(US, Mexico, and Canada customers only) September 28, 2025; Bethpage, New York, USA; Team USA’s Justin Thomas celebrates after winning the 12th hole during his singles match on the final day of the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Mcdermid-Reuters via Imagn Images Back pain has kept Justin Thomas out of golf tournaments for six months. It was a period that strengthened the two-time major champion’s passion and hard work for the sport.
“This is probably the longest I’ve gone without playing in a tournament, to be honest, since I started playing in tournaments when I was about 7,” Thomas, 32, of the Bay Hill Club, home of this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational, said Wednesday in Orlando.
Thomas, whose last competitions included the most recent stroke play tournament, the ProCure Championship, and last September’s Ryder Cup, will make his season debut on the PGA Tour after undergoing back surgery on November 13. He is excited and relatively healthy after a long layoff.
“Obviously everyone kept asking me how I was feeling and joking about it, but it’s true. I guess I’m feeling better because other things are starting to hurt again, so I feel like I’m pretty back to normal now,” Thomas said.
Normal is a relative term referring to the winner of 16 PGA Tour events, including the 2017 and 2022 PGA Championships.
Thomas said, “I will be rusty in terms of competitiveness (ability).” “My golf feels really good. I feel like I can do whatever I want with a golf ball at any given time, and all I have to do is focus for four and a half, five hours on a very difficult test four days in a row, and be kind to myself and give myself a little grace for a lot of the little things I haven’t been able to do for a long time.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m just trying to do my best mentally this week.”
He outlined a recovery process that would allow him to start chipping and putting in the new year, with improvements measured in 50-yard increments.
“I slowly progressed through this process,” said Thomas, who turned pro in 2013. “Basically adding 50 yards a week was essentially the same formula we used.”
Thomas, who monitors daily, said it’s important to pay attention and listen to everything, taking a smart and conservative approach to ensure your back doesn’t become a problem later. Patience and a positive mindset were greatly required.
One of the strange things about him was that he had problems with his right leg and hip rather than his back, as he played late in the season before taking a break after the Ryder Cup.
“…It’s strange. It really is.” Thomas said. “I don’t think I’ve had any back pain at all during this whole time. My back has never hurt. It’s never, I mean, it’s gotten tight, like I’m sure everyone else in this room has at times, but it’s never hurt.”
In addition to the physical rehabilitation, the situation was emotionally difficult, with his 1-year-old daughter, Molly, not being able to pick him up when she wanted. He said he had no choice but to look back without being able to explain to Yua.
When asked Wednesday what he learned about himself, the witty Thomas gave a thoughtful answer.
He said, “I think I’ll need a job when I retire.” “I’m not good at doing nothing. Every time I quit golf, I feel like I have to find something else. When you have nothing to look forward to and nothing to feel like you can improve on, it’s hard to get started right away when you’re tied down like that. That’s why I say this.”
–Field level media
