“Let's try to see if we can break 90” - Thomas Bjorn reacts to shooting 66 at the Irish Open

Thomas Bjorn carded a 66 to contend for the lead on Day 1 of the Irish Open 2023. Much like several fans, Bjorn himself seemed surprised by his round. The golfer was all smiles while talking about how he aimed at breaking 90 and ended up shooting 66.

The Dane is a pro at navigating The K Club. Having played several rounds on the course through his career, the 52-year-old on Thursday chuckled at how he exceeded his own expectations on the opening round. Opening up about his 66 in the post-round presser, the golfer pointed out that he’s “just happy” to be playing on the greens after a break.

Speaking about his Irish Open opening round at The K Club, Thomas Bjorn said, as quoted by Golf Monthly:

"I said to Chris (Bjorn’s caddie) this morning when we walked to the first tee, I said, let's try to see if we can break 90, and after nine holes I said I've got to shoot 56 on the back nine to break 90 so we'll be alright. It was that kind of day.

I came here, I've got no feelings for the game, and it just shows how silly this game can be. You can work hard for weeks and go out and shoot bad scores. Expectations sometimes gets in the way of professional golf, as I've known, and then you just go out and enjoy yourself, you're just happy to be on the golf course after so long… It's just one of those things."

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Thomas Bjorn lauds his experience at The K Club for strong Irish Open round

Bjorn went on to thank his experience at The K Club for making him so comfortable on the greens despite the lack of action in the past months. The Ryder Cup vice-captain noted that he “drove it very well” and managed to keep his nerves calm throughout the Irish Open opening day.

He also said, as quoted by Golf Monthly:

“I think I missed one fairway in this round of golf, and then this golf course becomes a lot easier to deal with. I hit it under the tree on the 9th, my last home, and that was the first time I had to hit some kind of shot. It was one of those days. It's quite a remarkable game sometimes. It's nice to come into a golf course you know well. You kind of know the lines and you know where to go and how to deal with them.”

The Dane noted that “experiences on golf courses” can’t be bought and can only be “earned.” Needless to say, Bjorn is very comfortable at the DP World Tour Irish Open. It’ll be interesting to see how the veteran golfer finishes the weekend.