Justin Thomas’ play-off, Ryder Cup hopes sink after latest missed cut
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Justin Thomas watches his tee shot on the 12th hole during the second round of the 3M Open.
PHOTO: AFP
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LOS ANGELES – Justin Thomas’ hopes of extending his FedExCup play-off streak and making a third straight Ryder Cup team may have sunk along with the two balls he put in the water on the 18th hole at the 3M Open on Friday.
It was the ninth hole of the day for the American, and the double bogey dropped him to two under for the tournament at TPC Twin Cities. He found the water again on the par-three fourth hole to fall to three over for his round.
Thomas then closed with four birdies and a bogey over his final five holes for an even-par 71 that left him at two-under 140, two short of the projected cut.
It was the fifth time in the past seven events that the 30-year-old has failed to make the weekend.
That includes June’s Rocket Mortgage Classic, another event the struggling player added to his schedule in a desperate attempt to make the FedExCup play-offs for a ninth consecutive year.
The 2017 FedExCup champion entered this week 75th in the standings. Only 70 players will qualify for the first leg, and Thomas will fall even further with only next week’s Wyndham Championship remaining.
He left without speaking to reporters on Friday, and will have to rebound in a big way from the toughest stretch of his PGA Tour career next week in order to keep his season alive.
Thomas, who also missed the cut at three of the year’s four Majors, has slipped to 24th in the world, the lowest he has been in seven years.
He will likely fall even further after the end of this week’s 3M Open.
More important is his increasingly sinking chances of making the United States Ryder Cup team. Currently 14th in the US rankings, Thomas is extremely unlikely to earn one of the six automatic spots. That would leave him at the mercy of the six captain’s picks Zach Johnson will make in August.
Meanwhile, Lee Hodges headed into Saturday’s third round of the 3M Open with a four-stroke lead after shooting an impressive 64 for a 15-under 127 total. Tyler Duncan is nearest to Hodges, on 11 under after his bogey-free 67.
Hodges, chasing a first PGA Tour title, is 74th in the FedExCup standings.
“I’m just going to keep doing what I’ve been doing and see how it turns out,” said the 28-year-old.
“With my caddie... we’ve committed to every shot we’ve hit so far, which has been great.”
AFP, REUTERS
