A six-month hiatus saw Justin Thomas tumble down the world rankings, but a recent update suggests it is finally about to end. For the first time since the Ryder Cup, Justin Thomas is swinging a golf club freely, signaling an end to a frustrating injury exile that has kept him on the sidelines.

“After some follow-up imaging and meeting with my Dr. and team, I’m officially cleared for all golf activity! It feels great to be swinging freely again and getting some reps in on the course. I’m working hard to build up my strength and stamina to get back into golf shape before competing on @pgatour. Can’t wait to get out there with the guys! LFG,” wrote JT on Instagram.

The video he shared showed him swinging a golf club. He looked strong while hitting balls on the driving range. The news came after JT was in pain for almost a year. It started early in 2025 with a strange pain in his hip. He played through the pain and even won at the RBC Heritage in April. He thought he was just tired from playing too much golf. Doctors eventually found a herniated disc in his spine that caused the real trouble. The pain moved from his back all the way down to his legs. He finally chose surgery in November to fix the problem for good.

He had surgery on November 13 to fix his back. Doctors told him to follow a strict “BLT” rule for a time and forbade him from bending, lifting, or twisting his body. The major winner said it felt very weird to walk fine but do nothing back then. Thomas described the frustration.

“It’s so weird. I walk completely fine. I feel like I could go walk as much as I possibly want right now, but I can’t do anything.”

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And the timing cost him several winter events and a slide in the world rankings. He was the number five player in the world back in August 2025. Since he did not play, his ranking has fallen to twelve recently. He also missed the start of 2026, sitting out of the Sony Open, the AmEX, and Phoenix, which again cost him OWGR points. But JT still has a spot in every major for now since he won the 2025 RBC Heritage.

Though JT didn’t pinpoint an event he’d like to return to, as he is cleared now, the star is eyeing the Florida Swing soon, as per a different post from him last January. He was also seen cheering for his TGL team, Atlanta Drive GC, last week.

This happy news has brought out the best in the professional golf community.

Max Homa leads the global welcome party for JT.

The most touching reaction came from his closest friend and fellow tour member, Max Homa. Homa commented on JT’s return post, “YES!!!!!!”

They have known each other since the early 2010s, earning their PGA Tour cards together in 2014 and playing on the 2013 U.S. Walker Cup team. Thomas has been a major pillar of support for Homa during challenging slumps, with Homa feeling deeply indebted to him for his care. And now it’s his turn to return that.

The rest of the golf community quickly joined Homa to share the massive excitement, as one fan said, “Love to see it!” while another noted how perfect the timing is for this return. The Florida Swing is just around the corner, starting at the Cognizant Classic on February 26. So he wrote, “Impeccable timing. LFG 🤌🏻💪🏻!”

Another fan repeated the same feeling, writing, “Exactly the news I needed today.”

JT’s connection with the tournament isn’t new. He previously won the Honda Classic (the previous version of the Cognizant Classic) back in 2008 in a dramatic sudden-death playoff. And as a top PGA Tour pro with a local residence, he frequently plays the event, which is held at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens.

While most of the fans are eager to see his return to the Palm Beach Gardens, some are nostalgic about JT’s return at a very special Florida venue, the Panther National course. He wrote, “🙌 Can’t wait to see you back at Panther!!” Thomas actually helped design the Panther National course alongside the legendary Jack Nicklaus. But surgery forced him to miss the Skins Game at this specific course last November. Fans were sad to see Shane Lowry take his place. Now, the architect can finally show off his skills on the very greens he co-designed.