Is Justin Thomas Playing at the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson After Missing Cut at the Masters?

Looks like luck still has not been shining for the former No. 1 OWGR player, Justin Thomas. At the 2024 Masters, he missed his cut for a second straight year! Nonetheless, he had a better performance at the RBC Heritage this year, tying for the fifth position with a 14-under 270. After a probable climb on the leaderboard ladder, he did not appear at the Zurich Classic, and now it looks like Thomas won’t be at the CJ Cup with Byron Nelson either!

With the CJ Cup with Byron Nelson just around the corner, the PGA Tour Communication released the field list of the championship a few hours ago. Among all the noteworthy players, Justin Thomas’s name did not appear on the list, confirming that he won’t be appearing at the TPC Craig Ranch in Texas. The 30-year-old might choose to skip the Texas event to focus all his energy on the second major of the season, which is set to take place in the month of May.

Justin Thomas won two Major tournaments in his professional career, both of them at the PGA Championship, once in 2017 and then in 2022, where he defeated Will Zalatoris in the playoff. This year, he is aimed at not only breaking his almost 24-month victory drought but there is another associated piece of luck with the championship this year. The venue is set to be in his hometown in Louisville, Kentucky, and this time, he does not want to take a defeat! He even exclaimed how there has been an adrenaline rush in him for so many associations with the place and the event.

In an interview with Smylie Kaufman, he even stated, “I’ll be feeling a lot of emotions. I’ll be very very nervous, very anxious, excited. But it kind of goes back to it. I want to get my little world and enjoy this support and everything. But I’m out there to try to win a golf tournament. So hopefully just get in the mix in the back on Sunday and see what happens.” With the back-to-back failed performances that he has been giving out, well, it is a rather significant task for him to accomplish, given that he seems to be under a curse for the past two years.

Justin Thomas’ 2024 journey

The road has been peculiarly bumpy for Justin Thomas ever since last year. He is in a victory drought after his PGA Championship 2022. Although he seemed to be upping his gameplay at the beginning of the season, with a tie for the third position at The American Express and a T6 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, he soon started flunking again. In early February, he dropped below the Top-10 list, securing the WM Phoenix Open soon after missing the cut at the Genesis Invitational.

The 15X PGA Tour winner was doing great at the Valspar Championship; following the top of the leaderboard during the opening, he dropped down for a T64 at the championship. Now the question is, will the PGA Championship 2024 turn out to be his lucky charm? Or will he continue to get sidelined for his performance? Stay tuned to find out!