Justin Thomas has starred in the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup.
Won the 2017 PGA Championship and FedEx Cup, captured this year’s Players Championship. Became world No. 1. Has 14 PGA Tour titles at 28.
This week, however, could trump all of that.
“It started to really hit me when I was traveling here, when I first got here, when I got in the room and saw all the gear. It might be the coolest thing I’ve ever been a part of,” Thomas said Wednesday ahead of the start of the men’s golf competition at the Summer Games in Tokyo. “It’s not very often where you get so excited about just being a part of a tournament.”
The world No. 4 will be joined by world No. 3 and reigning British Open champion Collin Morikawa, No. 5 Xander Schauffele and No. 13 Patrick Reed in representing the U.S. when 60 players take to the first tee on the East Course at Kasumigaseki Country Club in Saitama, about 35 miles northwest of downtown Tokyo on Thursday (6:30 p.m. ET Wednesday in the U.S.) The tournament represents a unique challenge — while all four will proudly wear the red, white and blue, his teammates also are his rivals.
“It is tough and it’s weird. It does feel like we are a part of a team and it feels like we should help each other out or whatever. But in reality, I hope I beat those guys’ brains in. You know what I mean?” Thomas said. “It’s odd, but I would say more so than any other event, if we are not able to medal, then you’re obviously going to pull for your country and want your guys to get it done.”
Thomas has struggled with fatigue — he played the British Open in England, flew to Florida for a few days of rest and then jetted off to Japan. He has cut a few practice sessions short and gotten as much sleep as possible.
But that hasn’t kept him from enjoying the Olympic experience as much as possible. He briefly hooked up with the men’s basketball team Tuesday night and squeezed in a visit to the Olympic Village earlier in the week. Has devoured sushi, too. All the while wearing red, white and blue from head to toe.
“If I walk around in my normal clothes they probably wouldn’t think I’m an athlete playing in the Olympics just because of my stature and what I look like,” Thomas said. “But I throw that Team USA gear on and it’s like, ‘OK, you know, he’s playing in the Olympics. He’s a part of the Olympics.’ To me, that’s pretty cool.
“I wish things were normal to where we could see other sporting events, but that all being said, the main priority is I’m here for a golf tournament and to try to win and give myself a good chance to do so.”
Thomas has won four times in Asia – twice in South Korea and twice in Malaysia. If he were to win gold this week, would it be the biggest win of his career?
“If I’m going to choose, do I want to win a major or win a medal in the Olympics, I’ll take a major. But it would mean the absolute world to me, and it would just be the coolest thing to always be able to say not only did you play in (the Olympics), but that you medaled, won a gold medal, whatever it is,” he said. “I’ve thought about it. I’ve tried to compare them. I’ve tried to think about it. This is obviously more special, and I would say harder to win because you have less chances, but major championships change your life in more than one way.
“Potentially down the road it could be a different answer just because it hasn’t been around long enough to necessarily be in history books, if you will, versus majors have been around long enough to where you’re, I hate to say, not judged, but your career is made off of them.”
Let’s just say he’d rank his major win 1 and a gold medal 1A.
“Being an Olympian, you’re known as the best athlete in the world and maybe that’s just something that golf isn’t exactly always related to,” Thomas said. “But just going to the gym, walking around the village, seeing the other athletes, every country just kind of being together, especially in a day and age where that doesn’t really seem to be what’s in and what’s the thing.
“And I think it’s just sport is such a great thing because it brings people together and it brings everybody a common goal and that’s cheering for their team. It doesn’t matter what anybody thinks about anything going on in the world, anything politically, anything within one’s family, whatever it is, you’re just rooting for that team, that country. I think that’s something that’s so cool about sport and what makes the Olympics so special.”