“I don’t know. I would say you have arguments both ways,” Justin Thomas answered when asked whether he felt he had done enough to play in the President’s Cup after his final round in the BMW Championship. It’s a touchy subject for him because of the criticism surrounding his selection for the Ryder Cup team and the magnitude of Team USA’s loss.

He went on to say that he felt he had played well in some big tournaments this year and was in better form earlier in the season, attributing the current doubts to recency bias. He was speaking honestly, as he started the year strong with T3 and T6 finishes at the American Express and Pebble Beach Pro-Am, respectively. He also finished T12 in both the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Phoenix Open.

But more recently, he’s been finishing in the 30s. At The Open Championship and FedEx St. Jude, he finished T30 and T31. On the day, he finished T39 with a total score of 2-over par.

It may be that last year’s Ryder Cup loss and his role in it have weighed heavily on his mind. He does not have a single PGA Tour win in 2024. The closest he came was at The American Express with a T3 finish. He has 8 top-25 finishes and 5 top-5 finishes. He also said that it would be up to Jim Furyk and the rest of the team to judge whether he has played well enough to earn a place on the team. Last year, Zack Johnson thought he did, but many would’ve preferred Keegan Bradley over him.

If something similar happens this time, fans’ patience may wear thin, and if Justin Thomas were to lose his match in the President’s Cup, it would likely add to the criticism he already faces.

He ended his answer by saying that he hopes to perform much better in Atlanta next week at the Tour Championship and prove that he belongs among the best in America and can compete against the best in the world.

Justin Thomas found out he was playing in the Tour Championship while on his way home

When Justin Thomas finished his final round in the second FedEx Cup Playoff, he didn’t know if he would be going to Atlanta next week, as he was not in the top 30 when he finished his round on Sunday.

“Going to go to Jupiter. There’s no need for me to sit here and stress this out all afternoon. It sucks, but it’s the position I put myself in,” he told reporters after carding a 2-over par. Even though he was passed by 8 players during the tournament, a collection of competitors bogeyed and double-bogeyed their holes, allowing the 2017 Tour Championship winner to end up 30th in the FedEx Cup Rankings.

He becomes the final player heading to the Tour Championship next week in Atlanta at the East Lake Golf Course, where the winner of the FedEx Cup will be decided. In the staggered handicap format, he will start at even par while World No.1 Scottie Scheffler begins with a lead of 10 shots.