GOLF: Justin Thomas takes on Colonial brimming with confidence

Until he teed up at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in early March this season, Justin Thomas faced uncertainty about his future at the top level of professional golf following hip surgery and a lengthy recovery.

Thomas underwent a microdiscectomy procedure to address persistent hip pain, ending his 2025 season in mid-November. Although he missed the cut at Bay Hill, playing 36 pain-free holes marked a significant milestone in his recovery and validated his decision to undergo surgery and commit to a demanding rehabilitation process.

“I had confidence and belief and faith that what I was doing was the best thing for me and my career,” Thomas said Wednesday ahead of his ninth start of the season at the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas.

“And after all the information, everything I had gathered—talking, reading, whatever you want to call it—I felt like that was the right path. It wasn’t necessarily a single moment after the fact, because I had already committed to it. But it’s also not like once you hit one good drive, everything is fine for the rest of your life. It’s a process, and you have to keep working on it.”

One week after Bay Hill, Thomas finished tied for eighth at the Players Championship. He then made the cut at the Masters Tournament, and two weeks ago shot a 5-under 65 to finish tied for fourth at the PGA Championship.

Thomas, 33, is a two-time PGA Championship winner, claiming titles in 2017 and 2022 among his 16 PGA Tour victories. He took last week off before returning to Colonial Country Club for the first time since 2022.

“Yeah, probably wasn’t quite as much relaxing as it maybe could have been,” Thomas said. “But going out there and playing the round I did when I needed to was great. Last week was really just a couple of days off and then back to the grind.”

As discussions continue around the PGA Tour’s elevated events, Thomas also addressed how he manages his schedule and decides which tournaments to play.

“Everybody’s different,” he said. “The most important thing for most top players, especially those in majors, is figuring out what prepares you best for those events. I’ve had success in majors when I’ve played the week before.”

“So it’s very situational whether you play or don’t play. But I really try with all my effort not to do four weeks in a row. Four in a row is tough. It’s very taxing. I try to cap it at three. We’re fortunate to have so many great tournaments, but you have to miss some at times. So it’s about starting with the majors and filling in the schedule from there.”

Thomas will play alongside Russell Henley and South Korea’s Sungjae Im, teeing off at 8:06 a.m. local time on Thursday.

Ben Griffin is the defending champion at the Charles Schwab Challenge after edging Germany’s Matti Schmid by one stroke in 2025. -Field Level Media/Reuters