Justin Thomas’ winless streak extended to two and a half years at the Zozo Championship.
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It was not yet Sunday morning in the United States when the old feeling washed over Justin Thomas.
As with every start of his in the past two and a half years, Thomas’ Sunday at the Zozo Championship in Japan had ended in a loss. His streak without victory — a cruel reminder of how fickle and fleeting his chosen profession can be — would stretch into another week, another month, and maybe even another year.
Officially, Thomas only lost by a single shot. Nico Echavarriathe 30-year-old Colombian professional birdied two of his last three holes to claim a victory over Thomas, who birdied just one of his last three holes.
Echavarria was a worthy champion, especially after entering the day with a two-shot lead and making five birdies to secure his lead. But Thomas also would have been a worthy champion — a player looking to end a 30-month winless streak that began at the top of the sport at the 2022 PGA Championship. Instead, Thomas returned to the stripping in Zozo only vaguely.
“Yeah, it’s a mix of obviously upset and disappointed, but I played so well,” Thomas said. “I played well enough to win the tournament. Hit so many good shots today that just didn’t go in, that’s the difference. I needed some of those edge-burners to fall.”
Yes, losing Thomas to Zozo sound much like his losses in other tournaments this year – events where his game has arrived long enough to be in the hunt but not long enough to grab a win. After these events, Thomas told us about his pride in his performance and his belief that things are moving in the right direction.
But for once, in Zozo, it looked like those ambiguities might be headed for something.
Thomas made just one bogey over the course of 72 holes for the week at Zozo, ranking near the top of the field in strokes gained: off the tee and strokes gained: approach — two stats that were hallmarks of career highs his in ’20 and ’21. He handled the pressure of the lead on Sunday with a characteristic blend of opportunistic golf, winning by nearly 2 1/2 strokes on the course during a long, no-fuss Sunday.
These were not the visions of Tomas who ascended to world no. 1 point, nor visions of him grabbing a PGA Championship victory in ’22 after bogeying Mito Perreira’s 72nd hole. No, they were visions of a new JT – a player who is not important in his own right, but who has seen the abyss of darkness.
“The things that I’ve been working on, everything that I’ve been doing is definitely the right things and I’m still going in the right direction,” Thomas said. “I just have to keep trying to put myself in the race and out there as often as I can.”
In theory, experiences like Sunday make you a stronger competitor, more hardened, especially after a journey of self-actualization. Thomas has yet to tell us if that’s really the case, but his image appearing in Japan on Zozo seemed like a step in the right direction.
“(I have to) hope for a law of averages thing,” Thomas said. “Eventually you end up doing it, but it’s just about putting yourself out there more.”
