From 79-79 start to making BMW, Thomas talks season after injury
Justin Thomas returned from back surgery and struggled out of the gate at Bay Hill. But he recovered to make it to -- at least -- the second playoff event. He joined Damon Hack on "Golf Central."
Video Transcript
Justin Thomas with us.
JT, we appreciate the time.
You're less than a year removed from back surgery, and you're into the second week of the playoffs.
I know you're tough on yourself, but nine top 25s this season.
How would you assess your year?
I'd, I'd say you summarized it all pretty well there.
Especially the hard on myself.
I, I'm always gonna be, you know, disappointed with feeling like I, I, you know, should've, should've played close to tournaments a lot better.
I really have just, overall I feel like I've played solid this year.
I haven't, I haven't had a lot of great.
I've just kinda had a lot of, you know, decent, and I really just kind of been a round away from a lot of tournaments of, of really being, you know, more top fives, top tens.
And, so you know, that's the frustrating part.
But at the same time, I do, I need to be a little, I don't wanna say realistic, but, nice on myself.
I did start the, the season in March and coming off surgery, you know, didn't know what the season held.
So, you know, I would really like for this to not be my last week and, and play really well to, to get to East Lake.
Being nice to yourself, what does that look like?
That's a good question.
If you, if you know, let me know.
That'd be great.
It's, you know, I think, I- I think it's in a lot of our DNA and l- in a lot of our blood to be, be hard on ourselves, and it, it's, it's tough at times because it's a very, it's a sport that, you know, we lose pretty much every week that we play when, when you, when you break it down like that.
So it's just, it being, you know, on, on a week or, or maybe a day that doesn't go how you want, looking at the positives, not only looking at the bad things that went wrong.
Look at the things that I did well and try to build off of that as opposed to, you know, immediately looking at the negatives, and things that I wish I could've done better.
Have you had to adjust how much you can practice, grind post-surgery, or are you passed it and you can grind on the range for as much as you need?
I, I feel like right now, at, at the beginning of the season, it was definitely a, some question marks.
You know, I think it I mean, I know for a fact these last, you know, these last handful of years, this time of the season, you know, stuff is, is hurting.
You know?
It's, it's a grind.
It's a, it's a couple months of, of really, really, really difficult high-level, high-intensity golf to where it does, it kind of wears on you.
So, I'm sure everybody isn't exactly feeling as, as fresh and rejuvenated as they are, you know, come January.
But, but no.
I've, I've felt the last, you know, couple months that I've been pretty, pretty free reign, that I can, you know, do as, as much as I need and as I wish.
But, it's, it's a fine balance of, of doing enough and, and getting, checking the boxes that you feel like you need, but more than anything, mentally, being in a good place, 'cause the mental fatigue can really wear on you this time of year.
You have high expectations.
You're a two-time major champ.
You've been number one.
You've won golf tournaments by seven shots, by four, by a margin of three several times.
What's the talk around the tour when a Scottie goes King Kong on the field like you did in Memphis?
I think now, there's not really much talk of it anymore.
I think, it's, it's obviously it's incredibly impressive what he's done the last, the last couple years.
And, yeah, there, there's a part of me that, that really, really respects, you know, the kinda season that he's had in terms of it's, it's tough.
The Player of the Year race, I think every single year is, is the same.
Not, I shouldn't say every year.
Most years it's the same conversation of you maybe have someone that looks like they've done more in some eyes than others, and it's someone's more consistent.
But it's really, it's everybody's definition of what player of the year is, is different, and I think that's kinda what's important to remember.
But I know there's a part of him, although he probably won't admit it, that, you know, is, is nice to kind of say, "Hey, you know, I've, I've now won the ..." For all the people that said I, you know, I've been struggling winning.
'cause he's played a lot, a lot of unbelievable golf, to where, you know, his, his resume of all the top finishes shouldn't go just kind of unnoticed and, and un- un- appreciated.
So, but I think when he goes and wins by that much, at this point we, we don't expect it, but, it's not as jaw-dropping as maybe it once was.
How do you balance that?
Because he said afterwards, "Hey, the stats are nice.
It's nice when you tell me, 'Hey, I'm hitting this many greens, and my stats are great,' versus bringing home the trophy."
Can you have small victories?
Do you have to celebrate the small wins?
Or, or, or is the trophy at the end of the day really the only thing that can satisfy a, a, a true competitor and an elite golfer like yourself, someone who's been at the best, who's been at the top of the mountain?
It's a little bit of both.
I, I think it, it probably depends on how the week goes.
I mean, I, I look at, you know, I look at how my week, let's say like the PGA this year, for instance.
You know, to have that round that I did on Sunday after what I felt like was a very poor Saturday and, and kinda played my way, not completely out of the tournament, but somewhat out of the tournament.
You know, I just felt like I handled everything really, really well Sunday and, and kind of exactly how I would've drawn it up, and obviously I would've loved to be the one with the trophy at the end and, and not finishing fourth like I did.
But, you know, I left there very optimistic and very proud of myself, and I think that's, you know, that's what you, you wanna try to walk away from weeks with stuff like that as much as you can.
'Cause like I said, it is a, it is a we are in a profession and a sport where you lose the majority of weeks that you play.
So finding things like that is important, because yeah, it's, as nice as it would be to be leaving every week with a trophy, that's not completely realistic.
Yeah, definitely not in golf or, or tennis as well.
You played great, by the way, at Bellerive in 2018 at the PGA.
You shot a second round 65, if I remember.
You finished tied for sixth.
It was your title defense.
How much do you look at Bellerive as a place where, hey, I can put together four good rounds here?
Yeah, I have a lot of great memories here.
I mean, I, I kinda joked with my dad, talking to him yesterday.
He's like, "You know, it's a, it's a place that..." He's like, "You, you know, you feel like you like that place.
Like, you played pretty well at the PGA in '18, if I remember right."
And I was like, "Yeah?"
And he's like, "You..." I think he's like, "You what?
You finished like 10th or 12th."
And I was like, "Dad, I had a putt on nine on Sunday to, to take the lead, I'm pretty sure."
And he's like, "Really?"
It's like, "Yeah, I finished sixth."
He was like, "Oh, you did play good."
And I was like, "Yeah, Dad, I did.
Come on, man."
So I was giving him a hard time for that.
But it is.
It's a, yeah, I, I played nine earlier today, and it is.
It's a golf course I remember.
It hasn't changed.
There's just a new tee on 17.
But it's a big, big track.
It's long.
A lot of You, you know, you have some shorter holes, but you have a lot of mid irons, huge greens.
It's, it, you know, it's gonna be probably pretty soft to where, you know, your, your iron and distance control is gonna be really, really important, in putting the ball in the fairway.
And, you know, just kind of have, just be very, very patient and, and, you know, have one of those hot rounds.
But, it's definitely a place that, you know, it's always comfortable going back to a place that you've played well, so that'll, something that I can feed off of this week.
You mentioned the length of the season, the bumps and bruises, everybody a bit sore.
And, and speaking of the playoffs, golf's the rare sport where its biggest events are arguably not at the end of the year.
It's, it's spring through summer.
But in general, do you think that Brian Rolapp and the tour can build a playoff system that is compelling for the fans, but also for you guys?
For sure.
I think it's, you know, it, h- he has an unbelievable, just a different perspective, I think, of looking at things, which is helpful for us, I think.
'Cause I mean, n- no offense to the tour and, and us, but it's clearly, you know, what we've been trying to do hasn't exactly checked the box that we probably need it to or want it to, in terms of the excitement of the playoffs.
And that's obviously, that's really, really important, and it is.
Look, at the end of the day, the, the, our biggest events are events that, you know, we don't own a- and that's the That is a very, very unfortunate part of it.
But, you know, we want to build something obviously for the PGA Tour, but just for golf too, to where it's like we, you have fans, the players, we have a post-season playoffs to look forward to.
And not that we don't look forward to, to this, but I think with a different setup and a different situation and different formats, whatever you wanna call it, I think it has the opportunity to just have a lot more excitement from everybody around.
And it seems like, you know, that's something that, that Brian and, and all of the committees and teams have put in a lot of hard work and time and effort in.
And, and, you know, I have confidence that, that it'll pan out, you know, great in the, in the future.
JT, I pulled you aside at the end of the Ryder Cup and, and told you I appreciated how you went about your business, handling the crowd, playing great.
You were dog out there.
You were also a leading voice in January of 2025.
You and Max Homa are urging players to grant more access, increase the fan engagement that you're talking about.
How has that gone in your mind?
I don't know.
I might not be I might, you might be a better person to ask, I don't know.
It's, it's hard because, I mean, I find myself the same way.
It's, it's, it, it's, it's a We're such a unique and different sport in the sense of the access, or maybe the, the, I don't wanna say lack of privacy, but it just, it's very much we don't necessarily have the breaks that other sports may get.
You know what I mean?
Like, it's, it's, it's someone's there all times.
You're, y- there's not, whether it's a practice round, you're practicing, you're, you're playing, it's, it just everybody's kind of there all the time.
But it's also in the sense of, you know, the practices or the time that's, especially different times of the year that people wanna spend.
Like, you do at the end of the day need to put yourself first, right?
Because it, this is our job.
It is what we're trying, our livelihood.
But it's the, you know, the ability and, and the opportunity to add more of the other things and opportunities, I think is, you know, is where everybody's trying to do what they can to, to improve it.
And I, I, I hope that it's gotten better.
I feel like it has, but like I said, I'm probably not the person to ask.
But I definitely understand that it is, it is a tough thing to perfect and, and, you know, probably realistically something that never will be perfected.
But as long as, you know, guys are making the effort when, when we can, then, you know, going the right direction is better than, than not at all.
So I guess that's, you know, all I can ask.
Well, JT, I appreciate a few minutes tonight.
And tell, Mike to put in a copy of the 2018 PGA from Bellerive to watch his son, make a big move on that Sunday.
Appreciate it, man.
Have a great week in St. Louis.
Yeah, you got it, dude.
