Two weeks away from the Ryder Cup, excitement and tension are filling the air. While many players and fans may experience goosebumps from even thinking about the patriotic showdown, Justin Thomas is feeling them because of his competitor, Rory McIlroy.

The players are currently participating in the Fortinet Championship at Silverado Resort in California. However, instead of the tournament itself, the Ryder Cup is the topic of conversation. And as if things had not been tough enough for JT, the upcoming event just took a wild turn!

Justin Thomas is left stunned, thanks to the Irishman

JT has not had the best season so far. He missed the cuts and the FedEx Playoffs. And many did not expect to see him board the flight to Rome this time. But since the skipper, Zach Johnson, wanted him on the team, he is on it. And it seems normal that Justin is nervous about his performance.

However, what made him more nervous was Rory McIlroy’s praise. Justin certainly did not see it coming. When he was asked, the PGA Tour pro refused to know anything about the four-time major champion praising him. As per Golfweek, during a live interview on Friday with Golf Channel, Kira Dixon revealed to JT what the Irishman said about him.

Rory McIlroy, representing Team Europe for the seventh time in the Ryder Cup, said, “There are other guys on that team I’d rather face than JT.” He commented during this week’s Golf’s Subpar podcast while talking about the Team USA squad for the Ryder Cup. And Thomas responded, “That’s actually giving me goose bumps. That’s very cool for him to say. I take that as a compliment.”

Rory also spoke about Justin’s place in the Ryder Cup squad. As per him, JT is the first guy one puts on the sheet when deciding the American team. The Irishman just raised the bar for being secure in your game enough to praise your competitors. But this is not the first time he has shown affection for the PGA Tour pro.

Also Read: Ahead of the Ultimate Patriotic Showdown, Rory McIlroy Divulges an Emotional Truth About the Ryder Cup: ‘Not Much Has Changed’

Rory McIlroy has been a support system for JT in the past

The 151st edition of the Open Championship also put the players in a difficult position earlier in July this year. Liverpool made it quite clear that the course it is offering is a challenging one to play on. While the participant, Rory McIlroy, managed to make his game stand nevertheless, his PGA Tour friend struggled a lot.

The golf world was busy criticizing Justin Thomas for his performance when McIlroy stepped in. He reminded everyone that JT is going to be okay. He recalled his iconic 69 at TPC Sawgrass some years ago amid the 40-mile-an-hour winds and expressed confidence in his talent.

The Irishman believes in the strong work ethic that Justin Thomas follows and knows that the right people are surrounding him. Calling it a rough patch, he clarified that people should not make any more of it but understand it as a bad day for JT. And indeed, today, he is fine and on to the Ryder Cup!

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