Justin Thomas Facing Burnout: “I’m pretty tired”

At the Valspar Championship, Justin Thomas was on the cusp of victory.  With just a three-shot lead, he was in line for the win.  In the end, he started slipping on the last four holes and continuing his two-year-long winless streak.  In the end, Victor Hovland swooped in and became the victor.  After this had happened, Thomas reportedly felt tired, and some are speculating that this loss streak is giving him burnout.  

Is Justin Thomas Going Through Burnout?

Speculation about burnout is not unfounded; anyone with a loss streak of one year will question if they’re good enough anymore.  Two years just compounds the feeling far enough to the crystalized.  After the loss, a TGL presser asked Thomas if he had any fatigue.  

Thomas replied, “I’m pretty tired, yeah.  I think we wouldn’t be…we would be tired if it had nothing to do with golf, just the fact of a 9:00 p.m. start is very, well, not very: it’s just not what we do. So it’s very difficult to figure out routine-wise.”  

Thomas would remark on the events’ conclusions, saying: “I kind of felt like a loser at school tonight, like we had everybody against us.”

Thomas would go on by detailing an average pro-golfer’s routine.  Being full of practice warm-ups and just psyching themselves up for the next tournament.  “And now it’s weird having an entire day and then kind of getting into that.”  With the season near its end, the pressure is on for all players to clutch as many wins as they can.  Everyone is getting a bit more intense with how they play, everyone is focused and locked in.  At the same time, at this moment, anyone can make a simple but costly mistake in the heat of the moment. 

Victor Hovland’s Lose Streak

Something else to not is that Hovland also had his own long losing streak of 19 months.  The last few holes were between two players determined to break their streaks and bring a trophy home.  Hovland has been straightforward with his performance, yet he still managed to clutch it.  He is, of course, a pro player whose performance has been improving even as his shortcomings have mounted.  Thomas is much the same, he has been making a comeback in the face of defeat.  Who’s to say that he can’t bring home a first-place award before the end of the season?

Justin Thomas Looking On The Bright Side

People have been suspecting that Thomas might be having some burnout, but he remains pretty optimistic.  Thomas went in to keep his cut streak going, and he succeeded.  He has his head held high and is looking forward.  Thomas would go on to say how much fun he still has in these tournaments.

“It was a blast.  I’ve had plenty of chances this year, but nothing quite like that,”  Thomas shared.  “That’s exactly why we play and practice.  I felt great out there, comfortable and excited for every shot.  There’s not much I can do when he birdies 16 and 17, and I made it easier on him, but it was fun, really fun, but winning is hard.”