Justin Thomas recently captured his first PGA Tour win since his 2022 PGA Championship triumph, taking the title at the RBC Heritage. However, he was left stunned by a bold comment made about him during the broadcast.
The 31-year-old showed humility after hearing a commentator refer to him as “the best American player of his generation,” placing him ahead of stars like Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele. Despite his recent struggles — after reaching World No. 1 in 2020 — Thomas was emotional after securing his 16th PGA Tour win by edging out Andrew Novak in a tense playoff.
During the celebrations, Golf Channel’s Eamon Lynch praised Thomas with the lofty title, leaving Thomas surprised, especially given the competition from players like Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Scheffler, and Schauffele.
Reacting to the comment on the Pardon My Take podcast, Thomas said:
“I laughed when I heard that. It’s like, ‘Well, nobody has said that about me over the past couple of years.’ It was a big win for me, but I didn’t think it was that big.
“I guess it’s nice to hear, but sports tend to have a lot of recency bias. People often focus on whoever’s winning or playing best at the moment. I know over my career I’ve been lucky to get a fair amount of wins and accolades, but I still have a lot I want to achieve. Hopefully, by the end of my career, I’ll have built a stronger case than just one big win.”
While he downplayed the praise, Thomas did acknowledge that his RBC Heritage victory has put him in a better spot to live up to those expectations. Asked if his confidence had grown, he answered, “For sure.
“Each time I get back in contention, I get a little more comfortable. Last year, I put so much pressure on myself to win every time I had a chance. It made Sundays really tough, and I never seemed to finish strong.
“This year, I’m trying to be more patient and just let things happen naturally. I’m learning from the mistakes I made when I was trying too hard — although that’s always easier said than done in golf.”
Thomas’ win was especially sweet after a disappointing showing at the Masters, where he finished tied for 36th with a two-over-par score, alongside players like Brian Harman, Charl Schwartzel, and Patrick Cantlay.
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