Justin Thomas Makes Major Personal Revelation Before PGA Championship
Before the PGA Championship tees off at Quail Hollow on Thursday, two-time major champion Justin Thomas spoke candidly about how watching Rory McIlroy at the Masters helped him regain his competitive spirit.
“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,” Thomas said. “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.”
Thomas detailed that it’s not just McIlroy, but watching any top golf stars like Scottie Scheffler win at the top stage, fuelled his competitive fire.
“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.” He added.
Justin Thomas returns to the site of his 2017 PGA Championship win. Watch his press conference live from Quail Hollow.#PGAChamp
— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 13, 2025
Thomas won the PGA Championship back in 2017, which catapulted him into the limelight. His first major victory at a young age of 24 shielded him from broader pressures and left him lacking the “scar tissue” that shapes resilient champions.
“I was very fortunate to have success at a young age,” Thomas said Tuesday. “But when you’re 23, 24 years old, it’s just like you don’t have anything else to think about or to have to worry about. You don’t have any scar tissue. You don’t have any experience.”
While comparisons with peers can be tempting, he insists his best golf lies ahead and that he must “go find it and prove it” to himself on the grandest stage.
Justin Thomas’ data-driven putting drill is simple, but clever. ✍️ pic.twitter.com/sxgMo0tXae
— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) May 14, 2025
Related: PGA Championship Makes Surprising Rory McIlroy Announcement
