Justin: I just want to win
World No. 3 raking in cash but he’s playing for trophies
NEW YORK: Justin Thomas (pic) has earned about US$25mil (RM101mil) in his three years on the PGA Tour. That includes his bonus from winning the FedEx Cup this year. It does not include endorsement money from the likes of Titleist, Citi and Polo.
He has a better grasp of his percentage making putts inside 10 feet than the size of his bank account.
Thomas appreciates the money as a measure of success. The 24-year-old just doesn’t see it as much more than that.
“I’ve never been one to say, ‘Wow, I have all this’ or ‘Wow, I could buy this or that.’
“Never in my mind have I been like, ‘OK, I’m playing golf to win all this money,”’ Thomas said.
“I’m truly playing because I want to win a lot – a lot – of golf tournaments and Majors and hopefully have a Hall of Fame-type career. The money really is just a bonus. I’m sure a lot of people honestly don’t believe me, but I don’t know. I’ve never once thought about the money.”
It’s only a problem this time of the year – not for him, but those trying to buy Christmas presents for him.
“My parents and girlfriend get so mad because they say it’s so hard to get something for someone who already has everything,” Thomas said.
“I told them, `I don’t care, I don’t need anything, I don’t want anything.’ I told them I can always use more stuff for my house, but they don’t think that’s a very good Christmas present.”
It wasn’t always like that.
As a teenager, Thomas said his parents used to save one big present that they hid until he was done unwrapping his other presents.
One year, he spotted a golf club box under the sofa. It was a Scotty Cameron putter. He still has it.
“That was a pretty cool gift,” he said.
Note to parents: He has plenty of putters.
Thomas couldn’t think of the last time, even as a kid, that he was motivated by money so he could buy something.
He did buy a house in Jupiter, Florida. Then again, he was always going to get a house.
“It just was either going to be a little more expensive or less expensive than I thought,” he said.