Bangkok: Last summer, Rayhan Thomas was in so much pain in his right palm that he could not play golf the conventional way.
So, he decided to do the next best thing – play with just his left hand.
For almost three months, as he waited for his final season with Oklahoma State University (OSU) to start and the pain to subside, the 24-year-old Dubai-based Indian continued playing at Karsten Creek.
Quite remarkably, Thomas soon broke 100 on what is considered a tough layout, and within three weeks, he also 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,” said Thomas, who shot a bogey-free seven-under-par 63 in the second round of the International Series Thailand at Thai Country Club on Friday. That helped him climb to tied 14th place at eight-under-par total.
The 63 was also his lowest round in his five-month career as a professional 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.”
During the period, Thomas hit his driver around 210 yards, and the 7-iron to 135 yards.
Thomas had a surgery in October last year, and was off golf until January this year. He turned professional after finishing college in May and made a blistering start to his new career by finishing tied eighth in his first Asian Tour event – at the International Series Morocco.
The road ahead was always going to be arduous. He is trying to qualify for both Korn Ferry Tour (the pathway to the PGA Tour), and the DP World Tour. He has qualified for the second stage in both. He has also won on his debut on the domestic PGTI circuit, where he won 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 highlights in Thomas’ CV is the stunning round he played alongside 2011 Open champion Darren Clarke at the 2017 Dubai Creek Open as a 17-year-old. The young Thomas left the major champion gobsmacked with nine successive birdies, which matched the world record (Mark Calcavecchia at the 2009 RBC Canadian Open) in a recognised Tour event.
“I have vivid memories of that entire round. And I keep going back to it all the time,” said 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 of three Indians to make the cut in the tournament, where American Peter Uihlein led the field at 14-under following a second-round 62.
Gaganjeet Bhullar was the best-placed among the Indian contingent, tied ninth at 9-under par. The Chandigarh pro is bogey-free for his first two rounds. Karandeep Kochhar (-5) was the other Indian to make it to the weekend after a 69. The cut was applied at 4-under par.
