There are no two ways about the fact that this has been arguably the worst year of Justin Thomas’ career so far. His performance graph reached a new low with every tournament, raising concerns and criticism regarding his game. So much so that his selection in the Ryder Cup also raised questions about credibility.

After going through a very rough year, this week Thomas is playing in the Hero World Challenge. Paired up with the legend, Tiger Woods himself, JT will tee off at 11:52 a.m. ET. And from his first swing, his entire future in golf will be at stake. After all, there are numerous hopes attached to the event that could make or break the coming year for him!

Can the Hero World Challenge fulfill Justin Thomas’ OWGR prayers?

For Tiger Woods, Justin Thomas is like a little brother. He guides him, shares tips with him, and is like a coach to him. However, this week, Woods can only lend moral support as they tee off together on Thursday. The rest will be up to Thomas himself, for the Hero World Challenge is his last resort to secure a good spot for himself in the 2024 tournaments.

Though the Woods-hosted event is an ‘unoffiicial’ stop on the PGA Tour schedule, it still offers benefits like FedExCup points. More importantly, it also offers the players a chance to improve the OWGR ranking, and that is what Thomas is after. For 2024, the top 50 from the 2023 FedEx Cup standings will qualify for all eight signature events (excluding the Sentry Tournament), and while JT did not make it onto that list, he could still qualify by being part of the top 30 in the OWGR rankings.

In his interview with NBC Sports, Thomas also highlighted that this was exactly what was on his mind ahead of the event. Well, that and playing some good golf, of course! He said, “Staying inside the top 30 is definitely in my mind somewhere back there… I should be coming out here and trying to win golf tournaments and make as many birdies as I possibly can and make as few bogeys as I possibly can, and try to have a lot of fun.”

JT currently sits at the world no. 27 rank. If he plays well at the event and secures a good finish, it could undoubtedly boost his OWGR spot. A poor finish, on the other hand, could see him even drop out of that coveted top 30! The golf pro is playing at the Hero World Challenge for the sixth year, and this time he knows nothing less than his best will suffice.

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Other ways JT can qualify for the elevated events next year

In that interview, Thomas further added that thinking about staying in the world’s top 30 continuously wouldn’t help him, so instead he just wanted to focus on playing well. As per him, if he did that, then the rest would of the things would “take care” of itself. Moreover, even if JT doesn’t make it through to the top 30 OWGR standings, there are other ways for him to play in the elevated events next year.

• The top ten players on the FedExCup points list who, as of now, are not eligible for the signature events will earn a qualification if they manage to maintain their position until Monday of the event to be played. JT’s stands at 79th place in the FedEx rankings, and of course, a lot of factors will need to align for him to be eligible through this criteria.
• Another way the two-time major winner can find his way onto the greens of the selected events is via a sponsor exemption. Every signature tournament will include four such exemptions, and perhaps JT can find himself picked for a few if necessary.

Despite these options being available, Thomas’ best bet is still playing well this week. So tune in to find out if he’s able to, or if once more this year he chokes.

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