When it comes to streaks, there are good ones, and not-so-good ones. When you are on a streak, you hope it is the type of streak which is memorable for all the right reasons. Think Joe DiMaggio or Cal Ripken Jr. Both players are known for their streaks, and in a very positive way.

No one wants to be associated with a streak which brings a negative connotation to them, or the game they play.

For PGA Tour player, and two-time major champion, Justin Thomas, his streak was getting a little lengthy. What streak am I referring to? How about the fact it has been a whopping 1,064 days since his last victory on tour. As he prepared for the RBC Heritage signature event last weekend, Thomas was ready to end the constant questioning surrounding his streak.

“I’m sick of getting asked,” Thomas said Friday of his winless drought, one day after tying the course record at Hilton Head with a 10-under 61. “I almost feel like I’m kind of past the point where fortunately you all have stopped asking me, which is nice, but I would also prefer to get that over with.”

Thomas was able to stop the streak in dramatic fashion at Harbour Town in Hilton Head, SC, with a playoff victory over Andrew Novak. The playoff lasted just one hole, with Thomas sinking a birdie putt to secure victory, but what he realized after the round might be even more pertinent.

“Winning is hard. It’s really, really hard,” Thomas said to CBS on the 18th green. “I’ve worked my butt off. Stayed patient, stayed positive. … Just take for granted sometimes when you get on those runs. I didn’t realize how much I missed winning. Battling out there was so much fun.”

Thomas was close earlier this year to breaking the streak, but eventually fell prey to Viktor Hovland at the Valspar Championship, this after blowing a lead down the stretch and losing by one shot. But that wasn’t the case at the RBC Heritage where Thomas was the one who was making the necessary shots to claim victory. The dagger birdie putt was something Thomas hadn’t done before in his career.

“I said to (caddy) Joe (Greiner) on 18, I’ve never made a putt to win a tournament before, of length. Been fortunate to have a lot of tap-ins, but I’ve never made a putt. That was pretty cool. That was as fun as I’d thought it’d be,” he said.

With Thomas breaking his streak of not winning over, he can now focus on winning more tournaments, like the upcoming PGA Championship. That’s a major Thomas knows about winning, considering he was the 2022 PGA at Southern Hills Championship Course. Can this win, and him getting the proverbial monkey off his back, help spur him onto more victories? It certainly can’t hurt, but time will tell if Thomas has regained the swagger he once had every time he entered a tournament.

Jeff Hartman is the host of the Fairways & Dreams podcast, and you can hear the latest show in the podcast player below: