There’s something more than golf courses and victories that golfers cherish. It is their bond with family. Justin Thomas has been on a close to two-month golf hiatus now. The last event he played in was the 2025 Ryder Cup. He has dedicated this break to spending time with his family. The newest member of that family has turned one now, and Thomas has shared a heartfelt message for her.

Justin Thomas’ wife, Jillian Thomas, gave birth to Molly Grace Thomas on November 18, 2024. Now that she is one year old, Thomas has shared a carousel of her images on Instagram. The images feature Molly Grace Thomas enjoying herself on a swing in a backyard.

“Happy 1st birthday to our sweet girl Molly. Hoping @jillian_thomas3 and I can do our best to make you smile and happy like your swing does. Where does the time go!!!” the 16x PGA Tour winner wrote. Justin Thomas also reposted this on his Instagram story and wrote, “Little munchkin turned 1 today…🤯.” Many people from the golf community reacted to the post. Professional LPGA stars Sophia Warren and Emma Talley wrote, “These are PRECIOUS ❤️” and “So sweet ❤️❤️❤️,” respectively.

Around the same time as the birthday celebration, Justin Thomas is recovering from a recent back surgery. On November 14, 2025, he underwent a successful microdiscectomy at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York to treat a disc problem that was causing nagging hip pain.

He shared the announcement with fans through an Instagram video. “I’ve had some nagging hip pain for a handful of months and after some time off and worsening symptoms, an MRI showed I had a disc problem that needed to be treated,” the caption of the video said. “I had a successful microdiscectomy performed yesterday at Hospital for Special Surgery in NY…”

Although the surgery went well, fans would not be able to see his long-awaited comeback. Earlier, Thomas was roped in for the re-inauguration of the Skins Game in November 2025. However, he had to withdraw because of the back surgery. 2025 Ryder Cup rival Shane Lowry will now replace him at the silly event, which is making a comeback after a 17-year break. Lowry will join Tommy Fleetwood, Keegan Bradley, and Xander Schauffele.

Besides the Skins Game, Justin Thomas may also miss some of the initial events on the PGA Tour in 2026. “While I will miss some events at the beginning of 2026, I want to be very smart and patient in letting my disc fully heal so it isn’t an issue again,” Justin Thomas said in the announcement Instagram post.

And it’s not just the Skins Game, he will also miss the Hero World Challenge hosted by Tiger Woods in the Bahamas. England’s Aaron Rai, who defeated Tommy Fleetwood in the 2025 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship playoff, will replace Justin Thomas at the event.

Jordan Spieth, who missed 2025’s initial events because of a wrist injury, seems to align with Thomas’ line of thinking about making a comeback.

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Jordan Spieth’s advice to Justin Thomas

Spieth has faced something that Justin Thomas is now undergoing. The 13x PGA Tour winner missed all the events in January. His first event in 2026 was the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He is in a much better position health-wise now compared to the 2025 offseason. Having faced a gruesome injury and missing golf events himself, Spieth’s advice to Justin Thomas is to take his time before making a comeback.

“Just that I was told by most everybody across all kinds of sports that have had stuff is that you never come back too late, so take your time. I think he seems to already be in that frame of mind,” Spieth advised Thomas.

However, as Spieth pointed out, Justin Thomas is already aware that he should not rush his comeback. In fact, the 16x PGA Tour winner is already happy with missing a few events on the PGA Tour and wants to focus on complete recovery before coming back to playing professional golf.

Justin Thomas’ birthday message for Molly arrives at a moment when family time carries extra weight. It will give him space to heal and reset. His focus now sits on steady recovery and quiet moments at home. Hopefully, he will be back in the competitive space soon.