Hooray for Holywood boy as 'Rorymania' hits the Open

Exclusive: Pro Golfer Justin Thomas on His Favorite Places—From the Best Golf Courses to His Dreamy Babymoon Destination

Travel + Leisure

18 minutes ago

Travel + Leisure

Exclusive: Pro Golfer Justin Thomas on His Favorite Places—From the Best Golf Courses to His Dreamy Babymoon Destination

As one of golf's top-ranked pros, Justin Thomas has long been taking swings around the world, whether traveling to his favorite courses, Northern Ireland's Royal County Down or Australia's Royal Melbourne, or those he finds more challenging, like Pennsylvania's Oakmont or New Jersey's Pine Valley. Though he calls Florida home, he spent extra time on Garden State greens recently while filming his big-screen debut in this summer's blockbuster comedy, "Happy Gilmore 2," in which he played a photo-snapping version of himself. Spending such a big chunk of the year traveling on the PGA Tour, where he's notched an impressive 16 career wins, the father to a 9-month-old with wife Jillian now cherishes the simpler moments. 'They hit it spot-on in the movie—your happy place changes,' the 34-year-old tells Travel + Leisure. 'Right now, mine is a full night's sleep for Molly, no whining or crying throughout the night—all the old people stuff.' The couple's little one has already become a seasoned traveler, accompanying her famous dad to most of his tournaments, though she hasn't made the jump across the Atlantic Ocean to the U.K. yet. 'With our lifestyle, you have to make do and figure things out,' he says. 'My wife and I don't have anything to compare her to, but by our very novice knowledge, she's been a great baby. We've been very lucky.' Justin Thomas with wife, Jillian Wisniewski, daughter, Molly Grace, and the championship trophy after winning the final round of the RBC Heritage 2025 at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island, South admits Jillian is the 'mastermind' behind traveling with the infant, and his role is to 'try not to get in the way or mess anything up and be there when I'm needed,' as well as packing a travel crib and blackout curtains. 'Both of our moms kind of roll their eyes at the amount of technology and gadgets there are these days,' he admits with a laugh. But it's all worth it for the Thomases to enjoy life on the road together. 'I think it'll be just so great for her to learn about different places. Seeing so many spots is something that she'll be very lucky to do as a young'un.' With Justin Thomas Best golf destination? That's a tough one. Baker's Bay. It's a very beautiful and fun golf course. And also the experience in general—very laid-back. It's very enjoyable. Do you ever play golf when you're on vacation? I probably play more on vacation than I would maybe like, but I won't by myself, just with other people. It's more fun golf—not a grind type of thing. Fellow golfer who's the best travel buddy? You might get me in trouble! But I've traveled quite a bit with Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth, and Gary Woodland. We used to more before Jordan, Rickie, and myself started families—it definitely has become a lot more difficult. Athlete you'd like to travel with? I'll go with Michael Jordan because I know he's got a sweet plane, so that makes it a lot easier to travel. Best trip you've been on? We took a trip to London with the Spieths and the Fowlers a couple years ago. We stayed at a great hotel in London and went to Wimbledon together. The food was so good, and we all had such a fun time! Celeb Check-in Before they became parents, the Thomases were already frequent travelers, even taking a babymoon to Blackberry Farm in Walland, Tennessee. 'It was a very relaxing and nice getaway for us, but I felt for Jillian because they had some great cocktails on the menu that only I was able to indulge in,' he says. 'But the food is also incredible.' The Volunteer State has a special meaning for the couple since they got married in College Grove, Tennessee, in 2022, with many of their guests staying at the Harpeth Hotel in nearby Franklin, which he says is "awesome." 'We try to get there every once in a while since there's so many great little restaurants and areas you can walk to—it's a sweet town,' he says. Thomas knows that part of the country well, having grown up in Louisville, where he recommends going to Fourth Street Live! and the waterfront, visiting nearby St. Matthews, and checking out a race at Churchill Downs. He then went to college to the south at the University of Alabama, where he played golf for the Crimson Tide; 'All you need to do in Tuscaloosa is go to a football game," says Thomas. Justin Thomas plays a shot on the 16th hole during the final round of the Valspar Championship 2025 at Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club in Palm Harbor, he calls the Jupiter, Florida, area home, where "everything is very laid-back and relaxed,' whether it's enjoying meals on the water at Square Grouper Tiki Bar or U-Tiki Beach or heading up to 1000 North for nights out. And when he leaves home for tournaments, he prioritizes easy, streamlined travel. These days he usually shares NetJets private flights with other players. 'Time is very precious, and the more time you can save, the better it is for our game essentially,' the No. 5 player says. In his earlier days, it was a little more taxing to travel with his golf clubs, checking them in on flights with the rest of the baggage. 'You get a sore right arm pretty quick from lugging that thing through the airport,' he says. 'Everybody's got horror stories—I've had times where bags don't show up and you're just trying to make it work.' His best advice for fellow golf travelers is to be ready to pivot. 'I don't want to say you need a backup plan, but just know things change and stuff happens, so have an understanding and be okay with it and go with the flow.' Thomas has learned to focus on what he can control, like always bringing a full-sized pillow with him in his carry-on. 'That's a must—I travel with a pillow every week,' he says of prioritizing comfort on the go. Also in his bag are Chapstick, a couple Sharpies, Advil, a phone charger, snacks, and electrolytes. But above all, there's nothing he prioritizes more than sunscreen. Spending so much of his life outside, his parents were always pretty diligent about having him get regular skin checks. When he was in high school, he had a mole taken off his back that turned out to be cancerous. 'It wasn't anything major, but it had to be dug out a little bit, and turned out to be okay,' he says. That made him realize how important these exams are, especially aware of how much the back of his neck and calves are exposed to the sun. At a skin check when he was 26, the athlete pointed out a mole on his left calf that was 'very small, but looked different.' His instincts were right—the spot was in the early stages of melanoma. The surgery was fairly simple—a half-hour procedure that he was awake for. But the impact was huge. 'It was a pretty eye-opening experience,' he says. 'I was very lucky to catch it as early as I did.' Thomas decided to turn his scare into an opportunity to educate others, starting a sunscreen line called WearSPF: 'For a lot of people, it's like being hungry: You wait till you're hungry to eat. They wait until they feel burnt or are sunburned to put on sunscreen, ' he says. 'But it's about applying before you go out, reapplying as the day goes on, and learning about the UV index. Just because it's not hot or sunny doesn't mean you can't get burnt, and I wasn't as cognizant of that in the past.' Justin with his sunscreen brand Wear SPF. Ty Nicholson/Get Engaged He's also used his influence for creative partnerships, including a recent one with Jason and Travis Kelce's Garage Beer. 'I was able to spend a little time with Jason at the tour event in Philly, and he said his wife is constantly getting on him for how sunburned he gets,' Thomas said. 'He was very excited about this collaboration because he needs all the sunscreen!" Even though he and Travis were both in Happy Gilmore 2, they didn't cross paths there—but they have hung out a bit. If he were to plan a trip with them, the agenda would be simple. 'I think going somewhere with some golf, because I know Travis loves golf, and I think Jason does as well,' Thomas says. 'But just somewhere fun and sitting back, being a fly on the wall to those two, watching them do their thing would be funny and entertaining!'

Xander Schauffele not at East Lake and debating whether another event would help before Ryder Cup

Yahoo

an hour ago

Yahoo

Xander Schauffele not at East Lake and debating whether another event would help before Ryder Cup

ATLANTA (AP) — Xander Schauffele isn't at East Lake for the first time in his career, the result of a rib injury that cost him two months at the start of the season. He never quite found any momentum in his game with his swing out of sync. 'It would be nice to have three months off. That would be ideal if we were being honest,' Schauffele said at the BMW Championship. 'I feel like I need to get as far away from golf as possible very soon. That's how I feel.' That's not the reality, however. Schauffele had such a big year in the majors last year — winning the PGA Championship and the British Open, top-10 finishes in the other two — that he was among the first to clinch a spot on the Ryder Cup team. Three months? The Ryder Cup starts in 38 days. Schauffele was among the players who confirmed to The Associated Press in July that the U.S. team planned to play at the Procore Championship in Napa, California, the week of Sept. 8-14, two weeks before the Ryder Cup. The exception would be Bryson DeChambeau, suspended when he bolted to Saudi-funded LIV Golf in 2022 and then was among those who sued the PGA Tour. It might also be missing Schauffele. 'I'm not sure,' Schauffele said when asked if he would be there. 'I haven't signed up yet. It would be nice to play, but if I don't think playing is going to help me, then I won't play.' Despite his recovery from a rib injury that led to his swing getting out of sorts, Schauffele extended his cut streak to 71 — exactly halfway to the record held by Tiger Woods. He also managed six finishes in the top 12 and two top 10s in the majors. 'I think I understand more than I did before,' he said. 'The frustration before was more not understanding why I was doing certain things. Now I know why I'm hitting it bad and don't know how to fix it. So, frustration for different reasons. I don't know what's worse.' He kept his attitude in good shape — the California native is renowned for his positive attitude regardless of his results — and he looks forward to sorting it out. 'I love golf. I love trying to figure it out,' he said. 'But it's been a trying year. I definitely need to hit the reset button. The next step will be to come back with a solid plan and stick to it.' Georgia Homecoming Harris English has more than $10 million in reasons why he would love to win the Tour Championship for the FedEx Cup. He grew up three hours away in Moultrie, Georgia. He played college golf at Georgia, an hour away. The same could be said for Russell Henley, Sepp Straka or Brian Harman. But it was the PGA Tour's first trip to East Lake that inspired a 9-year-old Harris English. 'I came out here in 1998,' English said. 'I still have a brochure of whatever it was that I used to get a bunch of guys' autographs. I met Payne Stewart. This to me is the first event I went to and was like: 'This looks really good. I want to do this when I'm older.'' English played a lot of sports as a kid and golf took hold of him. Tiger Woods was on the scene and the PGA Tour was starting to take off. 'I was in awe of the guys out here,' he said. 'I was taking pictures of everybody, didn't care who they were.' This was 1998 — he was using a disposable camera. 'This was one of my first golf moments, coming to this tournament,' he said. 'It means more to me being at East Lake, but also being our Tour Championship.' Walker Cup Niall Shiels Donegan, the Scottish lad raised in the San Francisco Bay area, had a big week at the U.S. Amateur by going from a 20-for-17 playoff all the way to the semifinals. He was rewarded with a spot on the Great Britain & Ireland team for the Walker Cup. Miles Russell, the high school senior from Georgia, also had a big week by finishing third in the 36-hole qualifying and reaching the quarterfinals. His reward was a spot on the U.S. team as the first alternate, along with Max Herendeen. Both sides announced their 10-member teams for Sept. 6-7 at Cypress Point, the first time the fabled course in California is hosting the amateur matches since 1981. Five Americans previously qualified, including world No. 1 amateur Jackson Koivun, British Amateur champion Ethan Fang and NCAA champion Michael La Sasso. The five added from a selection committee were U.S. Amateur champion Mason Howell, Jacob Modleski, Tommy Morrison, Jase Summy and Stewart Hagestad from the mid-amateur category. GB&I qualifying included the five highest-ranked players from the amateur ranking and five captain's picks. Donegan is joined by Luke Poulter, son of Ryder Cup stalwart Ian Poulter and No. 28 in the amateur ranking. Tyler Weaver of England at No. 11 is the highest-ranked player for GB&I. Connor Graham of Scotland is the only returning player from GB&I's team in 2023. Hagestad and world No. 2 Ben James return for the Americans. Return of RBC The day before the PGA Tour released its schedule came another key sponsorship renewal when RBC announced a multiyear extension of the Canada bank's title sponsorship of the RBC Heritage and the RBC Canadian Open. RBC took over sponsorship of golf's fourth-oldest national championship in 2008 and brought stability to the Canadian Open, even with what can be an awkward spot on the schedule one week after the Memorial and a week before the U.S. Open. It helped that Rory McIlroy played it this year as a two-time champion. The RBC Heritage at Hilton Head is a week after the Masters. Harbour Town Golf Links is a favorite among players (except McIlroy) and has a reputation as the idyllic spot to play and decompress after the Masters. It now is a signature event with a $20 million purse. RBC also has a team of ambassadors on the PGA and LPGA tours. Divots The TGL indoor league begins its second season on network TV with last year's finalists, defending champion Atlanta against New York on Sunday, Dec. 28 at 3 p.m. on ABC. Of course, that means it will air alongside NFL games in the penultimate week of the season. ... The PGA Tour Champions landed Skechers shoes as the title sponsor of the World Champions Cup, a match-play team event among players from the United States, Europe and an international squad. It will be held the first week in December in the Tampa Bay area. ... Scottie Scheffler has back-to-back seasons with five wins or more. Tiger Woods did that six times in his career. Stat of the week The average points gap in the world ranking between Scottie Scheffler at No. 1 and Rory McIlroy at No. 2 is equal to the gap between McIlroy and Taylor Moore at No. 115. Final word 'Most of them think I am Joanne Carner." — Juli Inkster, on seeing players at the Portland Classic when the 65-year-old Hall of Famer played an LPGA event for the first time since 2022. ___ AP golf:

San Francisco Chronicle

an hour ago

San Francisco Chronicle

Xander Schauffele not at East Lake and debating whether another event would help before Ryder Cup

ATLANTA (AP) — Xander Schauffele isn't at East Lake for the first time in his career, the result of a rib injury that cost him two months at the start of the season. He never quite found any momentum in his game with his swing out of sync. 'It would be nice to have three months off. That would be ideal if we were being honest,' Schauffele said at the BMW Championship. 'I feel like I need to get as far away from golf as possible very soon. That's how I feel.' That's not the reality, however. Schauffele had such a big year in the majors last year — winning the PGA Championship and the British Open, top-10 finishes in the other two — that he was among the first to clinch a spot on the Ryder Cup team. Three months? The Ryder Cup starts in 38 days. Schauffele was among the players who confirmed to The Associated Press in July that the U.S. team planned to play at the Procore Championship in Napa, California, the week of Sept. 8-14, two weeks before the Ryder Cup. The exception would be Bryson DeChambeau, suspended when he bolted to Saudi-funded LIV Golf in 2022 and then was among those who sued the PGA Tour. It might also be missing Schauffele. 'I'm not sure,' Schauffele said when asked if he would be there. 'I haven't signed up yet. It would be nice to play, but if I don't think playing is going to help me, then I won't play.' Despite his recovery from a rib injury that led to his swing getting out of sorts, Schauffele extended his cut streak to 71 — exactly halfway to the record held by Tiger Woods. He also managed six finishes in the top 12 and two top 10s in the majors. 'I think I understand more than I did before,' he said. 'The frustration before was more not understanding why I was doing certain things. Now I know why I'm hitting it bad and don't know how to fix it. So, frustration for different reasons. I don't know what's worse.' He kept his attitude in good shape — the California native is renowned for his positive attitude regardless of his results — and he looks forward to sorting it out. 'I love golf. I love trying to figure it out,' he said. 'But it's been a trying year. I definitely need to hit the reset button. The next step will be to come back with a solid plan and stick to it.' Georgia Homecoming Harris English has more than $10 million in reasons why he would love to win the Tour Championship for the FedEx Cup. He grew up three hours away in Moultrie, Georgia. He played college golf at Georgia, an hour away. The same could be said for Russell Henley, Sepp Straka or Brian Harman. But it was the PGA Tour's first trip to East Lake that inspired a 9-year-old Harris English. 'I came out here in 1998,' English said. 'I still have a brochure of whatever it was that I used to get a bunch of guys' autographs. I met Payne Stewart. This to me is the first event I went to and was like: 'This looks really good. I want to do this when I'm older.'' English played a lot of sports as a kid and golf took hold of him. Tiger Woods was on the scene and the PGA Tour was starting to take off. 'I was in awe of the guys out here,' he said. 'I was taking pictures of everybody, didn't care who they were.' This was 1998 — he was using a disposable camera. 'This was one of my first golf moments, coming to this tournament,' he said. 'It means more to me being at East Lake, but also being our Tour Championship.' Walker Cup Niall Shiels Donegan, the Scottish lad raised in the San Francisco Bay area, had a big week at the U.S. Amateur by going from a 20-for-17 playoff all the way to the semifinals. He was rewarded with a spot on the Great Britain & Ireland team for the Walker Cup. Miles Russell, the high school senior from Georgia, also had a big week by finishing third in the 36-hole qualifying and reaching the quarterfinals. His reward was a spot on the U.S. team as the first alternate, along with Max Herendeen. Both sides announced their 10-member teams for Sept. 6-7 at Cypress Point, the first time the fabled course in California is hosting the amateur matches since 1981. Five Americans previously qualified, including world No. 1 amateur Jackson Koivun, British Amateur champion Ethan Fang and NCAA champion Michael La Sasso. The five added from a selection committee were U.S. Amateur champion Mason Howell, Jacob Modleski, Tommy Morrison, Jase Summy and Stewart Hagestad from the mid-amateur category. GB&I qualifying included the five highest-ranked players from the amateur ranking and five captain's picks. Donegan is joined by Luke Poulter, son of Ryder Cup stalwart Ian Poulter and No. 28 in the amateur ranking. Tyler Weaver of England at No. 11 is the highest-ranked player for GB&I. Connor Graham of Scotland is the only returning player from GB&I's team in 2023. Hagestad and world No. 2 Ben James return for the Americans. Return of RBC The day before the PGA Tour released its schedule came another key sponsorship renewal when RBC announced a multiyear extension of the Canada bank's title sponsorship of the RBC Heritage and the RBC Canadian Open. RBC took over sponsorship of golf's fourth-oldest national championship in 2008 and brought stability to the Canadian Open, even with what can be an awkward spot on the schedule one week after the Memorial and a week before the U.S. Open. It helped that Rory McIlroy played it this year as a two-time champion. The RBC Heritage at Hilton Head is a week after the Masters. Harbour Town Golf Links is a favorite among players (except McIlroy) and has a reputation as the idyllic spot to play and decompress after the Masters. It now is a signature event with a $20 million purse. RBC also has a team of ambassadors on the PGA and LPGA tours. Divots The TGL indoor league begins its second season on network TV with last year's finalists, defending champion Atlanta against New York on Sunday, Dec. 28 at 3 p.m. on ABC. Of course, that means it will air alongside NFL games in the penultimate week of the season. ... The PGA Tour Champions landed Skechers shoes as the title sponsor of the World Champions Cup, a match-play team event among players from the United States, Europe and an international squad. It will be held the first week in December in the Tampa Bay area. ... Scottie Scheffler has back-to-back seasons with five wins or more. Tiger Woods did that six times in his career. Stat of the week The average points gap in the world ranking between Scottie Scheffler at No. 1 and Rory McIlroy at No. 2 is equal to the gap between McIlroy and Taylor Moore at No. 115. Final word 'Most of them think I am Joanne Carner." — Juli Inkster, on seeing players at the Portland Classic when the 65-year-old Hall of Famer played an LPGA event for the first time since 2022. ___

Hooray for Holywood boy as 'Rorymania' hits the Open

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Exclusive: Pro Golfer Justin Thomas on His Favorite Places—From the Best Golf Courses to His Dreamy Babymoon Destination

Xander Schauffele not at East Lake and debating whether another event would help before Ryder Cup

Xander Schauffele not at East Lake and debating whether another event would help before Ryder Cup

Hooray for Holywood boy as 'Rorymania' hits the Open

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Exclusive: Pro Golfer Justin Thomas on His Favorite Places—From the Best Golf Courses to His Dreamy Babymoon Destination

Xander Schauffele not at East Lake and debating whether another event would help before Ryder Cup

Xander Schauffele not at East Lake and debating whether another event would help before Ryder Cup

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