Hi everyone! Tis’ I again, and no longer birdieless! I played with a friend of mine and absolutely crushed it on a par 5 and smashed a pretty putt in for a birdie. Feeling accomplished and eager for more! Anyway, we’re here to talk about Mr. Justin Thomas–otherwise known as the man responsible for my most embarrassing moment to date. Let me set the scene: I was working the Waste Management Phoenix Open in 2022 for ESPN as a camera assistant. I was tasked with holding the tripod for my camera man, and this day we were following JT’s group. 

We had to go from the 8th green to the 9th tee box (which is a hefty walk and uphill, I might add) so by the time my camera guy and I made our way up, JT was already on the box. In an absolutely crazy few seconds, I tried to get the tripod set up so we had somewhere to rest the camera. Bad idea. As I was playing around with it and whatnot, JT looked directly at me and both him and Bones (his caddy) simultaneously looked me dead in the face and said “Can you stop moving?” :0 That was my reaction. In front of like 150 people, the 7th ranked player in the WORLD, just called me out. Easily the most embarrassing moment of my life. But hey, at least I’m unforgettable, right?

So all of that is to say I have a bit of history with Mr. Thomas and so I had a special interest when I found out the two-time major champion is not going to the FedEx Cup. This year hasn’t been the best for him in terms of his golf game. Personally, buddy got married and looks like he’s living the life, which some say might have contributed to his off year. He missed five of eight cuts since this year’s PGA Championship and he missed the playoffs, so making the U.S. Ryder Cup team is completely up in the air. 

Let’s talk about his accomplishments for a second though, because he’s had a pretty successful career thus far since he joined the tour in 2015. Out of the 219 events he’s played, he has made 178 cuts, has 15 wins, 6 second place wins, 49 top 5 finishes and has made roughly $54,000,000 in wins. Holy cow. 

Unfortunately for him, his 2022-2023 PGA Tour season came to a sad end just weeks ago, as he finished the tournament ranked No. 71 in the standings, just a mere eight points outside the playoff cutoff. It was clear he was giving it his all on that final Sunday and I swear everyone and their mother was rooting for him, but unfortunately he fell short and he failed to make the cut. Thomas was obviously upset and shared his frustrations on Twitter.

Can use adversity as an opportunity to shy away from a challenge, or take it head on. Was a tough season for me, but I actually had fun battling it out and playing golf this week. It’s why we play. Beyond gutted to miss the playoffs, but I’m proud of how hard I fought #onward

— Justin Thomas (@JustinThomas34) August 7, 2023

JT isn’t the only PGA Tour star who will miss the postseason this year. Aussie Adam Scott also barely missed the mark at No. 72 in the FedEx Cup standings. Billy Horschel also notably missed the cut and came in at No. 90. 

All of this is to say golf is wildly unpredictable, and no matter how well you might be doing (or poorly for that matter) it can always change. 

Also, a little side note for people invested in my story, I was able to apologize to both JT and Bones, so we’re all good on that front. I like to consider us besties actually. 

Until next time!