Justin Thomas is back in the spotlight, and hoping for a third PGA Championship
Justin Thomas is back in the spotlight, and hoping for a third PGA Championship
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – When dangerous weather closed Augusta National on Monday of the Masters, ESPN's Scott Van Pelt caught up over lunch with Justin Thomas. Van Pelt recounted how Thomas noted that he wasn't among the players invited to the press center to speak to the media, and, in fact, he didn't have any media responsibilities to do. Thomas smiled and said he was enjoying floating under the radar ahead of the first major of the season.
'I go, 'No, you don't. You want to go in there because the people that go in there are the people that they think are going to win. You want to be on that list,' ' recounted Van Pelt during a media conference call last week ahead of the 107th PGA Championship.
Van Pelt's ESPN colleague Curtis Strange chimed in and added, 'You never want to be under the radar, OK. And you never want to be getting close. When people say you're close, what does that mean? It means I'm not playing very well. OK, I'm getting better, but I'm not playing well.'
Justin Thomas ended drought at RBC Heritage
Thomas, 32, isn't floating under the radar anymore. This week at Quail Hollow, where he won the PGA Championship in 2017, he's among the favorites. He's had a legitimate chance to win in three of his last four starts and ended his three-year victory drought the week after the Masters at the RBC Heritage. Thomas has emerged from his slump with iron play as sharp as in his heyday, and thanks to some help from Xander Schauffele and a new, trusty putter, a Scotty Cameron Phantom 5 prototype, putting has gone from foe to friend – he's improved from 174th in Strokes Gained: putting last season to No. 20 this season.
'If he can keep the putter on fire,' said CBS's Trevor Immelman, 'I've got a feeling on Thomas for this (major).'
And so, given his run of good form, Thomas had media duties this week, including being requested to meet with the media on Tuesday morning. Last week, at the Truist Championship, Thomas finished tied for second. Asked if he thought there was any advantage to not coming into the PGA off a win, he said, 'I'd say so, but I'd sure as hell take the alternative. I'd much rather have won and have to deal with being tired, if you will. I will always take that.'
Strange tabbed him the third or fourth biggest story that the media would be talking about in the lead up to the major – ostensibly behind the likes of Rory McIlroy trying to win the first two legs of the Grand Slam, Jordan Spieth chasing the career Grand Slam, Scottie Scheffler a year after his arrest and Bryson DeChambeau being, well, Bryson DeChambeau and coming off a win on LIV Golf. Just as McIlroy has said that winning the Masters has been liberating, Thomas got the monkey off his back, and it could free him up for another run of success.
'Now he doesn't have to answer the 'why haven't you' questions, 'when is it going to happen' questions,' Van Pelt said.
'I've gone a couple stretches there where I feel like I've kind of won five, six, seven times in 30, 35 events, and it's there," Thomas said. "It's just sometimes things just happen when you win versus when you don't win. I feel like I kind of saw a little bit of that at Harbour Town of things going my way and maybe just making the putts and getting the bounces when you need to.'
Thomas, son of a PGA professional, is making his 10th PGA Championship start, winning the Wanamaker trophy in 2022 too. He's won 16 times on Tour but admitted that seeing Scheffler dominate and McIlroy complete the career Grand Slam made him want to remind golf fans that his name should be bandied about in the conversation for best of his generation. How much has he been fueled by competitive jealousy?
'A lot,' he admitted, noting that early in his career his good friend Jordan Spieth was the talk of the golf world for his exploits and more recently he mentioned to his wife, Jill, after watching the Masters, how cool and inspiring it was to see McIlroy achieve the career Grand Slam. 'I always wanted to win the Grand Slam, wanted to win all the majors. But for some reason watching somebody do it firsthand, it reminded me almost of, damn, I forgot, I really do want to do that. It's weird. It's something I think all of us – some certain people maybe hit us different ways in terms of jealousy or drive or whatever you want to call it.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
19 minutes ago
- USA Today
Who won the U.S. Open in 2024? Bryson DeChambeau looks to repeat
Who won the U.S. Open in 2024? Bryson DeChambeau looks to repeat Show Caption Hide Caption DeChambeau captures second US Open after McIlroy collapse Bryson DeChambeau won his second US Open title after beating Rory McIlroy by one shot in a dramatic final round at Pinehurst. unbranded - Sport The U.S. Open championship Trophy is up for grabs. The 125th annual U.S. Open, the third of four major championships of the calendar year, is set to tee off at the Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pennsylvania, on Thursday. The Oakmont Country Club has previously hosted the U.S. Open a record nine times, dating back to 1927 and most recently in 2016. An American golfer has won the U.S. Open eight times out of the past 10 years. American Scottie Scheffler is a favorite to win the 2025 U.S. Open after coming off a victory at the 2025 PGA Championship in May. Rory McIlroy, the 2025 Masters champion, and the reigning U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau are also favorites entering the golf tournament. Here's everything you need to know about the U.S. Open champions: Who won the U.S. Open in 2024? American Bryson DeChambeau won the 2024 U.S. Open, the second major title of his career, after besting Rory McIlroy by one stroke at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina. McIlroy had a two-stroke lead over DeChambeau with four holes remaining, but McIlroy bogeyed three of the final four holes to finish in second place. DeChambeau has fared pretty well at the U.S. Open. He also won the tournament in 2020. He's looking to become the first golfer to win back-to-back U.S. Open titles since Brooks Koepka in 2017 and 2018. U.S. Open champions by year Here's a list of the all-time U.S. Open champions, dating back to the inaugural tournament in 1895: * Won in playoff 2024 : Bryson DeChambeau : Bryson DeChambeau 2023 : Wyndham Clark : Wyndham Clark 2022 : Matt Fitzpatrick : Matt Fitzpatrick 2021 : Jon Rahm : Jon Rahm 2020 : Bryson DeChambeau : Bryson DeChambeau 2019 : Gary Woodland : Gary Woodland 2018 : Brooks Koepka : Brooks Koepka 2017 : Brooks Koepka : Brooks Koepka 2016 : Dustin Johnson : Dustin Johnson 2015 : Jordan Spieth : Jordan Spieth 2014 : Martin Kaymer : Martin Kaymer 2013 : Justin Rose : Justin Rose 2012 : Webb Simpson : Webb Simpson 2011 : Rory McIlroy : Rory McIlroy 2010 : Graeme McDowell : Graeme McDowell 2009 : Lucas Glover : Lucas Glover 2008 : Tiger Woods* : Tiger Woods* 2007 : Angel Cabrera : Angel Cabrera 2006 : Geoff Ogilvy : Geoff Ogilvy 2005 : Michael Campbell : Michael Campbell 2004 : Retief Goosen : Retief Goosen 2003 : Jim Furyk : Jim Furyk 2002 : Tiger Woods : Tiger Woods 2001 : Retief Goosen* : Retief Goosen* 2000 : Tiger Woods : Tiger Woods 1999 : Payne Stewart : Payne Stewart 1998 : Lee Janzen : Lee Janzen 1997 : Ernie Els : Ernie Els 1996 : Steve Jones : Steve Jones 1995 : Corey Pavin : Corey Pavin 1994 : Ernie Els* : Ernie Els* 1993 : Lee Janzen : Lee Janzen 1992 : Tom Kite : Tom Kite 1991 : Payne Stewart : Payne Stewart 1990 : Hale Irwin* : Hale Irwin* 1989 : Curtis Strange : Curtis Strange 1988 : Curtis Strange* : Curtis Strange* 1987 : Scott Simpson : Scott Simpson 1986 : Raymond Floyd : Raymond Floyd 1985 : Andy North : Andy North 1984 : Fuzzy Zoeller* : Fuzzy Zoeller* 1983 : Larry Nelson : Larry Nelson 1982 : Tom Watson : Tom Watson 1981 : David Graham : David Graham 1980 : Jack Nicklaus : Jack Nicklaus 1979 : Hale Irwin : Hale Irwin 1978 : Andy North : Andy North 1977 : Hubert Green : Hubert Green 1976 : Jerry Pate : Jerry Pate 1975 : Lou Graham* : Lou Graham* 1974 : Hale Irwin : Hale Irwin 1973 : Johnny Miller : Johnny Miller 1972 : Jack Nicklaus : Jack Nicklaus 1971 : Lee Trevino* : Lee Trevino* 1970 : Tony Jacklin : Tony Jacklin 1969 : Orville Moody : Orville Moody 1968 : Lee Trevino : Lee Trevino 1967 : Jack Nicklaus : Jack Nicklaus 1966 : Billy Casper Jr.* : Billy Casper Jr.* 1965 : Gary Player* : Gary Player* 1964 : Ken Venturi : Ken Venturi 1963 : Julius Boros* : Julius Boros* 1962 : Jack Nicklaus* : Jack Nicklaus* 1961 : Gene Littler : Gene Littler 1960 : Arnold Palmer : Arnold Palmer 1959 : Billy Casper Jr. : Billy Casper Jr. 1958 : Tommy Bolt : Tommy Bolt 1957 : Dick Mayer* : Dick Mayer* 1956 : Cary Middlecoff : Cary Middlecoff 1955 : Jack Fleck* : Jack Fleck* 1954 : Ed Furgol : Ed Furgol 1953 : Ben Hogan : Ben Hogan 1952 : Julius Boros : Julius Boros 1951 : Ben Hogan : Ben Hogan 1950 : Ben Hogan* : Ben Hogan* 1949 : Cary Middlecoff : Cary Middlecoff 1948 : Ben Hogan : Ben Hogan 1947 : Lew Worsham* : Lew Worsham* 1946 : Lloyd Mangrum* : Lloyd Mangrum* 1945 : Canceled due to World War II : Canceled due to World War II 1944 : Canceled due to World War II : Canceled due to World War II 1943 : Canceled due to World War II : Canceled due to World War II 1942 : Canceled due to World War II : Canceled due to World War II 1941 : Craig Wood : Craig Wood 1940 : Lawson Little* : Lawson Little* 1939 : Byron Nelson* : Byron Nelson* 1938 : Ralph Guldahl : Ralph Guldahl 1937 : Ralph Guldahl : Ralph Guldahl 1936 : Tony Manero : Tony Manero 1935 : Sam Parks Jr. : Sam Parks Jr. 1934 : Olin Dutra : Olin Dutra 1933 : (a)-Johnny Goodman : (a)-Johnny Goodman 1932 : Gene Sarazen : Gene Sarazen 1931 : Billy Burke* : Billy Burke* 1930 : (a)-Bob Jones : (a)-Bob Jones 1929 : (a)-Bob Jones* : (a)-Bob Jones* 1928 : Johnny Farrell* : Johnny Farrell* 1927 : Tommy Armour* : Tommy Armour* 1926 : (a)-Bob Jones : (a)-Bob Jones 1925 : William Macfarlane* : William Macfarlane* 1924 : Cyril Walker : Cyril Walker 1923 : (a)-Bob Jones* : (a)-Bob Jones* 1922 : Gene Sarazen : Gene Sarazen 1921 : James M. Barnes : James M. Barnes 1920 : Edward Ray : Edward Ray 1919 : Walter Hagen : Walter Hagen 1918 : Canceled due to World War I : Canceled due to World War I 1917 : Canceled due to World War I : Canceled due to World War I 1916 : (a)-Charles Evans Jr. : (a)-Charles Evans Jr. 1915 : (a)-Jerome D. Travers : (a)-Jerome D. Travers 1914 : Walter Hagen : Walter Hagen 1913 : (a)-Francis Ouimet* : (a)-Francis Ouimet* 1912 : John J. McDermott : John J. McDermott 1911 : John J. McDermott* : John J. McDermott* 1910 : Alex Smith* : Alex Smith* 1909 : George Sargent : George Sargent 1908 : Fred McLeod* : Fred McLeod* 1907 : Alex Ross* : Alex Ross* 1906 : Alex Smith : Alex Smith 1905 : Willie Anderson : Willie Anderson 1904 : Willie Anderson : Willie Anderson 1903 : Willie Anderson* : Willie Anderson* 1902 : Laurence Auchterlonie : Laurence Auchterlonie 1901 : Willie Anderson* : Willie Anderson* 1900 : Harry Vardon : Harry Vardon 1899 : Willie Smith : Willie Smith 1898 : Fred Herd : Fred Herd 1897 : Joe Lloyd : Joe Lloyd 1896 : James Foulis : James Foulis 1895: Horace Rawlins The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
CNN
27 minutes ago
- CNN
Sports betting is legal and growing more popular. Harassment of athletes by angry gamblers is rising too
Gabby Thomas being harassed at last weekend's Grand Slam Track meet was shocking – except, actually, it wasn't, given how often it seems to be happening. Thomas, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, said she was verbally abused at the meet, reporting on X that a 'grown man followed me around the track as I took pictures and signed autographs for fans (mostly children) shouting personal insults.' Thomas' statement was in reply to another post on X – which has since been deleted – showing a video of a person heckling Thomas while she was on the starting line, shouting, 'You're a choke artist; you're going down, Gabby.' The social media user bragged about how his actions had benefitted his bet, writing: 'I made Gabby lose by heckling her. And it made my parlay win,' alongside a screenshot of two multi-leg bets on the FanDuel sportsbook platform. FanDuel said it had banned the person responsible for the abuse from its platform, explaining it 'condemns in the strongest terms abusive behavior directed towards athletes.' 'Threatening or harassing athletes is unacceptable and has no place in sports. This customer is no longer able to wager with FanDuel,' the statement shared with CNN Sports added. It was in 2018 that the US Supreme Court struck down a 1992 federal law, which had prohibited most states from allowing sports betting. Gambling on sports is now legal in 39 states, which experts warn has opened the floodgates for a torrent of abuse towards professional and collegiate leagues from bettors who blame them for their financial losses. In March, the NCAA launched a campaign aimed at tackling what it described as 'the alarming prevalence of abuse and harassment student-athletes face from angry fans who lost a bet.' According to an analysis of abusive messages sent via social media to college athletes, coaches and officials during the Division I championships, 12% – some 740 messages – were related to sports betting, according to the NCAA. Instances of such messages included one user who threatened a college athlete with the message, 'Yo no big deal but if you don't get 22 points and 12 boards everyone you know and love will Be dead,' according to the analysis, which was produced with Signify Group. Meanwhile, over 540 abusive betting-related messages – including death threats – were leveled at men's and women's basketball student-athletes and game officials during March Madness, a preliminary set of data trends found. Clint Hangebrauck, managing director of enterprise risk management at the NCAA told CNN: 'I think athletes are under attack right now, frankly, on social media and in person, and a lot of the people slinging the biggest bullets are sports bettors.' Hangebrauck, who has worked at the NCAA for 15 years, said that there has been a surge of athletes receiving abuse since the federal ban on sports betting was struck down, adding that in certain states – including Ohio and North Carolina – a barrage of abuse towards student athletes was 'almost immediate.' The NCAA is now seeking a ban on proposition bets, colloquially known as prop bets, on college athletes, calling the phenomenon 'a mental health nightmare.' Prop bets are made on outcomes not associated with the final score and are often based on individual performances. 'You could even perform well, and you're receiving all this negative feedback from betters because you didn't hit specific betting lines,' Hangebrauck added, noting that about half of the states that do allow gambling in the US have banned prop bets on student athletes. Jason Lopez, assistant professor in the Department of Communication Arts at the University of Wisconsin told CNN Sports: 'The way that the newly legalized sports betting universe works is that it's very common to make prop bets where, even though it's a team sport, you can actually bet on the performance of individual players.' 'It turns what could be a team game into an individual performance, too. And so it's easy to then focus whatever anger you have on the bet at individual players,' Lopez, whose research focuses on sports media and betting, explained. The issue of bettors harassing athletes is widespread across sporting disciplines, with tennis and NBA players reporting instances of abuse. For a few professional athletes, it's an opportunity to punch back. In reply to a social media user who gave him grief about his seeming nonchalance over a bad performance in a game, NBA superstar Kevin Durant posted on X in November 2024, 'Stop blaming me for losing money because you have a gambling problem.' Great dub suns, and for my parlayers, better luck next time lol For others, however, social media comments made cross any acceptable line. In the past few weeks, MLB players Lance McCullers Jr. and Liam Hendriks have both reported that their families have been on the receiving end of death threats. Houston Astros pitcher McCullers Jr. revealed he received threats from a man who took to social media and threatened to find his kids and 'murder them.' The Houston Police Department later traced these threats to an intoxicated sports bettor from overseas who had lost money betting on the Astros' May 10 game against the Cincinnati Reds, per Reuters. Boston Red Sox pitcher Hendriks reported similar abuse, telling that 'with the rise of sports gambling, it's gotten a lot worse.' 'Threats against my life and my wife's life are horrible and cruel,' Hendriks wrote in a post on his Instagram Stories, according to 'You need help. Comments telling me to commit suicide and how you wish I died from cancer is disgusting and vile. Maybe you should take a step back and re-evaluate your life's purpose before hiding behind a screen attacking players and their families. He added: 'Whether it be Venmo requests, whether it be people telling you in their comments, 'Hey, you blew my parlay. Go f*ck yourself,' kind of stuff. And then it's, 'Go hang yourself. You should kill yourself. I wish you died from cancer.' 'That one kind of hit a little too close to home for me with everything I've gone through,' Hendriks, who in 2023 announced he had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, added. Joe Maloney, senior vice president of strategic communications for the American Gaming Association, told CNN Sports in a statement: 'The outcome of a bet is never an invitation to harass or threaten athletes, coaches, or officials. Abuse of any kind has no place in sports.' 'The legal, regulated industry offers the transparency and accountability needed to identify bad actors and collaborate with leagues, regulators, and law enforcement to deter misconduct and enforce consequences. Unlike illegal and unregulated market apps or bookies, legal operators work every day to uphold the integrity of competition and ensure a responsible wagering environment,' Maloney added. Lopez pointed out that, while sports betting has only recently been legalized and commercialized across the United States, most sports have been associated with wagering since their beginnings, albeit in a more underground capacity up until recently. 'There's just a basic fact about (sports) companies and organizations that run these games for entertainment which is that gambling helps increase interest – it drives interest. So they like all the betting that's happening around them; it builds interest in their sport. 'Their athletes being abused, especially if they're collegiate athletes, could harm their entertainment product. So they have to take very public stances about this in order to try to mitigate the idea that you know this entertainment product is putting people at risk,' he added. Hangebrauck added to CNN: 'I think there's a responsible way to engage in sports betting, and a lot of fans and people do so. Ninety-six percent of people overall generally lose in sports betting in the long run, so just be responsible about how you react to that – own it yourself.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
'Tennis the winner' as Alcaraz and Sinner set for enduring rivalry
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner delivered one of the greatest Grand Slam finals in history at the French Open (Thibaud MORITZ) After producing one of the greatest Grand Slam finals of all time, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner served an explicit reminder they are the two main forces set to reign in men's tennis for years to come. In the first French Open final in more than three decades between two players aged 23 or under, Alcaraz and Sinner delivered undoubtedly the most electrifying chapter in an increasingly captivating rivalry. Advertisement It was the first time the pair had met in a Grand Slam final and it didn't disappoint, with twists and turns, high drama and outrageous shot-making from start to finish. "This one was the most exciting match that I've played so far, without a doubt," said Alcaraz after winning the longest final in Roland Garros history. "Today I think the match had everything." The five-hour, 29-minute epic indeed had it all, as Alcaraz saved three championship points in the fourth set on his way to a fifth Grand Slam title in as many finals. That he reached the milestone at exactly the same age as Rafael Nadal -- 22 years, one month and three days -- was "destiny", according to Alcaraz. Advertisement The manner in which he won was equally as striking as Nadal's fifth major at Wimbledon in 2008, when he beat Roger Federer in another of the sport's all-time great finals. Alcaraz was reluctant to rank his win against that match but suggested Novak Djokovic's triumph over Nadal at the 2012 Australian Open was even better than Sunday's match. "If people put our match on that table, it's a huge honour for me," said Alcaraz. "I don't know if it is at the same level as those matches. So I let the people talk about it if for them (they) are almost the same. "But I'm just happy to put our match and our names in the history of the Grand Slams, in the history of Roland Garros." Advertisement - 'Taken tennis to another level' - The spectacle in Paris lent more weight to the comparisons that had already been made between the sport's new rivalry and those shared by Djokovic, Nadal and Federer. Sinner said it was hard to compare different generations but appreciated being a part of it all. "I think every rivalry is different," said the Italian. "It's good to see that we can produce also tennis like this, because I think it's good for the whole movement of tennis." Federer and Nadal were among those to congratulate the finalists for an extraordinary performance. Advertisement "Three winners in Paris today: Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and the beautiful game of tennis. What a match!" Federer wrote on social media. "What a great Roland Garros final," added Nadal. So gripping was the contest that Spain's footballers huddled around a mobile phone to watch before their Nations League final loss on penalties to Portugal. With Federer and Nadal retired, and Djokovic now 38, this removed any remaining doubt of the dawn of a new era and answered the question as to who will fill the void left by the 'Big Three'. "I cannot believe how lucky we are that we are going to have this rivalry as they have taken our sport to another level," seven-time Grand Slam champion Mats Wilander told TNT Sports. Advertisement "I never thought I would say that after the big three with Rafa, Roger and Novak but it is actually faster than ever, it is at a level (where) it is hard to believe they can do this." Alcaraz and Sinner first faced off in the second round of the Paris Masters in 2021. Alcaraz has won eight of 12 meetings -- including the last five -- but both players have already contributed so much with the prime of their careers seemingly still ahead. "Federer and Nadal played a couple of good finals, but nothing comes close to this," said Wilander, who won the previous longest Roland Garros final in 1982. "I thought: 'This is not possible - they're playing at a pace that is not human.' "These are two of the best athletes the human race can put forward and they happen to be tennis players." mw/ea
