Justin Thomas returns to competition three weeks after his victory at the RBC Heritage. The American had gone almost three years without a win, and at Harbour Town he lifted that significant weight off his shoulders.
The reality is that the last three individual winners are truly breathtaking. Rory at the Masters, Justin himself at the Heritage, and last week Scottie Scheffler at the Byron Nelson.
The former World Number One admits that at the moment he doesn’t feel he’s at the same table as the other two mentioned players: “I appreciate being mentioned in the same sentence as Rory and Scottie. Obviously, I think a lot about myself and my game and my achievements, and I know what I’ve done. But like almost all of us, we downplay everything we’ve done and what we probably feel about ourselves,” says the fifteen-time winner on the PGA Tour.
When asked about the Northern Irishman’s victory at Augusta, Justin feels a fire within: “Rory winning the Grand Slam was huge. It was inspiring for me. Obviously, it’s not that I didn’t realise I wanted to win the Grand Slam before that, but it’s even more motivating.” The Louisville native has a long way to go as he has ‘only’ won the PGA Championship (twice), but he acknowledges that Rory’s feat is an inspiration for him.
As a great golf enthusiast, he admits he didn’t miss a detail of the final round: “I was thrilled to get home and watch the entire round on TV. I was lucky enough to see Rory at home afterwards, and I joked with him and thanked him for keeping it so tight and not winning by four or five. I was glued to the TV and enjoyed watching it.”
Next week, the second Major of the season is played at Quail Hollow. Eight years ago, Thomas achieved his first Major there. Despite his triumph there in 2017 and his return to the winner’s circle, the golfer eases the pressure: “It would be easy to get carried away with the excitement of wanting to win, but to be completely honest, Rory winning the Masters and Scottie winning last week deserve all the attention and favouritism. I think that can also help me. Probably when I get there next week, I might see it a bit differently, but it’s good for me that there are two players taking some of that pressure off me.”
Interestingly, in Justin Thomas’s golf bag, there’s a five-wood that has been with him for over ten years. With current technology and the evolution of clubs, it seems crazy for a player to keep a wood for so long, but for Justin, it’s ideal: “It’s the perfect club for me. It’s unique in the sense that I feel I can hit it 230 yards if I need to, but I can hit it 265 in the air if I need to. I’ve tried new models, but I can’t get that same feel and accuracy. It’s similar to a 3-wood. If you get a good one, it’s hard to replace. I have a handful of heads left, and I definitely won’t be giving any of them to anyone to try soon,” the American concluded with a laugh.
