It's no secret that Justin Thomas hasn't won a tournament in nearly three years, his last victory coming at the 2022 PGA Championship.
It's not that he hasn't played any good golf since then, as he's recorded 10 top-five finishes. But he's also missed a dozen cuts during this drought, and that inconsistency led to him dropping out of the top 30 in the Official World Golf Ranking last season for the first time in eight years.
That inconsistency also led to Thomas being left off the Presidents Cup team, marking the first time since 2016 that he failed to represent the United States in either the Presidents Cup or the Ryder Cup.
And JT certainly hasn't forgotten about the snub. In fact, he's been using it as motivation throughout this 2025 PGA Tour season, as he explained following his second round at this week's RBC Heritage.
“I'm kind of excited about playing a little pissed off that I didn't get picked for the Presidents Cup team,” Thomas said. “I don't like feel like I deserved to, but internally I always feel like I'm going to be a great addition.
“It's a nice thing for me to get to do,” he added of playing with a bit of a chip on his shoulder. And that little extra edge has undoubtedly paid off.
Justin Thomas has given himself several chances to win in 2025, including this week at the RBC Heritage
Remember those 12 missed cuts mentioned above? None of those have come in 2025, as Thomas has made the weekend in each of his 10 starts, which includes this week at Harbour Town. Yes, a few of the events didn't have a cut, but you get the point we're making.
After an average T26 at the season-opening Sentry, the two-time major champion fired a final-round 66 at The American Express two weeks later to take solo second, marking his highest finish since his 2022 PGA Championship win.
Yes, he tied for second at the Zozo last fall, but a solo second just sounds better.
And after a pair of top-10s in his next five starts, Thomas again put himself in position to end his winless drought at the Valspar Championship, even leading with just three holes to play before a pair of bogeys down the stretch derailed his chances, allowing Viktor Hovland to snap a 19-month winless drought of his own.
But even that disappointment didn't get to Thomas as much as it may have in the past. He still wants to win, of course, but says he's been "trying too hard" instead of letting his game come to him, which is what he's been doing this week at the RBC Heritage.
Just over a month removed from tying the course record at TPC Sawgrass in the second round of The Players Championship with a 10-under 62, the world's eighth-ranked player opened his week at Harbour Town by again tying a course record, firing a 10-under 61.
While not quite as sharp during Friday's second round, the 31-year-old salvaged a 2-under 69 to take a two-shot lead into the weekend, marking his first 36-hole lead in more than four years.
Given the elite field of players currently in contention, a list that includes world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, Thomas has plenty of work to do to finally get PGA Tour win number 16.
But given the extra edge with which he's been playing recently, combined with the attitude of not putting too much pressure on himself, don't be surprised if he's hoisting a trophy come Sunday afternoon.