Mbombela’s Thriston Lawrence powers to fourth at The Open
Lowveld and South African golf fans had their eyes glued to their screens on Sunday July 21 when Mbombela local Thriston Lawrence finished fourth in the Open Championship, his best ever finish at a Major.
Mbombela local Thriston Lawrence has secured his best-ever finish in a Major, finishing fourth in the Open Championship at Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland.
It was a tough week out at Royal Troon for the world’s best golfers during the 152nd Open Championship, with high wind speeds and poor weather plaguing much of the tournament. This meant that five of the world’s top 10 golfers missed the cut after Friday’s second round, and did not play on the weekend.
Lawrence, a former Laerskool and Hoërskool Nelspruit pupil, on the other hand, managed to steer clear of the worst for most of the tournament, courtesy of some early morning tee times which meant he mostly avoided the worst of the weather.
He opened his week with a level-par first round before going three over par in the second round, putting him 10 shots off the lead going into the weekend.
But, a six-under-par round of 65 in the third round catapulted him into contention, placing Lawrence one shot off the leader after moving day. He started the fourth round like a bat out of hell, carding four birdies on the first nine to lead a Major championship for the first time in his career heading into the back nine.
But, sadly, this form did not carry over into the second nine. He went birdieless, and a bogey on 12 took him out of contention.
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Xander Schauffele was faultless in the final round, carding a bogey-free round of 65 that saw him finish on nine under par for the tournament to win the title.
Billy Horschel, who led after the third round, finished second on seven under alongside Justin Rose. Lawrence finished fourth on six under par, earning him the biggest payday of his career thus far.
Despite never having been in contention for a Major championship title before, Lawrence didn’t let the pressure get to him. “I didn’t actually put myself under a lot of pressure,” he said during a post-round interview.
“I just looked at it as a normal Sunday of a normal golf tournament. Yes it is The Open, it is a bigger stage, but being in that moment I felt so calm, it felt like a normal Sunday of me trying to win a golf tournament by trying to be creative and I accomplished that, so I’m really proud of myself.”
Darren Plumb, the CEO of Mbombela Golf Club (where Lawrence is an honorary life member), also expressed his pride in Lawrence’s performance. “It was awesome to see. I think the whole of the Lowveld and actually the whole of South Africa was cheering for him. It’s always lovely to see an up-and-coming golfer on one of the biggest stages in the world. The way he handled himself makes us extremely proud.”
In finishing fourth, Lawrence also automatically qualified for the 2025 US Masters. It will be the first time he will play in the tournament, the only Major Lawrence has yet to play in.
