Woods the inspiration behind US PGA victory

Latest major winner was also ‘jealous’ after friend Spieth won Open

Justin Thomas admits he was jealous of good friend Jordan Spieth winning major championships, but has also revealed the part Tiger Woods played in his US PGA victory at Quail Hollow.

As the son and grandson of PGA professionals, Thomas was seemingly destined for a career in golf and attended the 2000 US PGA at Valhalla as a sevenyear-old spectator.

He had a ringside seat as Woods beat Bob May in a play-off to remain on course for the ‘Tiger Slam’ of holding all four majors at the same time, which he duly completed at the Masters the following April.

And 17 years later, Thomas was able to etch his name alongside that of Woods on the Wanamaker Trophy as the 14-time major winner congratulated him on social media.

“That’s kind of the first memory for me in terms of being at a golf tournament,” Thomas said after a closing 68 gave him a two-shot win over Patrick Reed, Louis Oosthuizen and Francesco Molinari.

“I wanted to play professional golf, but being at the PGA that week and just hearing the roars, (seeing) what Tiger was producing out there... him and that week was the reason that I was like, ‘OK, this is really what I want to do.’

“And then to have him basically cheering me on, how he’s been this week, it’s bizarre, it really is.”

Woods had to match May’s birdie on the 72nd hole to force a three-hole playoff and Thomas added: “I was seven years old and watching it in the clubhouse and he hits the putt on camera, and before it can fall in on TV, I can just hear the roar outside. I’ll never forget that.

“It’s crazy to be sitting up here now after watching him do his champion’s toast and hoping that I’m there one day, and I am.”

Just three weeks before winning at Quail Hollow, Thomas was drinking out of the Claret Jug to celebrate Spieth’s Open Championship victory at Royal Birkdale.

It was Spieth’s third major title and an understandable source of frustration for Thomas, who was two shots off Spieth’s share of the lead after an opening 67, but missed the cut after a second round of 80, which included a quintuple-bogey nine on the sixth.

“Frustration probably isn’t the right word. Jealousy definitely is,” Thomas joked. “There’s no reason to hide it. I would say anybody, they are jealous that I

Picture: Getty Images. Justin Thomas plants a kiss on the US PGA silverware after his two-shot victory at Quail Hollow on Sunday.