Here, Justin Thomas pauses to consider as he watches his friend Rory McIlroy celebrate completing the career Grand Slam. This deeply moving farewell occurred at Augusta National’s iconic 18th green last month. This was a special moment and a fitting tribute, more so being one of the points Thomas’ own dreams of making in professional golf.
Thomas has been the talk of the golf world this season. He’s already picked up six top-10 finishes on his tour, and as an amateur, won the richly historic RBC Heritage event on the PGA Tour. He has turned in an incredibly impressive performance. As evidence, this year he’s lost more than a half stroke on the greens in his putting game! He was bad last season, losing a full third of a stroke on the greens. Data Golf now officially ranks him as the fifth-best player in the world.
He’s won 16 PGA Tour victories, proving how talented and competitive he can be. True to his reputation, he proved his mettle in 2022, capturing a second PGA Championship and establishing himself as one of the tour’s most dangerous tournament threats. He first made waves in the golfing community by winning his first major at Quail Hollow during the 2017 PGA Championship at just 24 years old. For his greatness, he had a rough go at it this season. He reached a new low when he missed the cut at all four majors.
Thomas acknowledges the competitive fire that drives him, particularly when he watches fellow golfers like Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy thrive on the course. He expressed his feelings candidly, stating,
“Anytime someone wins that isn’t me, if it’s a friend, I’m obviously 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.”
His career has drawn a lot of parallels with his good friend’s, including that of Jordan Spieth. As Thomas became a household name, Spieth received an increased level of exposure. Still, he refuses to get discouraged from his course saying,
“I would like to think and hope I’m a more mature person and golfer. But I don’t think it’s fair to play the comparison game.”
The recent successes of others have reignited Thomas’ desire to achieve his ultimate goal of winning all four major championships. He reflected on how witnessing McIlroy’s accomplishment sparked a renewed determination within him.
“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, watching somebody do it firsthand, it reminded me almost of, ‘Damn, I forgot, I really do want to do that. It’s weird. It’s something I think all of us — some certain people maybe hit us in different ways in terms of jealousy or drive or whatever you want to call it.”
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