two bad drives and it cost me five shots for the two rounds with a double and a triple, which made all the difference. It is a par-5 hole, so I’d expect to make a birdie there.

    “And I did not make any putt over the two days. The greens were tricky, but my putter went surprisingly cold.”

    Thomas however saw the silver lining in the tough test that he endured.

    “I really enjoyed my first Indian Open. The golf course was interesting. It was very tough and in great condition. I think I am going to find the UAE courses so much more easier when I come back,” he said.

    “It is so different from the course we have back home. The slightest of mis-hits, if you get into the bushes, or find water, can result in a big number. There were times you felt like you saved a shot if you made a bogey after getting into some of these spots.”

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