Justin Thomas Wants a Better Justin Thomas in 2022
You won’t see Justin Thomas at The RSM Classic, won’t see him until the Hero World Challenge later this month. But when you do, the winner of the 2021 Players Championship and former No. 1 player in the world hopes you see a better version.
And frankly, he’ll be looking forward to putting 2021 in the rear view mirror. In his own words, it has not been his best.
“Very poor, I would say,” Thomas said, when asked to rate the past season during an appearance on the No Laying Up podcast. “I had a good start to the season, I had one good tournament, I felt like, in the middle. And I finished strong, but everything else in between wasn’t great.”
The 28-year old Thomas is currently ranked No. 6 in the world. His year wasn’t a total wash by any stretch, which he readily acknowledges. But a win at The Players, contributions to a winning Ryder Cup team and a fourth-place finish in the FedEx notwithstanding, it’s been a frustrating few months.
It began with Thomas being heard on a broadcast using a homophobic slur at the Sentry Tournament of Champions last January. The incident was followed by a public apology and considerable amounts of consternation and self-examination.
In February, his grandfather died. The 89-year old Paul Thomas was a mentor and close companion, on and off the golf course, and the loss was difficult. Later the same month, Tiger Woods was in a horrific car crash, a shock to the entire golf world but especially to players who have become close with Woods — such as Thomas.
In late September, Thomas and Jimmy Johnson parted ways, his caddie for 14 PGA Tour wins, and hooked his bag to Phil Mickelson’ former looper, Jim “Bones” Mackay. Thomas said he "100% did not fire him, as Jimmy came to me after the Ryder Cup and told me he has decided to pursue other opportunities."
That’s a lot of personal emotion and stress, one thing on top of another. Over the course of the year, the distractions, the bruises pile up. Professional golf, as glamorous as it can be, is not an emotional parole card. Life, with all of its up and downs, plays alongside.
Thomas said he “probably worked harder than I ever have” in 2021. But that simply increased the frustration levels when things didn’t go well. One bad round, three bad holes, a moment here and there turned contention into also-ran finishes.
“It was so frustrating, because I knew I was better than that,” said Thomas, who was the OWGR No. 1 as recently as August, 2020.
“I was, I couldn’t … I wasn’t having any fun,” Thomas said. “And to me, I mean the competitive side is what it is. I don’t want to say my performance determined my mood and what not, but it definitely influenced it.
“If I’m playing well, I’m definitely going to be in a better mood. But I just wasn’t having fun, and when I was out there I felt like I wasn’t going to do well.”
Thomas realized, he added, “I have a little bit bigger things going on here … I wasn’t really enjoying what should be an unbelievably enjoyable lifestyle as much as I should.”
To that end, he has addressed his mental state, with support from friends and family and conversations with professionals. Being a highly celebrated, richly compensated sports figure does not offer immunity to the lemons life can throw.
Things have to be processed. You’re allowed to be human and Thomas has had to accept that. As he prepares for a fresh start in 2022, his is striving to put things in their proper place.
The conversation goes something like this: “ ‘Dude, you don’t feel good, you just don’t feel good, figure it out,’ ” Thomas said. “Same with my golf swing. If it’s not good, I’m going to find a way to figure it out.”
As for the tangibles, since winning The Players in March, Thomas has only three more top-10s, including the recent third at Mayakoba. He is a pedestrian 77th on the Tour in Greens In Regulation, an area he has targeted for improvement.
And he did not contend in any of the majors in 2021, with a T19 at the U.S. Open representing his best. Thomas is eager to have Mackay’s input at the 2022 Masters, and anxious to change his portfolio at the majors.
“It’s a lot of little things,” Thomas said of making improvements. “Unfortunately winning is what gauges most years … And I feel like I should, and could be playing a lot better in majors.
“That’s my big thing, is that I know that I’m good enough to be contending in majors, and quite often. And I just haven’t done that.”