A top-10 finish at The Players Championship made it look like Justin Thomas was getting back to form. But what happened after that was very different.

He started his 2026 PGA Tour season with a poor result at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Thomas shot 79 and 79, missed the cut, and went home early. It was his first event since his surgery, but it still raised questions.

The Players Championship the next week was much better. Thomas finished tied for eighth at eight-under-par, only five shots behind the winner, Cameron Young. He began the tournament with rounds of 68 and 68, putting himself in contention at TPC Sawgrass.

The Players Championship is the biggest tournament outside the majors. Thomas finished four months after surgery and eight shots inside the cut line.

"With this past Friday being four months post-surgery, I'm very proud of myself for being back in contention again," Thomas said after the tournament. He wasn't done there.

"Time to sharpen up a few things and do a quick reset before hitting one of my favorite courses of the year," he added. "On to the Valspar Championship."

At the Valspar Championship the next week, Thomas finished tied for 30th at two-under. Then, at The Masters in April, he finished tied for 41st at two-over. A week later at the RBC Heritage, he slipped further and ended tied for 77th at three-over.

Justin Thomas In The World Ranking 2026

In five starts in 2026, Thomas has made four cuts. He has one top-10 finish, no top-five finishes, and zero wins.

His official earnings so far are around $900,000, and he is ranked 17th according to OWGR. He is 66th in the FedExCup standings with 245 points, and 13th in the U.S. Presidents Cup standings with 3,019 points.

That Presidents Cup ranking is important, and Thomas is well known in team golf. But at 17th in the world, he will need more than one good week at Sawgrass to keep his place.

The 32-year-old has 16 PGA Tour wins, but five events into his comeback season, his results outside March have not matched the expectations that come with his record.

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Written by

Sneha Abraham

Edited by

Pulkit Prabhav