Justin Thomas is a two-time PGA Championship winner and a former world number one. There’s no doubt he has dominated the field more than once. Despite his comeback in the 2026 season, he has made nine cuts out of 10 starts. And yet, he has always been candid about what it actually costs to survive a cut. On Saturday, he shared his verdict once again.

“I’ll always argue the pressure of making a cut can feel like more pressure than trying to win a tournament. It’s a completely different feeling, but it’s real!!!” Justin wrote on X as a response to a post by Monday Q Info.

The post highlighted PGA Tour veteran Robert Garrigus making a birdie on the last hole of a Korn Ferry Tour event. It was an 18-inch putt, which helped him secure his first cut on an OWGR tour in 944 days.

Although Justin was not tagged or part of the post, he shared his point of view candidly. It is one that he has stood by for many years.

In fact, he had felt that emotion just last week at the Memorial Tournament. Thomas shot a 74-75 in the opening two rounds and needed a par on the 72nd hole on Friday’s round to survive the cut. He later called it the hardest round he had ever played on the Tour, as he made the cut.

He also took the time to applaud JT Poston on X, who shot a 7-under 65 that same day, noting that he “was out there trying to figure out where and how I can make ONE birdie,” while Poston seemed to be playing on another field altogether.

For Thomas, the pressure of the cut line has long been a familiar battle. He has addressed it openly over the years against the backdrop of career setbacks.

Last season, too, at the Valspar Championship in March 2025, Thomas shared what the pressure meant to him. He had made the front nine in 40 in the first round and scraped through by a single shot. He went on to nearly win the tournament and finished runner-up to Viktor Hovland by one stroke. Still, he felt a similar pressure.

“You feel it way before the final few holes. I mean, I’ve had it, unfortunately, a lot since starting the week. It’s real; it’s hard to explain to people, but I’ve argued and probably continue to argue that it’s obviously something very different but something that’s even more nerve-wracking than trying to win the golf tournament.”

Beyond the anxiety at the cut line, Thomas has also spoken openly about the mental toll of competition. He is far from alone, with several players acknowledging how anxiety and pressure can become significant obstacles on the course and start hampering their game.

In 2023, Justin Thomas was already going through a bad campaign. He shot an 81 at the U.S. Open, which ended in a missed cut, then an 82 at the U.S. Open, which also resulted in a missed cut. Both of them took a significant toll on him, as he later shared.

“I don’t know if it’s a focus thing or I’m just putting too much pressure on myself. I’m trying not to focus too much on days like yesterday. I’m trying not to dwell on it, but it sucks when it’s the first round of a major, and you have no chance anymore.”

To add to his troubles, he also faced a physical setback in November 2025 after a battering 2024 campaign.

He underwent a microdiscectomy in New York to address a herniated disc in his lower spine. He initially felt a pain in his back and assumed the issue was in his hip, but an MRI revealed the real problem. As a result, he had missed the start of the 2026 season and returned only in March at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, where he missed the cut. At the 2026 PGA Championship, he acknowledged he “was never fully over it.”

The 2026 season has looked considerably better.

He finished T8 at THE PLAYERS Championship, and it showed glimpses of his best form so far. He also finished T4 at the PGA Championship in May. At the RBC Heritage, where he defended his title, it was a tough week, though, as he finished T77. But overall, he has been trying to maintain a record of getting back sharply on the field.

The U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills begins June 18th. Thomas is in the field as a two-time PGA Championship winner, but has never won the national championship. Shinnecock remains one of the most demanding courses in the United States. Now, whether he contends or fights the cut remains to be seen.