Justin Thomas isn’t afraid of snakes.
Well, maybe he is, but he’s not afraid of the Snake Pit.
Thomas has tamed the Copperhead course to the tune of five top-20s in six appearances.
Three of those are top-10s, including last year when JT posted 69-70-72-70 (-3) for T-10th. He climbed 10 spots up the leaderboard on Sunday with an under-par round in tough conditions.
He was fifth in the field in Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green (3.916) and 19th in SG: Approach (2.679).
Thomas’ peak performance at Innisbrook came the year prior. He recorded 66-66-66-70 for T-3rd.
“There's just a lot of holes you have to just be so cautious out here I feel like,” Thomas was transcribed by ASAP Sports in 2016. “The par-3s are tough. You're trying to find the green and two-putt, get out with a 3. There's some longer holes you're trying to hit the green in two and two-putt for a 4.”
Thomas has finished inside the top 12 in four of six starts in 2024, including T-3rd at The American Express.
He is playing much better golf than 2023, which was one of his worst since his rookie campaign.
The 30-year-old is sixth in SG: Approach (.769) and 10th in SG: Off-the-Tee (1.197).
He’s fifth in birdie percentage (28.65%) and 18th in par-4 scoring.
I don’t see Thomas’ cold putter warming up quite enough to get him across the line first, but this will safely be another top-12 to add to his tally.