Injury comeback ends in disappointment for Justin Thomas at Arnold Palmer Invitational

Things did not go according to plan for Justin Thomas. He did not expect his comeback from an injury layoff to pan out like this. Thomas crashed out of the Arnold Palmer Invitational upon his return from injury. He shot two rounds of seven-over to finish last and miss the cut. The 16-time PGA Tour winner knew that the brutal conditions would worsen. Despite his poor showing on the course, his efforts were applauded by many.

Tough Bay Hill conditions sink Justin Thomas on return from injury

It was a brave call from the 16-time PGA Tour winner to make his return at one of the toughest golf courses on the circuit. Thomas chose to return to the place where he belongs, eager to make a comeback and pick up the golf club again after not playing competitively for five months. However, the challenging conditions at Bay Hill are not ideal when a player is not 100 percent confident during a comeback and is still struggling with the swing.

The frustration and dejection were quite visible on Justin Thomas’ face as he endured a difficult week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Speaking after missing the cut, Thomas addressed reporters and spoke his heart out.

“I’d come out here to practice, but it doesn’t really make sense to putt on these greens… I mean, there’s zero chance that they’re going to be alive Sunday. They are so dead already, so that is one good thing about not playing here this weekend, because it is going to suck. It’s going to be really hard,” Thomas said as quoted by hitc.com.

Rory McIlroy has been critical of Bay Hill

Conditions are extremely challenging at Bay Hill, and experienced golfer Rory McIlroy also shared his views about the course. McIlroy has been openly critical of Bay Hill over the years. He also agreed with Thomas’ statement that the golf course is tough and will pose even more challenges in the coming days.

“If we don’t get any rain the next couple days, which it looks like we won’t, it’s going to be very, yeah, it’s going to be really difficult. “It’s difficult even if you hit the ball in the fairway, with this little bit of breeze, with the firm greens, I mean, it’s hard to get the ball close," McIlroy said.

“You’re hitting good iron shots to 25, 30 feet all the time, and then you’re not going to make a lot of those. So, really have to make the bulk of your score on the par-5s and just stay really patient for the rest of the way,” he added.

McIlroy is currently tied for ninth and trailing leader Daniel Berger. All eyes will be on McIlroy in the third round to see whether his patience can overcome the tough conditions at Bay Hill.

Also read: Justin Thomas sums up tough return at Bay Hill: “These scores are a lot lower than I thought they would be”


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