“I had to give it a go” - Thomas Bjorn likely to delay retirement from Pro Golf post impressive performance at the 2023 Andalucia Masters 

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Thomas Bjorn at the Open de Espana (via Getty Images)

Thomas Bjorn is currently playing in the 2023 Andalucia Masters at the Real Club de Sotogrande. He currently stands on the T47 rank on the leaderboard and has shot three rounds of 76-67-70.

Bjorn, 52, had already acknowledged that his professional career was nearing its endgame. While he got an exemption to play on the DP World Tour, he almost missed the cut after registering a bogey on the 15th hole.

However, Thomas Bjorn bounced back strongly. He shot three consecutive birdies and managed to get inside the cut line. He spoke about his mindset on the final three holes of that day and was quoted by Golf.com, saying:

"I had to give it a go and see if I could put a nice round together for that."

After hitting consecutive birdies on Friday, Alex Fitzpatrick came up to Thomas Bjorn and told him that he was putting the ball like his elder brother Matt Fitzpatrick.

The 2018 Ryder Cup-winning captain added that he was enjoying his time at the 2023 Andalucia Masters and praised the youngsters. He also revealed that he will not retire from the game, but added that he would not play the full schedule of the event moving forward.

"I enjoy being out here, I enjoy being with these young guys but everything comes to an end. As much as I will still play a few events here and there, I certainly won't play a full schedule going forward. They're just simply too good," Bjorn said.

Thomas Bjorn was paired with two 24-year-old golfers Alex Fitzpatrick and Dan Bradbury in the first two rounds. He joked that how long he played could be proved by comparing both of the golfers' ages combined, which was still lesser than his current age.

"It becomes real for you when you've been out here for that long and you're coming to the end of it. I still enjoy being out here, I played with two guys (Bradbury and Fitzpatrick) these last two days who are combined younger than I am. That tells a big story," Bjorn said.

Exploring the legacy of Thomas Bjorn in professional golf

The 52-year-old golfer started his professional golfing career back in 1993. After continuous consistent performances on the Challenge Tour, he earned his card for the DP World Tour and clinched 15 titles on the Tour in a career that spanned 30 years.

Despite playing in all four majors quite a number of times, Thomas Bjorn could not record a win to his name. He did come close to winning The Open Championship in 2003 and the PGA Championship in 2005. He finished tied for second in both the times.

Bjorn was an integral part of four European Ryder Cup teams. In all the appearances as a player or a captain, he won the prestigious biennial event. He represented Europe in 1997, 2002, and 2004 as a player and was appointed as captain in 2018.

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