Burdened With Stardom, Justin Thomas Reveals Taking Extreme Measures to Avoid Distractions: ‘Its All Business’

The PGA Championship is the event where Justin Thomas clinched both of his major victories! The first came in 2017 and was followed by a win in 2022. This time around, the 30-year-old is determined to clinch his third major victory. After the third round, Thomas is just five strokes away from Xander Schauffele, who is currently leading the leaderboard alongside Collin Morikawa.

The 15-time PGA Tour winner had carded sub-70 scores in all three rounds and shot 2 under 67 in the last two rounds. The 2024 season has not been the best and he even missed the cut at this year’s Masters. It’s clear that Thomas is not ready to accept the same fate in the second major of the season. Thomas went the extra mile to focus on his game and get enough peace of mind so that nothing blocks his way to clinch the Wanamaker Trophy once again!

Justin Thomas changed his contact number to avoid any distraction

On Friday, Justin Thomas was asked if he was able to manage and cater to the ticket requests from his friends and family, to which the 15-time PGA Tour winner relayed that he had changed his number. So, in reality, he didn’t have too many requests. JT started the 106th PGA Championship with a new number and changed it when the week started.

In Saturday’s press conference, Thomas was asked about what prompted him to take such a drastic step, and the 2017 PGA Championship winner explained his decision to do so and said, “Honestly, I felt like I just was — it was going to make my week a lot easier. I just was like, I don’t need to be distracted.”

The 30-year-old was expecting the week to turn out difficult, and he wanted to devote all his energy to his performance on the course. Thomas’s decision has surely impacted his daily routine and even his gameplay on the Valhalla greens. JT further elaborated on his extreme measure, saying, “It’s going to be a hard enough week… and I still have it to where I can kind of get back to things here and there in the morning and at night, but as soon as I leave for the golf course and until I get home, it’s all business, and I don’t need to be distracted with anything else.”

Playing in the town he was born in had been a bit overwhelming but enthralling for Thomas. He has seen his high school friends, teacher, and family supporting him from inside the ropes. But keeping everything aside, playing in Valhalla, Louisville, JT had the coolest moment of his life just because of the crowd.

Thomas’s coolest moment at the 2024 PGA Championship

After the first nine holes, Justin Thomas was 3 under 32, having made four birdies and one bogey on the par-4 5th hole. At the back nine of Valhalla Golf Club, Thomas was struggling to put up the same number of birdies but through the ups and downs, JT prevailed. In particular, at the 14th hole. Thomas had just made a bogey on the 12th hole and gone 2 under. He needed fewer shots to stay within the top 10 positions after day three. He rose from the flop shot and made a par put on the 13th. Going to the 14th hole, where the greens and tee were divided with a large water hazard, JT took the first drive and it was on the fringes.

Predictably, Thomas would have to par that put as well. But when he chipped the shot from the sides of the 14th green, miraculously, the ball went into the hole. The crowd went berserk and Thomas was also shocked. Reliving that moment, JT said, “It was crazy. I had goosebumps for pretty much right up until I got to 15 tee. As you know, it’s not exactly cool outside. It was one of the coolest moments of my career. It was unbelievable.”

With the right people to support him at Valhalla, Justin Thomas would hope to convert the encouragement and his practice into his first 2024 and third major victory!