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Justin Thomas had 38 putts Saturday.
Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Photographs
Among the many 11 gamers tied for sixth on the Valspar Championship — behind a five-way tie for the lead — maybe essentially the most feared was Justin Thomas.
Thomas suffered via a well-publicized slump during the 2023 season and hasn’t gained since his second main title on the 2022 PGA Championship.
In 2024, issues started off better with three straight top-12s, however now Thomas has missed two of his last three cuts heading into the Valspar, an occasion he’s solely completed outdoors the highest 18 as soon as in six tires.
He seemed like he was going to proceed that streak Saturday when he birdied the opening gap at Innisbrook’s Copperhead course. Regardless of being a shot again initially of the day, Thomas was the reside betting favourite to win at +550, or 11-2.
However Saturday was not the day Thomas envisioned.
On the par-4 second, he hit his strategy to 26 ft, however his first putt raced seven ft previous the cup and he three-putted. On the par-4 third, he blasted his third shot from a greenside bunker to 6 ft, however he missed the putt to fall again to 4 beneath.
‘I know that’s harsh’: Justin Thomas gets candid about dominance in golf
Sensing a theme right here?
He missed a 13-footer for birdie on 4 and a six-footer for one more one on 5.
Then got here No. 7.
Regardless of the gradual begin and the missed alternatives, Thomas was nonetheless simply three pictures again on the seventh inexperienced, due to a troublesome setup and jammed-pack leaderboard at Innisbrook.
However on the seventh, he hit his strategy into one other greenside bunker after which blasted out to 10 ft. His first putt rolled previous the opening, but it surely solely stopped two ft, three inches from the opening. That ought to have been a simple tap-in and he would have walked away with only a bogey.
It ought to have been simple, proper?
It wasn’t.
Thomas blocked the putt arduous and it caught the lip and spun across the cup greater than 180 levels in rejection. Thomas barely reacted as he completed off the final eight inches for a severely deflating double.
There was nonetheless extra to come back for Thomas as he bogeyed the subsequent two holes — together with lacking a four-footer on No. 8 — and turned in five-over 41 to fall to even par. His odds to win the match had fallen all the best way to 250-1, or +25000, per GOLF betting knowledgeable Brady Kannon.
He made three extra bogeys on the again 9 to complete with a 79 Saturday, dropping him from 5 beneath to a few over for the match and all the way down to a tie for 66th place. By the point he completed, his odds have been 500-1, or +50000, on DraftKings, tied for the worst within the subject. He misplaced 12 strokes to the chief as he’ll go off early Sunday,
It gained’t be arduous for Thomas to diagnose a trigger for his play Saturday. After logging 27 putts every of the primary two days, Thomas had surpassed that mark by his thirteenth gap Saturday. He completed with a whopping 38 putts within the third spherical, unable to transform a single putt outdoors three ft. He misplaced greater than seven strokes on the greens in Spherical 3, the worst mark within the subject.
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