Justin Thomas was hoping to turn the page on a demanding season, but the start of 2026 will look very different for the American star. Thomas secured a win at the RBC Heritage to end a nearly three-year winless drought. However, just as he is gaining his momentum back, instead of preparing for early tournaments, the two-time major winner is now focused on recovery after undergoing a back surgery.

Since the Ryder Cup defeat to Team Europe in September 2025, the 32-year-old PGA Tour star has not competed. A lingering hip pain caused constant discomfort, and later an MRI revealed a disc issue that required him to undergo a microdiscectomy. However, while he is now looking to recover and make a strong return, Thomas has reflected on his career. 

Thomas recently stated, “I would say it’s always some version of the past [swing], for me. The one time I feel like I really tried to do something very, very different was in ’23, and it was the worst season of my career”. Joining sports analyst, Trey Wingo, Thomas further explained, citing the example of Phil Mickelson’s career.

He drew a parallel with Phil Mickelson to show that even an all-time great can be held back statistically when another dominant force exists. Phil Mickelson won a lot and had an incredible career, but he never reached World No. 1. That wasn’t because Phil lacked ability, it was because Tiger Woods existed at the same time and set an unreal standard week after week. Thomas explained how the seemingly the same dynamic applies to him, too. Maybe more so, because he’s competing in an era stacked with multiple dominant rivals players like Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler.

Explaining his take further, Thomas stated, “Phil’s never been number one in the world. Like, that’s insane, right? But he just happened to be playing against the biggest freak of nature to ever walk the earth in the game of golf, and Tiger. So, it’s like while a lot of it is is right in front of you, it’s so much based off of what is in front of you that week and and even that day, especially when it comes to a Sunday, it’s who’s going to go out and get it or who’s going to give it to you sometimes.”

Amid this, Justin Thomas has also reflected on the changes that the PGA Tour has proposed recently. 

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Justin Thomas makes feelings known about The Players and PGA Tour format

The PGA Tour is likely to undergo a massive change in the upcoming days. Brian Rolapp, who is at the helm, has decided to bring in a lot of changes, those that would challenge the traditional rules of the sport. Some of the changes include the scrapping of signature events. Instead, 20 events of equal value have been proposed. 

Back in 2019, the PGA shifted its championship event from August to May. And this resulted in players facing frosty weather conditions and frost delays. Reacting to all the changes coming in, Justin Thomas seems to be quite inclined towards the traditional methods. He advised the league to go back to the August schedule. 

“I would love that too. I think it’s so condensed. It’s a totally different wave of golf courses, too. Think of the number of golf courses in the Northeast that are likely thrown out because of May. For the PGA Championship, that was ballsy. Bethpage, Oak Hill, Winged Foot, all these places that we could be going to, how good they could be in August. To me, I love The Players, and I want it in March, so obviously I like it, but TPC Sawgrass in May is unbelievable,” said Thomas. Thus, with Thomas voicing his opinions quite upfront, it remains to be seen how the PGA pans out in the future.