The 2025 season of the PGA Tour officially kicks off today, Thursday, with the first round of the The Sentry Tournament of Champions, the tournament that brings together the winners of events on the circuit from the past year and the top players of the FedEx Cup. An event where Justin Thomas will be present, a two-time winner at this Hawaiian visit, who, with a clear objective regarding what needs to improve in his game, hopes to regain his best form in this new year.
“This tournament has changed a lot. It used to depend on how many people won events. I remember my first year here we only played 30 golfers, there were years when we were 38, 39… Now it’s different, it’s a great honour to start the year here. You can make a lot of birdies, there are fairways and you also have to be careful with the wind and be creative when hitting shots. What is clear is that there’s no other place I’d rather start the year than at Kapalua. Last year was a ‘crap’ not being able to be here, so I’m happy to be back,” said J.T. in his official press conference.
The golfer from Louisville, accustomed to winning in his early years on the tour, has appreciated over the past two seasons how difficult it is to achieve victories on the PGA Tour: “Definitely, I underestimated it then, for sure. I really felt like I was going to win several times each season until it stopped happening. It’s so hard to win here… Naturally, the better you play, the more mistakes you make, but at the end of the week, on Sunday, you have to win the tournament. Winning it in different places can happen differently, but you have to do a lot of things right, hit good shots, and make the putts. I was lucky to do it quite often, and I feel I’m still fully capable of doing it, I hope to do it more often.”
What is clear is that for Thomas, the expectations when he goes out to play are always the same: “I still expect the same. I mean, I understand it’s not realistic in percentages and probability, but I still fully believe I can have a year like the one Scottie just had. I’d be doing myself a disservice if I didn’t think I could at least do it. I mean, I have a lot of faith and ability in my game, and I feel like I’m working on the right things, but it doesn’t just happen because you believe you can and because you believe you deserve it, you have to work harder than everyone else and you have to do the right things. So I think I’m capable of as much as in other years, but that doesn’t mean, as I’ve said, that it’s going to happen or not.”
“I want to hit 60 percent of my fairways, which I haven’t been able to do in my career so far, but this is going to be my year, I can feel it”
A year and a half ago, Justin went through a very rough patch, missing several cuts, and was left out of the FedEx Cup playoffs. Something he doesn’t forget… “Everyone’s fear is different. I’d say it’s the root of many struggles or regrets, like maybe I should have done this, should have done that, whatever. I clearly wasn’t doing any of what I tried, and anything I’m going to do or try in the future, I’m not doing it because I think it’s going to make me worse, at that moment I’m doing it because I think it was the right thing. The hard part is accepting it. I think that’s what the best do, it’s like accepting that process, accepting that my career is going to last as long as it lasts, that I’m going to have ups and downs, and that everything I’m doing is part of that process. So it wasn’t very fortunate that it happened at the lowest point of my process so far, and I hope not to be in that place again for a long, long time, but I’m much better because of it.”
J.T. is now experiencing a different stage, working without a coach. He explains it like this: “It’s fine. I never want to look back. There are certain things in my DNA, in my swing, that made me who I am. But I feel like maybe I can try to improve that version, so I just tried to really look at how I did things in the past. My dad worked at the club, so I’d see him a handful of times a year because he was busy. So it was like I’d record a video, send it to him, talk here and there, whatever, but for the most part, I knew the answer before sending something. And I got to the point where I depended on someone else. I think I’ve always been so good at solving problems on the course and trying new things, and I’d lost that. So I think getting back to that point where I have the responsibility and I have to be able to solve it if I’m not hitting the ball well. I don’t have anyone holding my hand and telling me what to do. So it’s been better for me. It’s more like it used to be, in the sense that I’m going to keep going, check myself, and if I need something, we’ll see.”
And in putting, it’s much the same: “I think I had become too dependent on help in recent years and, yes, now I’m on my own. I consider myself a great putter. I know I am. I’ve made a lot of extremely decisive putts and big putts in my career, and talent doesn’t leave your body, it doesn’t disappear. It’s just about regaining confidence and doing things right so that confidence is there when I’m playing tournaments, and that’s what I’ve been working on to get to that place.”
Among the challenges he sets for 2025, there’s one highlighted for Thomas related to his consistency from the tee: “I want to hit 60 percent of my fairways, which I haven’t been able to do in my career so far, but this is going to be my year, I can feel it. Despite how good my iron play is, hitting a couple more fairways per round would help me manage everything better, as I’ve done from the TOUR Championship to the end of the year. It’s a big, big difference and an advantage for me. The closest I’ve been so far is 58% of fairways a couple of times, but not this past year.”
And of course, J.T. doesn’t forget about team tournaments, after missing out on the Presidents Cup in September, something he accepted as logical but uses as motivation: “I haven’t had the chance to play angry for a while, so I’m pretty excited to play a bit angry this year… Obviously, I didn’t deserve to be on the team, but in my mind, I always think and know I’m going to be a good contribution. I love Jim, we’ve talked many times, and our friendship and relationship haven’t changed at all… but nothing would please me more than to text him four, five, or six times this year and say: ‘Good call’ (laughs). But I’m glad they won, and I cheered them on like crazy, luckily we’re close enough that I can do it without him getting upset.”
However, the Louisville native admits that when he found out he wouldn’t be part of the team, he felt terrible: “It was crap. I was travelling with Jill, so I felt bad for her because it was in the morning, and the call ruined my day. I’m pretty sure I ordered a beer at lunch. I needed it. It was fine. I think Jill could see it, like me, if it were my choice, if I’d been at home, I would have gone straight to bed. But as I said, I recognise it was the right decision, although there are things you have to tell yourself.”
So at the start of this new year, he is more motivated than ever to avoid receiving such a communication: “Yes, it’s terrible. Unfortunately, I’ve been in that situation for two years, and it’s not pleasant. Not just waiting for the call, but not knowing how it’s going to be, so it’s a lot of anxiety and a lot of stress.”
Finally, Justin had words for Scheffler, the great dominator of world golf. When asked what Scottie would have to do for players to look at him as they once did at Tiger, he gave a most clarifying answer: “Keep breathing?” J.T. saw Tiger win majors, although perhaps not in his first stage, where the level of intimidation for his rivals on the course was impressive…
“Yes, like, I can’t beat this guy, I’m playing for second place, that kind of thing. I mean, he does it so differently… I don’t think it’s easier for him than it was for Tiger, but it could happen that people are afraid or see how hard it is to play against him because of how calm he is. I mean, he shows emotions, he gets angry, but towards himself. I’ve seen some of his best moments, and I’m impressed by his way of being, always focused, hitting each shot as best as possible… It’s like he’s not playing with anyone else. Selfishly, I hope he doesn’t keep it up and I can snatch some wins from him, but he’s doing very well.”
