Justin Thomas was motivated to end the negative streak without a win, and celebrate at the Valspar Championship, but he failed in his intention. The experienced golfer played and performed brilliantly from the beginning of the tournament, and it seemed that he was well on his way to victory.
At one point, he was even three strokes ahead of Viktor Hovland. However, with two bogeys, the American golfer spoiled his plans. The famous golfer shared his emotions after the round, referring to the tees on the 16th and 18th holes.
“I’ve always hit driver there,” Thomas said, as quoted by Macon.
“It’s one of those things, do you deviate from a game plan that got you there? I don’t like 3-wood because my miss when I’m trying to cut a 3-wood like that is a heel, and it’s not covering that water there. I mean, that’s kind of what I felt was worst-case scenario. … I didn’t feel like it was necessarily a stupid play.”
Justin Thomas shares his emotions
Justin Thomas had Viktor Hovland behind him, who was waiting for his chance. Bearing such pressure is not easy, especially after the Norwegian’s birdie on the 17th hole. Justin stressed that he wished he had been more successful in his shots, but unfortunately, he was unable to stay focused.
“It was just a bad lie [on the second shot],” Thomas said. “It wasn’t a good drive, so I can’t expect much. Yeah, it just was a bummer. I obviously would have loved some lie to — I mean, I hit a pitching wedge as hard as I possibly could and it went about 120 yards or so. … I could hear from the roar that Viktor had birdied 17, so I felt like I needed a 3.”
The experienced American golfer emphasizes the positive things about this tournament, stressing that he felt comfortable but at the same time proud. However, it’s not easy when you don’t win when you have a great chance in front of you.
Tennis World USA