Justin Thomas faces a fight to make the US Ryder Cup team after Open horror show

Justin Thomas could miss the Ryder Cup for the first time since 2016.

The damage was done for Justin Thomas on his final hole at The Open Championship on Thursday.

A quadruple bogey nine turned a bad round into a disastrous one for the 2022 US PGA Champion, a continuation of the performance we saw in the US Open at LA Country Club.

After carding an 81 there last month, Thomas signed for an 11-over-par 82 here, tying his worst-ever 18-hole score on the PGA Tour.

“There is nobody who hit 82 who hit some of the quality shots that I did,” he told reporters at Hoylake.

“I’ll hit shots like a No. 1 player in the world, and then I’ll make a nine on my last hole of the tournament. I don’t know if it’s a focus thing or I’m just putting too much pressure on myself or what it is, but when I figure it out, I’ll be better for it.

“I’m trying not to dwell on it, but it just sucks when it’s the first round of a major and you have no chance anymore.

“But, I mean, everybody has their waves, their kind of momentum and rides and rock bottoms, whatever you want to call it. I just keep telling myself, this is it, I’m coming out of it, and I, unfortunately, have surprised myself a couple of times with some bad rounds.”

“I’m just making so many bonehead mistakes and crazy things happening. I’ll be fine.”

Such defiance may seem admirable in the face of adversity, but what started out as a slump is now teetering towards a full-blown crisis.

Thomas called his US Open performance the “lowest” he’s felt on the course, but that was before he found himself second from last after the opening round of The Open Championship.

To his credit, he came back and knocked it round in level par to add some respectability to his 36-hole total, but he still left Hoylake with another missed cut against his name, the fourth time he has missed the weekend in his last six starts.

He will now almost certainly need a pick from Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson, who happens to be staying in the same house as Thomas this week at Hoylake.

“As a friend and roommate, I’m concerned just because he’s my buddy and I know what he’s capable of and that sort of thing,” says Johnson.

“He’s a stalwart in that event, right? I don’t know his record off the top of my head, but I know it’s pretty good. It’s very good.

“He’s one of the best there is. The bottom line is this game is really hard. There are going to be peaks. There’s going to be some valleys. Let’s hope whatever sort of non-peak he’s in, it’s short.”

The FedEx Cup Playoffs should, at least, offer an opportunity to turn his fortunes around, but there’s no guarantee he will make it past the first stage.

Thomas currently sits 75^th in the standings and only the top 70 will make it through to the FedEx St Jude Championship, which begins in three weeks’ time.

He has already signed up to play the 3M Open, an event he’s never played before, next week and is clinging to the hope that his previous record in team competitions will be enough to persuade Johnson that he is a risk worth taking.

“I want to make the Ryder Cup more than anything,” says Thomas, who has finished no worse than seventh in the FedEx Cup over the last six seasons.

“I would like to think that my record is my best argument. I love the team events. I thrive in them. I just enjoy it. Playing with a partner could kind of ease me a little bit, relax me.

“Like I said, I don’t want to put him in this position. I hate even having to hope for a pick. This is the first time since I first qualified that I’ve had to rely on a captain’s pick. It’s not fun, especially when you’re trending the wrong way when other people are trending toward it. But I’m just hoping that I can finish this year out strong and my record speaks for itself.”

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About the author

Michael Catling
Features Editor

Michael Catling is Today’s Golfer‘s Features Editor and an award-winning journalist who specializes in golf’s Majors and Tours, including DP World, PGA, LPGA, and LIV.

Michael joined Today’s Golfer in 2016 and has traveled the world to attend the game’s biggest events and secure exclusive interviews with dozens of Major champions, including Jack Nicklaus, Jordan Spieth, Tom Watson, Greg Norman, Gary Player, and Justin Thomas.

A former member of Ufford Park and Burghley Park, Michael has been playing golf since he was 11 and currently plays off a handicap of 10.

Away from golf he’s a keen amateur chef and has his own healthy recipes website. He also loves playing squash, going to the gym, and following Chelsea FC.

Michael uses a Ping G driver, Ping G 3-wood, Ping G Crossover 3-iron, Ping G Series irons (4-PW), Ping Glide wedges (52º, 56º, 60º), TaylorMade MySpider Tour Putter, and Srixon AD333 golf ball.

Get in touch with Michael via email and follow him on Twitter.