Justin Thomas played alongside Hideki Matsuyama during the first two rounds of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill this week.
The 32-year-old from Louisville, Kentucky, has been working incredibly hard to get back to a place where he believes he’s ready to compete.
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That said, his decision to return to the PGA Tour at a course like Bay Hill for the Arnold Palmer Invitational was a questionable one.
The late great Arnold Palmer’s course is one of the most challenging there is on the PGA Tour schedule.
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Nevertheless, Thomas returned to competitive action after a five-month hiatus from the PGA Tour this week at Bay Hill, and he was paired to play with 2021 Masters champion Matsuyama.
However, Thomas was incredibly rusty at Bay Hill, and he clearly has a long way to go before he can challenge for titles again.
What Justin Thomas said to his caddie about Hideki Matsuyama at Bay Hill
Thomas posted back-to-back rounds of seven-over-par 79 at Bay Hill and ended up finishing dead last.
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His playing partner, Matsuyama, fared slightly better and finished the first two rounds at even-par.
However, Thomas admitted to feeling uncomfortable when playing so poorly alongside the Japanese star.
When speaking to Golf Digest, the two-time major champion explained how he felt out on the golf course during his nightmare round of 79 on day two.
“I just said walking up 9 or 10 to Rev [caddie Matt Minister], obviously sucks playing bad, but when it gets to the point … I felt like I was getting into Hideki’s way,” Thomas said.
Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images
“He’s grinding and trying to make the cut, and it’s like he’s waiting on me and I’ve just felt like I was like humiliating myself out there.
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“I’m, like, ‘This isn’t really that fun.’ So just really tried to use the [last] nine holes to be productive and get ready for next week. There’s no better place to try things, if you will, than competition. I had zero to lose.”
There is no need for Thomas to feel humiliated. Golf is an incredibly challenging game and it can make even the best players in the world feel completely lost at times.
Justin Thomas admits to mental struggles at Bay Hill
Thomas was clearly struggling with his swing at Bay Hill this week.
However, he made an admission about how much he struggled mentally at Arnie’s Place as well.
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“More than anything, I feel it’s about just getting mentally ready and mentally in the place of when you’re at your best, if you will,“ Thomas said.
“Because that was the biggest thing I noticed the last two days is just, mentally, I was so spacey and couldn’t concentrate on what I was doing.”
That is arguably more concerning than the fact that his swing was so far off during the first two days of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Thomas needs to fix up quickly, with so many huge events coming up over the next month or so, including The Players Championship and The Masters.
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