Justin Thomas has decided to stop before his body forced him to do so due to something more serious. The American has announced via Instagram that he has undergone a microdiscectomy at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, a minimally invasive procedure aimed at correcting a disc issue he had been dealing with “for months” and which had started with persistent discomfort in the hip. The pain has not subsided and he has stopped
The surgery was a success and Thomas has already been discharged, but the break is inevitable. The two-time Major winner has not wanted to set a date for his return. Not even speculate. “I am not targeting any tournament nor do I have one in mind. I am going to completely listen to my body and let the disc heal fully,” he explained.
The only clear thing is that he will miss several tournaments at the start of the season. Everything points to him being very tight for the first Signature of the year at Pebble Beach, in mid-February. His participation in the reboot of The Skins Game, scheduled for the Friday after Thanksgiving, has also been practically ruled out.
The announcement comes after a season in which the American has reunited with victory (RBC Heritage), secured three second places (American Express, Valspar and Truist Championship) and showed a good level in the Ryder Cup, especially on Sunday where he almost played the hero role with a huge putt on the 18th in the singles against a fired-up Tommy Fleetwood. Since then, he has not competed again.
As mentioned, despite even Thomas himself not knowing exactly when he will compete again, everything indicates it will not be before mid-February.
