Thomas Detry believes his new approach to golf is the reason he’s playing so well in the 2024 US Open
Thomas Detry is one of the players who has surprised fans and experts with his exceptional performance at the US Open 2024. A new approach to the pre-tournament preparation has had a lot to do with his result, according to Detry himself.
After 36 holes, the Belgian is in second place with a score of 4 under, just one stroke behind transitional leader Ludvig Aberg. Detry is currently tied with Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Cantlay.
After the second round of the 2024 US Open, the 31-year-old gave an interview where he credited his successes to a new approach in preparation. This new approach was designed in conjunction with his coach (via Golf Monthly):
"Instead of teeing off early with everyone, we kind of teed off at 4:00 p.m., when there's literally no one on the course. It was actually amazing... I was spending 20 minutes on each green, kind of having a feel for the slopes, having a feel for the grass, for the greens. I thought that was pretty nice."
He added:
"Especially with the late tee times I had yesterday, it was nice to see the course. I was still on the golf course Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. Kind of see the course and the conditions of play as close to what it's going to be during tournament day."
This approach has worked well for Thomas Detry, who has posted scores of 69 and 67 in the first two rounds of the US Open. Thanks to his spot on the leaderboard, Detry's tee time for the third round is 3:24 p.m. (Eastern Time), similar to what he used during his scouting of the course.
The Belgian golfer is ranked 55th in the world. According to SportsLine, his chances of winning the US Open were 125-1 prior to the start of the event.
A look at Thomas Detry's performance at the US Open 2024
Detry had four birdies and three bogeys during the first round of the US Open 2024, for a score of 1 under. On the second day, he had six birdies and three bogeys, carding a score of 4 under after 36 holes.
Detry is one of only a handful of players to score under par in the first two rounds of the US Open. Only Ludvig Aberg (leader), Bryson DeChambeau (T2), and Tony Finau (T5) have achieved a similar performance.
This is the Belgian's third US Open appearance. He previously finished T49 in 2020 and missed the cut in 2021.
If he maintains or improves his current position in the US Open, it would be Detry's best performance in major championships. His previous best result is T4 at the 2024 PGA Championship four weeks ago.