Ole Miss player back at TPC Southwind
MEMPHIS – Braden Thornberry was greeted at the first hole by an ovation from a small crowd littered with navy blue and red shirts and hats. The Ole Miss seniorto-be drove his shot 296 feet into the left rough but recovered and scored a birdie.
The up-and-down hole was representative of Thornberry’s day, as he went on to score a 3-over-par 73 in the first round in the FedEx St. Jude Classic at TPC Southwind on Thursday. Despite making three bogeys and a double bogey, he never overtly expressed his frustration.
“When he’s at home he’s a lot more animated than he is on the course,” said Veronica Thornberry, Braden’s mother. “He tries to keep everything very evenkeeled when he’s playing.”
Thornberry credited Ole Miss sports psychologist Josie Nicholson with helping him but noted that experience is the best teacher. “There’s gonna be times that you make bogeys and doubles, but try not to let it come from mental mistakes,” he said.
The No. 2-ranked amateur in the world will have a chance to improve on his performance in the second round Friday. While this is Thornberry’s second St. Jude appearance, he has history with the course.
He shot a 61 at TPC Southwind in the ninth grade, and he often attended the tournament growing up before winning 11 individual titles at Ole Miss, including the 2017 NCAA championship.
Thornberry will need a low score Friday for a chance to make the cut. Seamus Power, who was born in Ireland and played at East Tennessee State, was the leader with a 65 with several players still on the course. The 31-year-old seeks his first PGA Tour victory.
Phil Mickelson, 2017 U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka and Steve Stricker were among the group of players who shot 66.
Thornberry became interested in golf because of his dad, and his mother would drop him off at the golf course on her way to work. He fell in love with the game, became enamored with improving and made life-long friends.
Ross Redmont, one of those friends, was in the crowd on Thursday. The University of TennesseeMartin golfer met Thornberry in the eighth grade.
At a junior tournament years ago, Redmont got excited after shooting 2 or 3 under. When he checked the leaderboard, however, he was shocked. Thornberry had shot a 61 and led by seven. “I was like, ‘You’re unbelievable,’ ” Redmont said.
It’s been a big week for Thornberry, who qualified for his first U.S. Open on Monday. He tied for fourth at sectional qualifying in Memphis.
“(Playing in the U.S. Open) is one of those things that (whether) you play good or bad doesn’t really matter, you get home and you’re like, ‘Wow, that was a really cool experience,’ ” Thornberry said. “When I’m playing here I don’t have time to think about it, but it’s pretty special.”
Why hasn’t Thornberry turned pro? For him, the timing simply isn’t right.
“What me and (Ole Miss) coach (Chris) Malloy have talked about is, ‘What makes our path the longest?’ ” he said. “We want to have a lot of different opportunities coming up and not rush any decisions.”