Smylie Kaufman has shared the statistic concerning Justin Thomas at the Scottish Open which really popped out to him as the American failed to capitalise on an outstanding opening round.
Justin Thomas was the surprise leader after Thursday at the Scottish Open, with the 31-year-old shooting an eight-under 62 around The Renaissance Club in what appeared to be a hint that he was ready to find some form ahead of the final major of the year.
Unfortunately, that was as good as it got for the two-time major champion in North Berwick, with three rounds in the 70s seeing Thomas fall down the field and ultimately finish in a tie for 62nd.
Thomas has not won in more than two years and has missed the cut at five of the last seven majors. It has been quite the decline for Thomas, who relied on a very kind captain’s pick to make the US Ryder Cup team in Rome last year.
Smylie Kaufman surprised by Justin Thomas statistic after Scottish Open
It certainly appears that his putting has more than played its part in Thomas’ struggles, with Smylie Kaufman telling The Smylie Show that one statistic from the Scottish Open really stood out.
“It’s good to see a hot putting round. I think one statistic that just popped out, was it Justin Ray who tweeted, I’m not sure if it was or not, but he made a 42-foot putt that first round, and it was the longest putt that he has made since 2022 at 42-feet. He hadn’t made anything outside of 40-feet which you’d think he’d run one in at some point over a year and a half,” he said.
“That just kind of tells you how it’s been for JT, which is a guy who normally wears out the middle of the greens. And if he’s not getting anything to go in from that range, like once a tournament, then you don’t pick up that extra shot or that momentum putt that can propel you.”
Strokes gained statistic shows how much work major champion has to do
It is alarming how far behind the rest of the field Thomas has been with the flat stick this season, with the PGA Tour website showing that he is 154th on tour for strokes gained on the greens.
Tee to green, he is 12th; while he is fifth for strokes gained around the greens. But it appears that he is simply yet to find that magic formula when he is on the putting surface.
It is hard to imagine for us mere mortals that someone can be so good at the game, but have one weakness so glaring that it is hard to envisage that he is working on anything else.
If he can find something with his putter, in the same way Scottie Scheffler did earlier this year, everything else appears to be in place for Thomas to get back into that winner’s circle.
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