Eight years ago, Justin Thomas, then 24, celebrated his first major victory at Quail Hollow during the 2017 PGA Championship. This week, he returns to the same place, now 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, no experience.
Justin Thomas
What then seemed a harbinger of future successes has evolved. Thomas now looks back on 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. Throughout the ups and downs of his career, he says he needs a reminder of his ultimate goal. He found that reminder while 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, 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, it was his close friend Jordan Spieth who took center stage. 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 didn’t hesitate.
A lot. Whenever 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 road has not been easy. He hit rock bottom in 2023, when he missed the cut in three of the four majors. But his game has been slowly improving. This season, Thomas has six top 10s and a victory at the Signature Event at the RBC Heritage. His putting has improved a lot, gaining just 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 hope that I am 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 find it and prove it.
Justin Thomas
