Following his impressive display which achieved a number of firsts in his career, Thriston Lawrence said he adopted a simple approach at The Open Championship.
Lawrence led by one with nine holes to play in the final round at Royal Troon in Scotland on Sunday, and through little fault of his own he was overtaken by a charging Xander Schauffele.
The 27-year-old Lawrence eventually settled for fourth place, but with just one dropped shot in his fourth round three-under 68 he did not show any signs of buckling under the immense pressure of trying to win a major.
Instead, Lawrence improved on his best finish of 42nd in a major by a massive margin after playing in the final group in one of the big four events for the first time.
𝗪![CDATA[]]>𝗵![CDATA[]]>𝗲![CDATA[]]>𝗻 𝘆![CDATA[]]>𝗼![CDATA[]]>𝘂![CDATA[]]>𝗿 𝗲![CDATA[]]>𝘆![CDATA[]]>𝗲 𝗶![CDATA[]]>𝘀 𝗶![CDATA[]]>𝗻, 𝘆![CDATA[]]>𝗼![CDATA[]]>𝘂![CDATA[]]>𝗿 𝗲![CDATA[]]>𝘆![CDATA[]]>𝗲 𝗶![CDATA[]]>𝘀 𝗶![CDATA[]]>𝗻! 👏
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) July 20, 2024
🇿![CDATA[]]>🇦 Thriston Lawrence with a great shot on the 8th hole 🔥
📺 Stream #TheOpen live: https://t.co/rM90YyR504 pic.twitter.com/GjvYcJuJXL
‘Just a normal Sunday’
“I think I did pretty well out there. I didn't actually put myself under the pressure that some people are supposed to,” said Lawrence.
“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, me trying to win a golf tournament, trying to be creative, and I managed to accomplish that. So I’m very proud of myself.”
Indeed, Lawrence did not change his game plan though he was in contention. He continued to smash drivers when a number of other players were hitting irons off the tees, as Lawrence stayed aggressive throughout the round.
“It's like any other tournament. Once you're in the lead you always think about winning. But teeing up today, that was my mindset, going out there to try and win. So being in the lead or being one or two shots back doesn't change the mindset or game plan or anything.”
His fourth place finish earned Lawrence temporary membership for the rest of the year on the US PGA Tour, entry into the 2025 Masters at Augusta and a return to The Open Championship next year.
Ernie Els remains the last South African to win a major, with his Open Championship victory at Royal Lytham & St Anne’s in 2012.
Having previously won four times on the DP World Tour (DPWT), and three times on the Sunshine Tour including the 2022 SA Open, Lawrence certainly moved up another notch in his career over the weekend.