Five over 149. That’s where Memorial’s cut line landed this year—the highest since 1990. Justin Thomas made it by a whisker. That narrow escape reveals more about his current struggles than any recent victory. When a player who once thrived under pressure starts barely surviving weekend cuts, something fundamental has shifted. For Thomas, this year’s Memorial became the moment of reckoning he didn’t know he needed. Muirfield Village showed its teeth once again this year. Thomas barely survived the weekend, making the cut on the number after a disastrous start. Yet this struggle became something more profound. It forced the former world No. 1 to confront a harsh truth about his identity as a golfer.
What Thomas revealed afterward was more telling than his scorecard. “I’ve really, really struggled on harder golf courses for a while,” he confessed. The irony wasn’t lost on him. He’s one of golf’s premier ball strikers. Logic suggests more challenging courses should favor his precise iron play.
The numbers support his admission. Thomas hasn’t recorded a top-10 at Memorial since 2018, despite finishing second in the 2020 playoff here. His recent major championship record tells a similar story. He missed the cut at the 2025 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow—the same venue where he captured his first major in 2017. He hasn’t been effective at the Masters, U.S. Open, or Players Championship in recent years, despite winning at TPC Sawgrass in 2021.
However, Thomas identified the real problem. “I feel like some of those rounds, I’m trying to do what I think is the right thing and trying to, almost just trying to be somebody I’m not,” he explained. This admission came after shooting 80-69 to barely make the cut for Memorial. And he wasn’t alone in his misery. The field averaged 74.2 strokes over the first two rounds. Even Scottie Scheffler, who led at 8-under, called it one of the toughest setups he’d faced all season. Jordan Spieth managed his trademark recovery, going from T15 after round one to T4 after three rounds, with his shoeless par save becoming the week’s most memorable moment.
The breakthrough came Friday afternoon. Thomas faced potential elimination from the tournament. With nothing to lose, he rediscovered his aggressive nature. “I just kind of went out yesterday and I was like, ‘I’m trying to birdie every hole, regardless of how hard it is,’” he said. That mindset change sparked three birdies in his final five holes Friday, transforming what looked like a certain missed cut into weekend survival.
Thomas elaborated on his revelation: “I haven’t played it very well, to be honest, but I just kind of went out yesterday and I was like, ‘I’m trying to birdie every hole, regardless of how hard it is.’ If I don’t hit a good tee shot, then the objective is to make par, and then I step up on the next hole and try to make a birdie. I’m not a stupid aggressive player, but I mean, I’m an aggressive player and I just feel like I’ve gotten away from that a little bit on harder golf courses.”
However, to understand the significance of this Memorial revelation, we need to examine how Thomas reached this breaking point.
Justin Thomas’s Season-Long Struggles Come to Light
That RBC Heritage victory in April came after a 1,064-day winless streak. During that drought, he managed 17 top-10 finishes, including three runner-ups, yet didn’t finish second even once in the remainder of 2022 and all of 2023. Golf analyst Joseph LaMagna from Fried Egg Golf recently identified Thomas’s driving as a key weakness on demanding courses that require precision off the tee. Recent performances support this assessment—Thomas managed just three bogeys and one birdie on Augusta’s demanding 13th hole across four rounds at this year’s Masters.
Here’s what makes Thomas’s struggles so puzzling. His statistics suggest he should be thriving. Thomas ranks 24th in strokes gained putting this season—a career-best mark. His approach to play has returned to elite levels. Yet these improvements haven’t translated to success on courses that demand precision off the tee. His recent regular-season form shows promise, posting three runner-up finishes and accumulating 41 under par in four events leading up to Memorial. Still, the toughest tests continue to frustrate him.
Memorial’s challenging test might have provided the breakthrough he needed. Thomas now understands he must return to his naturally aggressive style—the same fearless approach that produced his 59 at the 2017 Sony Open. The timing couldn’t be more critical with Oakmont just days away. Thomas is learning to accept that challenging courses will produce bogeys regardless of execution. This acceptance represents crucial growth. Can Thomas carry this revelation to the U.S. Open? His career might depend on it.
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