Why did Justin Thomas give up his dairy and gluten-free diet?
As is typical for professional athletes, Justin Thomas dedicated a significant portion of 2023 to improving his diet. The idea was to maximize his energy intake through nutrition so that it might be used to improve his athletic performance. For Thomas, though, this did not turn out as expected.
Before the 2023 Hero World Challenge, Justin Thomas made it known during his press conference that he had given up on following a dairy- and gluten-free diet. He gave two explanations: he didn’t feel “anything different” when he tried dairy again, and he didn’t do well at that time.
Remember that diet Justin Thomas was doing earlier this year?
— Paul Hodowanic (@PaulHodowanic) November 28, 2023
Yeah, he’s done with that. Finished his 6 months without dairy at The Open. Quickly went back to gluten, a few months earlier than he was supposed to.
With it corresponding with the worst golf of his career, he said… pic.twitter.com/Zxxpm0h4lp
In July, Justin Thomas told reporters that he had succeeded in going six months without dairy. Thomas claimed to have eaten a gluten-free pizza on his flight back to the United States following his dismal showing at The Open Championship in July.
Thomas said, “I could have cried.”
“After shooting about 400 the first two days at The Open Championship, when I got to Minnesota, I got a gluten-free pizza like on Monday or Tuesday, and I swear I could have cried, it was so good.”
Additionally, Justin Thomas said:
“Over the following two weeks, I gradually resumed eating dairy, but I didn’t feel any difference… I wouldn’t do that if I could go back in time, as it wasn’t exactly my finest golfing period.”
Justin Thomas’s training with Dr. Ara Suppiah had an impact on his nutrition. The plan was to cut out dairy products for six months and gluten products for a year, all the while monitoring his PGA Tour performance.
Examining Justin Thomas’ athletic performance while following a diet
In July 2023, Justin Thomas participated in fifteen competitions. His finest success came from finishing in fourth place at The Phoenix Open, although he also achieved three Top 10s. Six events saw him eliminated, including three of the four Majors.
Twenty-five of Thomas’ 54 PGA Tour rounds during that time were in the 60s, while 29 were in the 70s or below. During this time, he had two best rounds: the third round at The Travelers Championship (62) and the opening round at The Open Championship (82).
These outcomes directly impacted Thomas’s standing in the FedEx Cup standings. He was placed 71st in February, and after a brief ascent to 60th in March, he was unable to maintain his position and dropped to 75th in July.
Thomas missed the playoffs for the first time since his debut year in 2014, finishing the season ranked 71st in the FedEx Cup.
Thomas participated in just two PGA Tour events after July: the Wyndham Championship in August, where he placed T12, and the Fortinet Championship in September, when he took sixth place. He participated in the Ryder Cup as well, scoring 1.5 points for Team USA in four games as they lost.
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