Justin Thomas has been missing in action for quite some time now. Following a microdiscectomy back on November 13, the experienced golfer opted to sit out and recover. Playing his last competitive golf at the Ryder Cup last year, the 32-year-old has finally returned to action at TGL. Raising his fans’ delight further, the American golfer will also be making a comeback to the greens at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. However, despite the positive news, a golf insider shared some serious concerns about Thomas’ return. 

“It reminds me a little of what happened with Xander Schauffele. It’s not a perfect comparison because Xander didn’t need surgery, and it was his rib, not his back. But remember, he played Kapalua, then took off about two and a half months before returning during the most difficult stretch of the Florida swing,” said Ryan Lavner in an episode of the Golf Channel Podcast.

He further added, “By all accounts, Justin Thomas has taken his time with this microdiscectomy. It’s the first time he’s really dealt with an injury concern. He has no limitations and has had no setbacks in his recovery. I hope, for his sake, that he’s injury-free and can play pain-free the rest of 2026.” 

What Lavner is trying to do here is to draw a parallel between Schauffele and Thomas. While he won a couple of majors in 2024, an intercostal strain and cartilage tear in his ribcage forced him to take a two-month break from elite competition. Unfortunately, initially after his return, Schauffele struggled significantly with his form. As he dropped a 77-81 at The Players Championship, he termed his own performances as “really bad” and “gross.”

This is exactly what Lavner is afraid of. Back at the TGL, Thomas reportedly looked rusty as per reporter Tom D’Angelo from Palm Beach County. But Rex Hoggard argued that his TGL performance cannot be considered as proof of his form. In fact, if anything, Thomas did look quite healthy. 

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Lavner next went on to detail how Thomas had an impressive start to the first half of 2025. The 32-year-old had as many as 7 top-10 finishes, which also included some signature PGA Tour events. The American golfer also won at Harbour Town to further establish his dominance. Thus, Lavner wants him not lose his Midas touch owing to his injury and continue from where he left off. 

Notably, while announcing his comeback, Thomas delivered quite a blunt assessment of what he is expecting initially. 

Justin Thomas sets realistic expectations ahead of Bay Hill return

After undergoing the microdiscectomy surgery in mid November of 2025, Thomas has been waiting to make his return to the competitive sphere. And finally, he has shared an update regarding his comeback. Thomas recently revealed that he would kick off the 2026 season with the Arnold Palmer Invitational, which is scheduled to begin on March 5 at Bay Hill Club.

“It’s pretty close to normal. I wouldn’t say this is a normal setting or situation tonight. It’s a lot of stop and starts and whatnot. But at least when I’ve been hitting the last week or so, I feel like it’s been in a very similar spot to normal”, said Thomas.

While he is eyeing a strong comeback, he is not expecting too much from himself at the moment. He wants to give himself the required time to be back on the greens and take a hold of the top positions in the leaderboards. 

“Look, I obviously want to and would love to play well next week, but I’m also understanding that it’ll be, what, almost five, six months since I’ve played a competitive tournament, so I’m not exactly expecting anything great. But at least everybody else will be struggling with me at Bay Hill, so that’ll make me feel a little bit better hopefully,” said Thomas.

Thomas further shared how he has been trying to play more. However, he is still dealing with and fighting a lot of situations he is not accustomed to. Thus, although Thomas is looking forward to his return, he aims to take things slowly as he moves towards the major events of the sport.