Local golfer competes in world-renowned Open Championship

Rising star Thomas Thurloway
Rising star Thomas Thurloway

Local golfer Thomas Thurloway competed in The Open last week, going head to head against the game's very best for the grand prize.

As a young golfer and an amateur, Thurloway's expectations were not too high, and he missed out on the cut after the first 36 holes with a score of +14.

The 21-year-old originally qualified for The Open after hitting back to back rounds of 69 in Final Qualifying to claim a place at the prestigious tournament, achieving a dream of every golfer, but was unable to back it up with a positive performance.

Thurloway, who has been playing golf since he was 12, placed 155th from the 156 golfers in his first Open after two difficult rounds, but the fact that five-time major Championship winner Phil Mickelson was just 20 places higher demonstrates the quality of the field.

Thurloway can now look forward to the Walker Cup after he was selected to be a part of the Great Britain and Ireland squad that takes on the United States in September.