Jonathan Thomson

At 6ft 9ins, Thomson became the tallest player in European Tour history when he came through the Qualifying School in 2017 and marked his Open debut in style with a hole-in-one at Royal St George's in 2021.

The man nicknamed 'Jigger', coined because he often danced in his nappies as a toddler, gave himself plenty of reasons to celebrate when he aced the 16th during his second round, extending his stay through the weekend.

 “It is just phenomenal, to be honest,” Thomson said. “The roar, the shot, everything about that hole, it is indescribable really. 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 made his major championship debut after finishing second to New Zealander Daniel Hillier in the 36-hole Final Qualifying at Hollinwell, where he is the attached professional. 

He first picked up a club at the age of five at Rotherham Golf Club, where he practised alongside a promising group of youngsters including future Masters winner Danny Willett.

He then battled leukaemia for five years, but was still able to work on his golf game after having to give up impact sports.

In January 2020, he equalled a long-standing world record for the most consecutive birdies as he recorded a phenomenal nine in a row on the Portugal Pro Tour.