Eight years ago, Justin Thomas, then 24, celebrated his first major victory at the 2017 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow. This week, he returns to the same place, albeit as a different person and golfer, but with the same goal in mind.
I was fortunate enough to have success at a young age. But when you’re 23 or 24, you have nothing else to think about or worry about. You have no scars. You have no experience.
Justin Thomas
What at the time seemed a harbinger of future successes has evolved. Thomas now remembers that time with a mixture of nostalgia and envy.
Thomas has 16 PGA Tour victories and added another PGA Championship to his resume in 2022. Despite the ups and downs of his career, he claims he needs to remember his ultimate goal. He found that reminder when watching Rory McIlroy celebrate his career Grand Slam on the 18th hole at Augusta National last month.
After watching the Masters, it was like, of course, obviously I knew I always wanted to win the Grand Slam, I wanted to win all the majors. But for some reason, seeing someone do it firsthand reminded me almost, ‘Damn, I forgot I really want to do that.’ It’s weird. It’s something that I think all of us, some people in particular, maybe it affects us in different ways in terms of jealousy or drive or whatever you want to call it.
Justin Thomas
When Thomas burst onto the scene, his close friend Jordan Spieth was the one with the most prominence. Thomas has never lacked competitive spirit, but he acknowledges that seeing players like Scottie Scheffler and McIlroy at the top of the game ignites something within him. When asked how much the desire to remind people that he is one of the best players of his generation drives him, Thomas did not hesitate.
A lot. Every time someone wins and it’s not me, if it’s a friend, obviously I’m happy for them, but there’s always going to be a part of me that’s jealous and wishes it was me. I think you’d be crazy to say otherwise.
Justin Thomas
Thomas’s path has not been easy. He hit rock bottom in 2023, when he didn’t make the cut in three of the four majors. But his game has been slowly improving since then. This season, Thomas has six top-10 finishes and a victory at the Signature Event at the RBC Heritage. His short game has improved a lot, gaining a little over half a stroke this season after losing a third of a stroke on the greens last year, and Data Golf ranks him as the fifth-best player in the world right now.
I would like to think and I hope to be a more mature person and golfer. But I don’t think it’s fair to play the comparison game. I hope, but I firmly believe, that the best of me is yet to come, and I know I have it in me. I just have to go get it and prove it.
Justin Thomas
