“I still fully believe that I can have a year like Scottie (Scheffler) just had. I think I would be doing myself a disservice if I didn’t think I could at least do that. I have a lot of faith and capability in my game, and I feel like I’m working on the right things.” Justin Thomas had stated ahead of the first event of the season, the Sentry at the Kapalua Plantation Course. Thomas had been facing a drought on the PGA Tour front, failing to notch a win since his second major victory at the 2022 PGA Championship, beating Will Zalatoris through a playoff.

Scheffler, on the other hand, made a remarkable run on the PGA Tour, notching 7 victories and an Olympic Gold, in what could be termed as a dream season. It was bold of Justin Thomas, who had yet to win in two and a half years, to make such an announcement. A lot has happened since what many consider an outrageous statement.

Thomas broke his long-standing drought by winning the RBC Heritage Open. However, that was his only victory of the season. He did have a good season overall, finishing runner-up three times and seven times in the top 10 as well. But that does not come close to replicating Scottie Scheffler’s 2024 season.

Justin Thomas takes a two-event break

The recently concluded Travelers Championship turned out to be a mixed bag for JT. He shared the lead after two days of play alongside Scottie Scheffler and Tommy Fleetwood. However, a disastrous three-over-par round on Day 3—highlighted by a quadruple bogey on the 13th hole—knocked him down the leaderboard. Thomas initially bounced back on Day 4 with three birdies to climb to T9, but for the 32-year-old, it remains a case of “what could have been.”

With the final major of the season on the horizon, Thomas is gearing up to go all in. To prepare for the event in Northern Ireland, he’s opted for a two-tournament break. “Bogey-free on Sundays is always a good thing! Overall, a solid week @travelerschamp and lots to keep building on. Congrats to captain @keeganbradley1 on the W! Time for a little reset and rest before getting ready for @genesis_scottish_open,” he captioned an Instagram post featuring a medley of photos from the Travelers Championship.

His post confirms that Thomas will skip both the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Michigan and the John Deere Classic in Illinois. This isn’t a major surprise, as the two-time major winner has rarely played either event. He has only appeared twice at the John Deere Classic—missing the cut in 2015 and finishing T5 in 2013. As for the Rocket Mortgage Classic, Thomas only teed it up once, in 2023, where he missed the cut after shooting one over par.

The Genesis Scottish Open, meanwhile, serves as an ideal springboard into the final major of the season—The Open Championship, which will take place in Northern Ireland.

Justin Thomas is looking forward to a better major showing at the Royal Portrush

“I still get pretty pissed off about it and … it weighs on me more than it should,” Thomas spoke about his recent performances at the Majors. Of the three majors so far this season, Justin Thomas has failed to make the weekend in two—the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship. The latter likely stings more, given that Thomas is a two-time winner. He shot a 3-over-par and missed the cut line by just two strokes.

He did make the weekend at Augusta National earlier this year but finished T36 with a score of 2-over across four days in Georgia. These results are undoubtedly something the 16-time PGA Tour winner will aim to improve upon heading into The Open Championship. Set at the challenging Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland, the course will demand Thomas’s full focus if he hopes to capture his third major title.

So, does Justin Thomas have a real shot at winning the final major of the season?