PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — With 15 wins and two majors on his resume, Justin Thomas comes to the Monterey Peninsula not necessarily searching for another trip to the winner's circle but believing he is progressing toward that.
It was less than two years ago that Thomas was on top of the golf world, winning his second PGA Championship in a playoff at Southern Hills. Now, after a tumultuous 2023, Thomas comes to Pebble Beach—a venue he hasn’t visited since 2019 when he missed the cut in the U.S. Open—to see if his third place in the desert two weeks ago was a fluke or just another building block in the reconstruction of his game.
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Thomas isn’t completely sure what will transpire over this week's no-cut four-day affair but is hopeful that his experience in the final group at the American Express in Palm Springs—his first final-group appearance since the 2022 RBC Canadian Open—bodes well for this week and the remainder of the season, his 11th on the PGA Tour.
“I'd say working on the correct things,” Thomas said Tuesday when asked about the difference between this year and last year. “I think—well, I know that I got into some bad habits swing‑wise last year. To be perfectly honest, I think it just took a little bit of time to get out of some of those.”
Most times chasing and searching take you down the wrong road and cause long-term problems, and in Thomas’s case that was a lost season which included six missed cuts and no wins for the first time since 2015.
The journey Thomas went on in 2023 is one he would like to go back in time and reverse, yet he learned something.
He was getting his hands and arms higher and higher, which in itself isn't unusual since Thomas's swing is one that traditionally has high hands and is a bit steep, but it eventually got out of control and the results suffered.
“When we got together and talked whether it was last year, we both realized it was something that we both should have noticed or not pursued,” Thomas said of his discussion with his father and coach Mike Thomas about the high hands and arms. “Like anything, we learn from it and planning to not make that mistake again.”
Now Thomas is moving on, excited for the year but knowing each week is somewhat of a referendum on his game and the chances of his return to the success of 2016 through 2022.
“I've been working really, really hard and I feel like I'm in a great space mentally and physically,” Thomas said. “It's fun being in competition and being in the heat of the moment. I didn't play as well as I would have liked on Sunday in Palm Springs, but it was still a huge step in the right direction, and I do feel like some wins are coming here soon. Just got to keep my head down and just keep pushing.”
