Inconveniently, Justin Thomas scanned his ball and the hole on the fifth par-5 hole at Sedgefield Country Club. He took one final look, made the putt, and couldn’t help but fist pump when he saw the ball go in. Thomas has been open about how hard he’s been working while going through a slump all week, and on Saturday at the Wyndham Championship, his resolve was clear.
At No. 79 in the FedExCup Rankings, he began the Wyndham Championship requiring at least a solo 18th-place result but probably a three-way tie for fourth to secure a top-70 Playoffs position. After a slow opening round of 70, he followed it up with consecutive rounds of 65 and 66 to get ever closer to that mark.
He was T11 after the final putt on Saturday, nine shots off the lead and six shots behind fourth place, and was expected to climb to No. 72 in the FedExCup Rankings.
“I performed well. Although I had excellent ball control, I didn’t drive the ball as well as I would have liked on the back nine. I believe I did a wonderful job holding the ball underneath the hole in a great area to get it up and down when I was out of position, something I feel like I do well when I’m playing well.” Thomas stated after his round.
The 15-time TOUR champion kept up his nimble approach to play on Saturday. He started his round with three straight birdies on holes Nos. 3-5, sinking putts from 9, 14, and 8 feet, despite missing a birdie attempt from 6 feet on the second hole.
Thomas missed an 8-foot birdie putt on the eighth hole and recorded his first bogey after crashing his ball into a tree on the 9th par-4 hole. He was not granted temporary immovable object relief due to the nearby leaderboard and he was unable to get up and down after pitching out.
He completed the turn in 2 under par and then used a 7-footer to make the 13th. He was able to preserve par after missing his tee ball left on the 15th par-5 and eventually birdied the 17th for a 33 on the back nine. He placed fifth in SG: Around the Green and 22nd in SG: Approach.
Thomas wants to make his ninth consecutive appearance in the FedExCup Playoffs. He likened it to the 2013 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament, where he was in 122nd place going into the fourth round.
“It’s a lot like Q-School. I entered the final round of Q-School with the goal of winning a golf match, not placing 45th. It would have been sufficient to meet the requirements even if I merely fell short. Although considerably different, the circumstance is somewhat comparable. Sure, it makes you nervous, but these are distinct kinds of nerves. In other words, from my perspective, it’s much more difficult than trying to win a golf match. When competing in a tournament, I believe that you go in with the mindset that even though you don’t win, you still have a great week. If I simply don’t complete it in time for the tasks I need to complete this week, it’s a big loss and my year is over.” the 15-time TOUR winner said.
Thomas makes it apparent that he is not utilizing stress as motivation, as he has in the past, which is a mistake.
I believe that’s the reason I’ve played so poorly over the past two to three months. I feel like I’m under so much pressure to perform well that it’s reminiscent of how I felt in 2016.
“At the end of the year, I felt like I started trying way too hard when I should have just kept doing what I was doing and trusted in my talent and ability. I’m hoping to learn from my error and play well tomorrow. After that, we’ll just have to wait and see.” he said.
