Justin Thomas may be sidelined, but he certainly hasn’t lost his sense of humor or his ability to captivate fans even while he’s cooped up at home. The 32-year-old golfer recently underwent back surgery, and he shared a glimpse into his recovery in the most entertaining way possible.

A few hours ago, Thomas posted on Instagram, sharing the iconic images of ‘Pablo Escobar staring into the abyss’ memes from the famous TV show ‘Narcos. ‘While that was enough for everyone to take the hint of how relatable those images were to him now, his caption did all the talking.

“8 days post surgery… first two weeks my instructions are “do nothing.” No bending, lifting, or twisting. Definitely not getting stir crazy. Everything is fine, I’m fine 🙂.”

The caption was classic JT humor, the kind that lets you know he’s trying to laugh through the monotony even as the walls start closing in a little. It was a subtle admission that doing absolutely nothing is its own kind of torture for someone wired to compete and who is constantly on the move during most days of the year.

And of course, his friends from the golfing community wasted no time adding fuel to the fire. Collin Morikawa slid into the comments, writing, “I dare you not to look at swing videos.” JT cheekily responding, “ok bet! *starting now*”

Even Jessica Korda offered the kind of invitation she knew he couldn’t accept but would definitely appreciate — “Come to practice with me.”

This playful update comes nearly a week after Thomas revealed he had undergone a microdiscectomy, a procedure to remove part of a herniated disc pressing on a nerve root. The 32-year-old shared that the surgery took place at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York and “went well.”

The American revealed that he had been experiencing “nagging hip pain for a handful of months,” and after “worsening symptoms,” an MRI revealed that he had a disc problem that needed surgery. But Thomas isn’t the first to undergo something like this, as these surgeries aren’t unfamiliar territory in golf.

Tiger Woods has endured this one recently in October. Even Will Zalatoris had a microdiscectomy back in 2023.

And despite being confined to a recliner, he’s not disconnecting from the sport. Just two days ago, Thomas tweeted about tuning into the 2025 RSM Classic, which began on Thursday on the fall schedule of the PGA Tour. This is the last and only chance for players to earn their tour card for the next season, and Thomas made sure fans understood how high the stakes are.

But amidst all this, there is still one lingering question on everyone’s mind about when we will see the two-time major champion back in action again.

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When will we see Justin Thomas back in action?

When Thomas first announced the details of his surgery, one thing was immediately clear that there would be no set return date. Given the nature of a microdiscectomy and his own admission of months of nagging pain, he made it clear that he will not be rushing to return to play.

He reiterated that in his message to fans, explaining, “I’m not putting any tournament on the calendar or specific time for returning. 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…”

So this means that Thomas will miss the Skins Game reboot on November 28, where he was supposed to join Tommy Fleetwood, Keegan Bradley, and Xander Schauffele. JT will also most likely miss the Hero World Challenge and the PNC Championship set to take place in December, along with the first few events in the 2026 schedule.

Typically, a full recovery from a microdiscectomy takes around three months, pointing to a possible return in mid-to-late February. That means he is likely to miss the Sony Open, the American Express, and the Farmers Insurance Open in 2026, delaying his start to the season as he prioritizes a complete and injury-free recovery.