Justin Thomas really wants to be the top-ranked golfer in the world and he was on the cusp of reaching No. 1 on Sunday at the WGC-Match Play, but Bubba Watson and Thomas’ own thoughts got in the way.
Justin Thomas distracted by the possibility of reaching world No. 1 ranking
Thomas admits it ‘really sucked’ he could not stop thinking about rising to No. 1 in the world during his semifinal WGC Match Play loss to Bubba Watson.
Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
Thomas, in a moment of candor uncharacteristic of professional athletes, said he could not stop obsessing about the world rankings as he bowed to Watson, 3 and 2, in the semifinals at Austin Country Club.
“I haven’t had such a hard time not thinking about something so much. And that really sucked,” Thomas told the Associated Press after playing an atypically poor round against a sizzling Watson, who was on his way Sunday afternoon to a complete thumping of Kevin Kisner in the match play final. “I couldn’t stop thinking about it, to be perfectly honest. And I think you’re constantly getting questions about it with the media. But I need to be mentally stronger than that, and understand that it’s just a match.’’
Certainly, one can applaud Thomas for his honesty. But with another chance for Thomas to wrest the No. 1 position from Dustin Johnson at the Masters next week, one also had to wonder if reaching the top spot will prove a distraction at Augusta for the world No. 2 and one of the hottest golfers on the planet.
For sure, the reigning PGA champion played on Sunday as if he were distracted, as his drives were not particularly crisp and he could not get his putts to drop.Now it’s on to the Masters for the eight-time PGA Tour winner, who certainly has Augusta as much on his mind as that top ranking.
“I mean the timing, I don’t care when it happens, I just hope it happens and it happens for a while,” Thomas told reporters on Saturday after dispatching Kyle Stanley, 2 and 1, in the quarterfinals. “I don’t know what to say because I’ve never experienced it. I don’t know what’s going to come with it. But I just hope it happens tomorrow.
“Other than that then I hope it happens the next tournament,” said Thomas, whose next event will be the Masters. “But I’m worried — it will and would be a great accomplishment. But I’m just worried about trying to beat Bubba Watson tomorrow.”
Of course, if Thomas were “gagging with the pressure” in match play, as only NBC’s Johnny Miller could put it, just wait until April 5.
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