There was a time when Justin Thomas was the world no. 1 golfer. His run from 2016 to 2020 saw him capture 12 PGA Tour titles along the way. Thomas’s best season was definitely in 2016-17 where he grabbed 5 wins including his first PGA Championship. The golf community started comparing him with Tiger Woods. But that success was short-lived.

It has been nearly 3 years since Justin Thomas has won a single title. His last win came at the 2022 PGA Championship, which was the 2nd major of his career. He has failed to live up to the expectations and has since become just another PGA Tour player among many. Thomas has only managed 2 runner-up finishes since then. He has only achieved them in the last few months at the 2024 Zozo Championship and the 2025 American Express. Seth Waugh recently shared his opinion about Justin Thomas’s downfall.

Justin Thomas takes the heat

As a part of a 5 Clubs YouTube video, the former CEO of the PGA of America; Waugh joined Gary Williams to discuss the current state of golf. That’s when the broadcaster brought up the subject of Ryder Cup qualification. Waugh suggested how Justin Thomas and Patrick Cantlay are going through a “mini drought” in terms of their PGA Tour success. He added, “Guys of that ilk that go two calendar years without; that’s a long time,” suggesting how Thomas and Cantlay are too talented to go winless for two years.

Waugh did acknowledge how “the depth in the game of golf,” is good enough to restrict such great players from winning titles. However, he did point out that “to not win in a PGA Tour in the absence of a lot of top players (from LIV Golf) kind of stings even further for him.” Waugh is clearly surprised to see that both Thomas and Cantlay are unable to win titles despite the lack of competition from top LIV Golf players.

For context, Patrick Cantlay is also quite a decorated player, having won eight titles in five years. Unfortunately, like Justin Thomas, he went on a “drought” and has not won a single event since 2022.

Waugh is not the first person to criticize the two individuals recently. They have also received a lot of slack from other insiders.

Justin Thomas and Patrick Cantlay under the spotlight

Justin Thomas has often been criticized for his lack of spirit when approaching the final stages of an event. His recent efforts at the 2025 American Express were brought to light by an insider. The host of the No Laying Up Podcast; TC shared his opinion about the event on YouTube. He said, “I was just gonna say to see him compete in a, you know dog sh*t putting contest right that’s got a bode well.” TC seems to suggest that the only time Thomas plays is when there aren’t too many eyes on him. He has been unable to deliver at major events that are witnessed by the entire world.

Patrick Cantlay has mostly faced the heat for his slow play. In 2023, Cantlay was criticized by Matt Fitzpatrick and Brooks Koepka for his excruciatingly slow playing speed in two separate events. Speaking about Cantlay’s actions at an event, Fitzpatrick said, “It’s a disgrace… it’s truly appalling… It’s like hitting your head against a brick wall.” Brooks Koepka also had something similar to share a few weeks later during another tournament. The LIV Golf pro commented, “The group in front of us was brutally slow.” He was talking about the group that involved Patrick Cantlay. There certainly seems to be an issue with his gameplay if despite taking so much time, he isn’t able to deliver the results to bring himself success.

What do you think about Seth Waugh’s criticism of Justin Thomas and Patrick Cantlay? Share your views in the comments section.