By Scott Grayston
UAE star Rayhan Thomas has proven once again that he can mix it with the world’s elite amateurs as he made the cut in the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship to advance into the matchplay stage with the other top 64 players.
The 18 year old Indian was disappointed to score 75 in his first round at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield – the same course that has hosted the U.S. Open seven times and the PGA Championship twice. Although his round included three birdies, he also shot seven bogeys to leave him with plenty of work to do in the second day to make the cut.
Thomas responded to his frustrating opening round in an emphatic manner especially on the back nine as he made two birdies and an eagle in his last five holes en route to firing an impressive round of 70. This left him tied 40th on the leaderboard which was three shots clear of the cut.
Out of the 64 that have progressed to the matchplay stage last year – Rayhan advanced the furthest after reaching the semi-finals before falling to eventual winner Noah Goodwin.
It will be intriguing to see if the Dubai-based teenager can go one better this time around and add his name to a sublime list of previous winners that includes Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth.
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