Justin Thomas Joins Rickie Fowler to Give Farmers Insurance Open an ‘Exit’ Shocker Amid Recent AmEx Defeat

After securing T3 at the American Express, Justin Thomas has withdrawn from the next event of the PGA Tour. The American Express was the first event for Thomas in the 2024 season and he is reported to miss the next big event. As per what ‘Justin Thomas Tracker’ shared on X, the golfer has withdrawn from the Farmers Insurance Open, starting next week. This would have been the fifth time the 2x major winner had played the Open, but he will continue his 2024 season with AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am after that.

The tweet read, “NEW: JT withdraws from Torrey. Not too surprised, playing 5 times in a row isn’t something he does and with the AMEX result his status in the elevated events is now secure. I’d assume this was always the plan.”

After the week off, Thomas will be playing for three weeks continuously (AT&T, the Phoenix Open, and the Genesis Open). The 15-time PGA Tour winner has not revealed his reason behind the withdrawal, but it could be attributed to Thomas taking a break to refresh his game for a better finish.

This marks the second high-profile exit from the Farmers Insurance Open in 2024. Before Thomas, the long-time sponsored golfer by Farmers Insurance, Rickie Fowler, also announced his exit from the event as his deal with them ended. Even Nick Dunlap pulled out of the event, as he wanted to spend more time with his family and friends.

While Justin Thomas leaving the field was unfortunate, it did benefit another golfer. Who could it be?

Justin Thomas’ sudden exit becomes a beacon of hope for Hayden Springer

The Farmers Insurance Open will start on January 24th at the Torrey Pines South Course. The traditional event of the PGA Tour has now had two big names opt out of the event. However, the recent withdrawal of Thomas has become beneficial for Hayden Springer.

Read More: Justin Thomas’s Past Has to Do Something With Nick Dunlap’s PGA Tour Triumph Amid ’Freakin College Kid’ Remarks

Springer, who earned his PGA Tour card last December through Korn Ferry Tour Q-School, could not have teed it up for the third time in 2024 if not for Thomas’s withdrawal. Consequently, because of the larger field size, Springer was left out.

Now, he can play at the Torrey Pines; courtesy of the sponsor exemption he received. The 27-year-old will be playing his third consecutive event on the Tour. At the American Express, Springer could not make the cut. But with the coming event, he would expect to have a better finish. After all, Max Homa is the defending champ at the Farmers Insurance Open.

Homa will be joined by the likes of Patrick Cantlay, Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele, Sungjae Im, Sahith Theegala, Will Zalatoris, Tony Finau, and two-time winner Jason Day. The event begins on Wednesday so that it doesn’t clash with the NFL’s conference championship games.

What are your thoughts about Justin Thomas’ exit? Let us know in the comments below.

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