Justin Thomas. Logan Whitton

If you want to understand the absurdity of Justin Thomas’ mad dash for the FedEx Cup Playoffs at the Wyndham Championship on Sunday, consider the fact that after making par on the 17th hole, but before teeing off on 18 — somewhere in his walk between holes — he slipped from 70th in the playoff standings to 71st. The former makes the playoffs, the latter does not.

If you want to understand the delirious drama of the day and the week, though, you only had to watch his second and third shots on the 18th hole. The former was a massive hook off the pine straw from 183 yards, through trees, the ball trying to run up the front of the green after Thomas’ tee shot found the left trees. The latter was a pitch from 34 yards that hit the hole and did everything but go in. The former saw him conclude his swing by spinning on one leg like a primo ballerina before dashing to the fairway to see the result. The latter concluded with him falling on his back, face stuck in a rictus of despair. Not long after he tapped in for his par, the weather horn blew, and you almost got the sense that Thomas invoked the storms himself.

The former:

And the latter:

After hours of uncertainty, the ending was anticlimactic: It didn’t happen. The players remaining on the course didn’t miss what they needed to miss, and he stayed right there in 71st place, one spot to the bad after finishing the tournament in a tie for 12th with a closing 68 leaving him one shot short. But to JT, we issue the following statement: Golf fans invite you to come back to the bubble any old time you want.