Justin Thomas has been one of the game’s most consistently elite players over the past two seasons – holding a world top-4 ranking for 17 consecutive months.
On Tuesday, following a practice round with Tiger Woods, JT showed up for a presser in the media room at TPC Sawgrass to pump up the PLAYERS Championship, but a reporter, oddly, wanted to know why Thomas, along with any other top-10 ranked player, doesn’t own a Masters title.
Here’s how it went down…
Looking ahead a little bit here, but we’re kind of in a strange spot in time here where none of the top-10 in the golf rankings have won a Masters, which is very unusual. I’m just curious about — well, I don’t know what do you think that might say about the new wave of players who are coming on, but also for players who have accomplished so much, to get in the top-10, how much do you really miss not having a Masters title, I guess?
JUSTIN THOMAS: What do you mean in terms of how much do I miss?
Well I mean how much, how much do you think, is that — how big a hole is that in a player’s resume who has accomplished as much as you guys have to reach a top-10?
THOMAS: Well I mean, it’s just as important as not winning a U.S. Open or a British Open, to me. It’s a major championship. It has the same weight as the other major championships in terms of World Ranking and FedExCup points, whatever it may be. But I think it’s just a coincidence that nobody’s in the top-10 has won the Masters. It definitely speaks to the new wave of players.
But the fact of the matter is it’s just a coincidence that I haven’t won a Masters or that Brooks or D.J. or Rosey, like it very easily could have happened many times but it just hasn’t. I wouldn’t necessarily look too much into that part.
But no, I mean, I want to win every major just as bad as I want to win the Masters. Sometimes it’s easy to say, and definitely the Masters has its history and, yeah, I love the golf course and I get so excited to play it every year, but yeah, I would be just as pleased lifting up a Claret Jug as putting on a Green Jacket.
How do you think you are suited now to perform at the Masters, because your track record hasn’t been real great? But how comfortable are you now with the place?
THOMAS: I’ve been very comfortable for four years now. I just haven’t played very well. I don’t think there’s many courses consistently that could fit my game much better.
It’s really, really — I think I honestly get too excited and too amped up and honestly over-prepared for it. Because like you said, I think I put too much effort into wanting to win the Masters or winning a major, whereas it’s just another tournament at the end of the day and there’s no reason for me to go in there, wear myself out before I even get there and prepare and just fry myself, and then come the weekend it’s hard to maintain that high level of playing, especially if I have it early in the week.
So I love it. I’m excited to go back there. I went last week and played a couple days, and it’s — I mean there’s no place I enjoy more going to play a fun round of golf or any round of golf than Augusta, so I hopefully just have a lot more success over it.