Jonathan Thomson

Jonathan Thomson goes by the nickname ‘Jigger’ and he has plenty of reasons to dance in celebration this evening after marking his Open debut with a dream hole-in-one.

The 6ft 9in star is the tallest player to feature in golf’s oldest major and he made his presence felt towards the end of his second round on Friday evening.

His tee shot at the 16th landed perfectly on the edge of the green, bounced neatly and rolled into the cup to spark jubilant celebrations for the first ace of the week.

“It is just phenomenal, to be honest,” Thomson said. “The roar, the shot, everything about that hole, it is indescribable really.

“It was a real booster because I was grinding out there, to be fair. It was not easy. I was playing well, I just couldn't seem to get anything going properly.

“Then that happened and it was like, you know, that is just awesome.

“You dream about playing in The Open as a kid and then you come here, have a hole-in-one and make the cut, and it is just like, wow.”

Thomson came through Final Qualifying at his home club, Hollinwell, to make it to Royal St George’s and has now announced himself to the golfing world.

As well as providing him with a moment to savour, the ace also came at a crucial time and helped extend his stay in Sandwich through the weekend.

A follow-up birdie on 17 saw him end as one of a clutch of English players on -2, alongside the likes of Tommy Fleetwood, Ian Poulter and Jack Senior, and he insists the excitement will not stop him keeping his sizable feet on the ground.

“I kind of knew I was always right on the bubble,” he said. “But I also knew that I was playing great, so patience was key and thankfully it has paid off.

“I think I have done a really good job this week of managing expectations. I've got my coach here, my fiancée here with me.

“We have done a really good job of taking control of this as just another golf tournament.

“Obviously it is a major, but we have done a real good job of managing that so far, and that is certainly one of the aims going forward, to keep on top of it.”