“Be where your feet are.” This quote is like a mantra to a 15-time PGA Tour winner who turned pro in 2013. And he gets it from none other than his coach, Nick Saban. Yes, we are talking about Justin Thomas. The PGA Tour pro will play at The American Express at the La Quinta CC. This would be his second appearance of 2025 after The Sentry, where he scored 10 under par. And fans are excited about what he has to bring to the table this time, especially after he confidently stated that he believes he can have a year like Scottie Scheffler.

Of course, Thomas got roasted on social media for his bold claim, but let’s be real, it’s not going to faze him. Why? This 31-year-old is known for his calm and collected demeanour on the course. Interestingly, Thomas touched upon this very topic during the pre-tournament conference at the PGA WEST Pete Dye Stadium Course when asked about his trick for maintaining good mental fitness.

JT’s secret to staying mentally healthy is top-notch

“I don’t know whether I was told or maybe just kind of got to an age where I matured into realizing it, but everybody is different. Not everybody’s going to have the same demeanour, and not everybody is going to look the same and act the same on a golf course,” he shared.

JT himself has “always been fiery, I’ve always maybe had a little chip on my shoulder, whatever you want to call it” he shared that does not like to dwell on missed shots but rather moves to the next ones: “It’s just, no, I may get pissed off for a couple seconds, but as soon as it’s done I’m on to the next one. That’s just how I cope with it, it’s how I deal with whatever’s going on.”

He’s found a way to maintain good mental health. His secret? “Just not acting like anybody but myself.” But! he also revealed, “Us golfers are kind of sick in the head,” Golf is just as much a mental sport, as it is a physical sport. He acknowledges that golf can be mentally demanding, and even the best players can struggle. Time and again golfers have spoken about it. Think of how mentally exhausted Rory McIlroy was after losing the 2024 US Open.

It’s quite interesting to see JT maintaining calm, especially when he’s come so close to winning in the past 969 days (his last win was the 2022 PGA Championship)but ended up without any. Take his performance at the Hero World Challenge last year, where the 31-year-old carded 18 under par, leaving him just one position away from winning the tournament. His Zoho Championship too was no different. Thomas scored a total of 26, leaving him just 1 stroke behind the winner—N. Echavarria.

But according to Thomas, the solution is not sitting in the dark but staying focused and present. He says, “I know who I am, so I don’t want to act necessarily like anybody else. I know when I’m at my best mentally, it’s working on staying in the moment, not letting anything in the past, looking forward, not backwards.” And honestly, this sounds like a very good hack given that many golfers struggle with overthinking and performance anxiety.

Xander Schauffele, for instance, spoke openly about his struggles with performance anxiety after his 2024 PGA Championship win. “I had some serious feelings of performance anxiety. My caddie Austin and my family dropped everything to try and help me. I felt the weight of that on me, plus I was performing poorly. I wasn’t sure if this would work out. That’s where my head was at,” Schauffele shared.

But Justin Thomas seems to have cracked the code. And, as it turns out, this isn’t the first time he’s spoken publicly about his approach to mental health.

Justin Thomas advises the use of psychologists to improve mental health

During Mental Health Awareness Month last year, Thomas shared his thoughts on what helps him stay mentally tough. “For me, it’s getting the confidence, and just the inner self-belief is a big part of it,” he said. But here’s the thing! Thomas doesn’t just rely on his own inner strength to get by. He also seeks help from a professional.

“But I talk to somebody,” he revealed. “I use a sports psychologist in all areas. I’m not just talking [about] golf; I’m talking about life, anything that can help me kind of get things up and out of me.” It’s refreshing to see someone as accomplished as Thomas being so open about seeking help.

So, there you have it; Justin Thomas’s take on mental health! Do you agree with Thomas? Let us know below!