'I've given up on that': Thomas Detry's honest major admission before LIV Golf charge

Thomas Detry says he has "given up" thinking about major championship qualification after a series of agonising near-misses, but the Belgian now finds himself in position to secure spots in both the U.S. Open and The Open this weekend at LIV Golf Andalucia.

Detry, 33, heads into the final 36 holes at Valderrama in solo second place on four-under par after a second-round 70, sitting two shots behind leader Tyrrell Hatton.

The timing could hardly be better.

Currently ranked 66th in the Official World Golf Ranking, Detry knows a strong finish in Spain could be enough to move him inside the world's top 60 before the U.S. Open qualification deadline on 15 June. 

A victory would comfortably achieve that goal, while a runner-up finish is also projected to leave him with a realistic chance of making the field at Shinnecock Hills.

There is even more at stake.

The leading non-exempt player in LIV Golf's season-long individual standings following this week's event will earn a place in The Open at Royal Birkdale. 

As things stand, Detry, currently ranked fifth on the list, is in line to claim that exemption, although several players remain within striking distance heading into the weekend.

It marks a remarkable turnaround for the LIV Golf star who has endured a frustrating few weeks in his pursuit of major championship starts.

Detry, who represents Dustin Johnson's 4Aces, narrowly missed out on U.S. Open qualification at Walton Heath after losing a four-man playoff to Ugo Coussaud for the seventh and final place in the field. 

Two days before that, he missed the cut by a single stroke at Aronimink, which cost him a chance to move into the world's top 60. 

Speaking after his second round at LIV Golf Andalucia where he moved into solo second on the leaderboard, Detry admitted the recent setbacks had left him mentally exhausted when it came to thinking about the majors.

"Not really," said Detry, when asked if he had qualifying for the two remaining majors on his mind entering LIV Golf Andalucia this week.

"Weirdly enough, I feel like the last couple of weeks I've been beaten up on that side of things. I missed out on the top-60 cutoff by pretty much nothing, and then I had to have a half decent week at the PGA, ended up missing the cut by one.

"Then I flew back to England, played a qualifier, played 36 holes, thought I qualified, and I ended up losing in a playoff. I feel like that U.S. Open spot is going to be -- if I end up qualifying, it's going to be a very well-deserved qualified spot because you look at my results the last couple of tournaments, and I think I've had seven top 10s in my last 11 or 12 events. So it's been pretty consistent.

"But we make so many low world ranking points that it's sometimes tough to just stay inside the top 60.

"Yeah, like I said, the majors, no, I really want to qualify for the majors. But I've been beaten up pretty well the last couple weeks, so I've given up on that and I'm just focusing on having a good week this week, to be honest."

Despite those comments, Detry is now just two rounds away from potentially securing his place in both of golf's oldest and most prestigious championships.

For now, his focus remains firmly on chasing a maiden individual LIV Golf title. 

But after weeks of disappointment, the majors suddenly appear back within reach.

And if Detry can maintain his position near the top of the leaderboard at Valderrama, his decision to stop worrying about qualification may end up delivering exactly the reward he had been chasing all along.