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Course conditions at the 2023 Open Championship are giving golfers fits. Tall grass, stacked bunkers, and insane slopes have made opening rounds difficult for players.
A pair of notable golfers are going viral due to their struggles on certain holes throughout the course. The links at Royal Liverpool made Wyndham Clark and Justin Thomas look like one of us.
These are two of the world’s best at their profession. Thomas entered the tournament ranked No. 20 in the OWGR standings. Clark is even higher given his performance this year.
After winning the US Open, he moved into the top 15. Entering Thursday, he ranked 10th.
Both, however, were made to look foolish throughout their opening rounds.
Clark’s instance came in a shot from that tall grass mentioned earlier. An attempt to chip himself back onto the fairway went horribly wrong.
Go course go! pic.twitter.com/bTaLuVeMif
— PFT Commenter (@PFTCommenter) July 20, 2023
“The course is a force of nature,” one fan wrote after seeing the shot.
“That’s a vicious swipe,” another tweet read.
Clark wasn’t the only one having issues, though. Justin Thomas fell victim to the bunkers a bit later in the day.
Links golf undefeated pic.twitter.com/VYzzB9A8Yk
— The Fried Egg (@the_fried_egg) July 20, 2023
Thomas attempted to skirt the bunker, much like Sepp Straka did on his final shot of the day to sink a birdie. Unfortunately, he misjudged the chip and landed in the sand.
“Sepp pulled a shot like this off earlier, JT just missed. Amazing the thin margin that impossible shots from perfect lies provides,” this fan wrote.
Unfortunately, the bunker issues didn’t end there for Thomas.
Justin Thomas disaster class
JT makes a 9 on the 18th pic.twitter.com/RqbSjpaily
— Barstool Sportsbook (@BSSportsbook) July 20, 2023
Wyndham Clark recovered nicely from his early gaffe, finishing the day at -3. Thomas finished his round at +11.