England’s Thomas Blizzard says he loves so much about golf and although it throws up challenges for his condition of Autism, these difficulties are also helping him to learn about dealing with pressure – competitive, work and social – while making him more resilient as a player and a person.
“It [golf] helps me to relax, and it gives me time to spend with family and friends. I also enjoy the competitive aspect when I get to enter big events,” says the 18-year-old from Bromsgrove, Worcestershire.
2024 has already been an exciting summer for the young man who was introduced to the game by his Grandfather at Droitwich Golf Club when he was aged 11, and where he remains a member to this day.
Consistent performances in recent EDGA events propelled Thomas into the ‘gross’ top 20 of the World Ranking for Golfers with Disability (he is 19th at the time of writing) which qualified him to play in the second G4D Open at Woburn in mid May.
This flagship global G4D (golf for the disabled) championship is staged by The R&A in partnership with the DP World Tour and supported by EDGA. This year saw 80 players competing from 19 countries, in nine ‘sport classes’ which cover all impairment categories: three standing classes, two seated categories, two intellectual classes and two categories for golfers with a visual impairment.
Thomas explains: “So I’m in the sport class Intellectual 2. Difficulties you can face include general anxiety on a whole and struggling to gauge situations. It’s mainly the physical, social aspect of it you can struggle with but there are other things that it entails.
“I really struggled when I was young. As you get older, you kind of learn to deal with things, and I have certain coping mechanisms that make it a lot easier.”
Before he could focus on the tournament at Woburn, Thomas had to make room in his final practice day for something else that was important, namely sitting his A Level in Business studies, at North Bromsgrove Sixth Form.
“I had an A Level on the Tuesday morning,” smiles Thomas. “So we came up on the Monday and after a first practice we had to go back home. The exam was in the morning, so I sat in there for two hours. Then we drove back to Woburn in a couple of hours to try and make the practice round in the afternoon. It was interesting!”
He recounts the opening nerves of the big tournament. “On the first tee at Woburn, there were a good 40 people or so. I didn’t know where the club face was, when I was swinging it back!”
Despite the pressures of the week, Thomas started the tournament well. He said wisely after the first of three rounds: “You’re never going to win a tournament on the first day. You can only lose it. It’s just trying to stay in there and not shoot a million, basically.
“Part of my condition of Autism makes social and high pressure scenarios extremely difficult to function in. With golf being a heavily mental game it often leads to my detriment as I can easily get frustrated over things when they don’t go as planned, and this will then lead to a knock-on effect for holes to come. This happened in the final round at Woburn which cost me an opportunity of getting close to the leaders.”
Looking back, Thomas must be pleased with his overall performance at Woburn, given the pressure he will have been feeling, amplified by his condition. Thomas would not only win his sport class, Intellectual 2, he would run the leaders of the overall tournament very close, including defending champion Brendan Lawlor of Ireland and this year’s eventual champion, World No: 1, England’s Kipp Popert. Thomas’s rounds of 76, 73, 76 for seventh place overall on the challenging Duchess Course sets him a benchmark for a return next year.
“I loved playing in The G4D Open at Woburn, the venue itself was amazing and facilities were second to none. I learned that I can compete with some unbelievable and inspiring golfers and be able to perform in high pressure environments.”
At the time of writing, Thomas was also fine-tuning his game in time to join his national team, playing for England in the European Team Championship for Golfers with Disability in Germany in mid July.
He is clearly grateful for the opportunities.
“I appreciate massively the commitment my Mum and Dad have put in over the years. My Mum [Katrina] has always supported me and never pushed me into any of it, and my Dad [Andrew] has sacrificed a lot of time to take me to events since I reached the level where I needed to go all over the UK. A special thanks to my Granddad who’s helped me the whole way and without him I wouldn’t be where I am today.
“I am also very grateful for all the support from my coach of the last five years, Jamie Carney, the Head Professional at Robin Hood Golf Club, Solihull, who has helped my game tremendously and offered me the opportunity of starting work towards my next step.
“Finally, a massive thank you to Droitwich Golf Club; their continued support has allowed me to push on, and with the improvements to the course, thanks to Billy Hayes and Tom Waldron over the last few years, it’s allowed me to sharpen my game on a golf course in great condition.”
Thomas adds: “Golf has helped me grow and develop as a person, so much so that it has given me an opportunity to follow a career in golf as I’m going to start my PGA degree later this year.”
From October, Thomas will be starting his three-year Professional Golf Studies degree at Birmingham University, working out of Robin Hood Golf Club, with Jamie Carney’s support as a mentor.
The G4D Open was one of nine tournaments held on the G4D Tour, the tour staged by the DP World Tour, at regions including Europe, USA, Australia, Africa and the UAE.
Thomas says: “My goal in the next year is to become an established player on the G4D Tour, as well as trying to win some mini tour events after I turn Pro in October.”
With Thomas’s level of commitment, focus and his love of everything about golf, who knows how far he can go in the game.
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