'It's inexcusable': Justin Thomas apologises for using homophobic slur
Justin Thomas, the world No 3 male golfer, has apologised after uttering a homophobic slur during the third round of the Sentry Tournament of Champions. Thomas was heard using the derogatory word towards himself after missing a par putt on the fourth hole at Kapalua.
Speaking to the Golf Channel after a 68 which left him four shots off the lead, Thomas said: “There’s just no excuse. I’m an adult, I’m a grown man. There’s absolutely no reason for me to say anything like that. It’s terrible. I’m extremely embarrassed. It’s not who I am. It’s not the kind of person that I am. But it’s … unfortunately I did it and I have to own up to it and I’m very apologetic.
“Like I said, it’s inexcusable. I’m speechless. It’s bad. There’s no other way to put it. I need to do better. I need to be better. It’s definitely a learning experience. I deeply apologise to everybody and anybody who I offended and I’ll be better because of it.”
The PGA Tour said in a statement: “As he expressed after his round, we agree that Justin’s comment was unacceptable.”
Thomas is expected to be fined for conduct unbecoming a professional, though the PGA Tour does not disclose specifics of such punishment. In March last year, the PGA Tour player Scott Piercy was dropped by his sponsors after sharing a homophobic meme on Instagram about Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, who ran for the Democratic presidential nomination.