The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
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 won. I was jealous that Sergio (Garcia) won, that Brooks (Koepka) won, that Jordan won. I wanted to be doing that, and I wasn’t.
“There’s only four of them in a year and to be one of them, a major champion, is really cool. I know that ‘major champion’ will never be taken away from after my name. Hopefully I’m going to win some more, plenty more, a lot more, whatever.
“I know you can’t get to two unless you get one. It’s huge for me.”
Thomas went into the final day of the US Open in June just a shot off the lead after setting a tournament record for lowest score in relation to par with a nineunder 63 in the third round.
He could only finish ninth after a closing 75 and although that could hardly be labelled a “choke” as Koepka stormed to a record-equalling victory, the world No 6 revealed he almost did choke in the closing stages at Quail Hollow.
“I tried to eat a lot and drink a lot as it was beyond hot,” Thomas explained. “But walking to 17 green, I had some snacks in my bag and I was eating it and I literally almost choked.
“I started coughing and I was like, am I really going to choke? Is this a sign to come? It’s funny the things that you think about when you get in those situations.”