If I do win Augusta this year, you know, I think that I need to make sure it happens that you and I go on a trip to Augusta together. I'll find a member to host this and and I think we should do that. What do you think about that?
I'm in No, you don't say you are no, I am in how noble of you?
All right?
My name is Justin Thomas, and I am Brian's biggest fan.
Hello once again, and welcome once again to Off the Beat once again. I am your host, Brian Bombgartner. Should I say that once again?
Uh?
My guest today is PGA Tour professional and my friend Justin Thomas. Justin, if you don't know, is a legend. He's set more records than I can count. He's won two PGA championships, and he has been world number one in the official World Golf rankings twice. So when you run numbers on this that is one and one, which is two? No, that can't be right, because he's number one. One plus one is ultimate one supreme. Pretty sure it's something like that. Anyway, Justin dominates the sport of golf
and he's only thirty. Honestly, he might be the only person on the planet that I would not bet with on the golf course. I am aware that all of my worldly wisdom and mind games means absolute but gus against him. I know it's hard to believe, but I would take a pass. Justin and I had this conversation as he was preparing to play in the Arnold Palmer Invitational this last weekend. He played very well, finished T twelve in difficult conditions on a very very difficult golf course,
which he discusses with us today. Not too shabby. Let's ask him how he does it, shall we? And along the way, I want to get some insight into his past, his future, and well the future of professional golf. There's a lot going on in the world of golf these days. And we will also ask him how it feels to fulfill your three life goals, all while under the age of thirty. Here he is the talented, the prodigious Justin Thomas Burble and Squeak. I love it, Burble and Squeakna Burble and Squeak.
I could get every mon lift over from the ninety four.
What's happening?
How are we doing?
Oh my god, it's so good to see you. What's going on?
Like that you were that Georgia sweater.
I need you do that.
Well, you know, I woke up this morning. I'm actually too tiered here.
Okay.
I woke up this morning and I put this on because I knew I was gonna be talking to you today. Well, I mean, I guess we can just we can just start with my first question. How are you feeling about Saban? I saw you saw him over the weekend. How are you feeling with mister Saban going bye bye?
I'm I'm a little unsure. Maybe at the moment I joked with people, I felt like like a family member of mine had like passed away with the amount of people reaching out or like hey, condolences to you and I'm so sorry. It's like, guy, it's just he just retired, like it's gonna be okay, but it is wild. I think, you know, you can't go on those kind of runs forever. So I'm you know, I got I got faith in a new coach. But yeah, there's only one Sabing.
I mean he was there when you were in school, right, yeah, So I mean he's been everything that you know about Alabama.
Right, It's exactly right, yeah, some of Yeah. I mean I only went to college two years and I was two for two on football national championships and undefeated season. Although I will say I was, I wasn't still am except for a couple of times a year a Kirby Smart fan, although every year that goes by, he's really making me want to hate him a little bit.
So we'll see. Well, I was speaking to somebody last week. It's actually it was it was Chris Long. It's a tough road here with that they have to go to Tuscaloosa Georgia does and to Austin Late Texas new new SEC team. This is it's gonna well, at least there's two teams getting the playoffs because of course, you know that Georgia should have been last year, right you know that?
Uh yeah, I'm not.
I'm not sure what she what you're talking.
About, but interesting, funny, weird.
I don't know about you, but I'm having a very difficult time with Texas being relevant in football. Like I'm just I'm not enjoying.
It at all.
Yeah, it's like the Southwest is is back, I guess, and we've been so comfortable down there in the Southeast for so long. It's uh, it's it's tough. I don't know they're going to be good, right, I.
Know, I know.
Maybe it's because I'm around Jordan Speed as much as I am, but uh, I you know, some of us were joking. It's like if if Texas somehow would have won the national championship without having to go through Alabama or Georgia, I don't know. If I could have shown my face, I would have been so mad.
Well, it'll certainly be interesting now that they joined the Big Boy League down there in the South. I do want to talk about why you ended up choosing Alabama, but first I should say good luck. Did you have practice today? You're there for the Arnold Palmer this weekend? Is that right?
Yeah?
Yeah?
And uh yeah, just practice today. You know, Behill is one of those places that never really changes. It's just hard and it's right in front of you. So yeah, just just got a little work in and you're in lovely Orlando.
Well, I also have to mention you made a lot of news over the weekend in addition to being there at the Big Alabama Tennessee basketball game with coach Saban my dad, the member pro list at Seminole Country Club. This got a lot of press, weirdly and social media input. How did that did you win?
We did not.
My partner Mike Wallrath and I. We won last year the gross division. It's unbelievable. Like, I mean, you saw that list of that field, Liss Like every year it's like that.
I mean, it is, It's insane.
I was joking and luckily as you saw it. You know, we played with Tiger, which is a lot of fun. But he was like, I can't believe how good the field is, and I was like, dude. The first year I played in this, I was on the corn Ferry that, you know, the web dot Com Tour, and like, you know, I just grinded out like a T thirty three and made like twenty seven hundred dollars and like, I go to this tournament and this is far and away the
best players I've played with and against. And it was a pro am, so it was kind of funny.
Okay, I you know, I hadn't thought about this. Let me ask you a question. What would it take to get you to come back to the corn Ferry Tour and be my partner at the BMW Championship in Greenville, Like what would it take to get I mean, are you allowed to go down a division? Is that allowed?
I honestly, I actually do not think it is allowed.
It's not allowed. Why wouldn't it be allowed. You want to pick up another pro win, you come play with me at the BMW. Everyone will be intimidated by both of us, by the way, Yeah, yeah, I mean that's an idea. I hadn't considered that.
You know, we have a lot of things going on in the golfing world, and I'm sure if I went to our commissioner with in the board but this, they would be like, really, justin this is this is what you're hitting us with, Like all these multi billion dollar deals are trying to negotiate, and you want to know if you can play in a corn fairy program?
Did you ever play in that event? I did have been before my time, Okay I.
Did, yeah, yeah, twenty fourteen.
Okay, wow, yeah, I think we just barely missed each other. I played, not partners with I'm not gonna mention my partners because we haven't won with Homa. One year was in the Forsome Harry Higgs.
Wow.
One year was in the forsome. I keep I keep getting without any disrespecting my partners. Most of the time it's been my fault. Let's be clear.
I was going to ask, you know, you said we haven't won yet, and I, you know, is that a is that a you problem? Or is that a them problem? Or you know, team cabaraderie or you know what would you put the blame on.
Let me just say this, at least twice my partner has finished dfl mm hmm. That's dead fucking last. No, I know, yeah, we're not. We're not clear on that. So let me just say it's hard to win. It's hard to win when your partner does you.
Need to play really well.
Or yeah, or it was exactly I was going to say that I have to. Although I will say without mentioning again anybody by name, the winners of Pebble Beach is always amazing to me, the pro am winners, because many times times there are people that I have played with. Let's just I'm just gonna leave it a handicaps well thirteen, Yeah, exactly exactly, talking to you, Gretzky.
Names, but no, not to It starts with twist Aaron Rodgers.
I didn't listen. I'm not called you. That was that was justin Thomas JT said, He shmarrined it for sure. All right, you grew up actually near I don't think we've ever talked about this near my family's heritage. That's not the way you say it. Uh. Fort Thomas, Kentucky is where my dad hails from, in the great area of Sinskentucky. Now, I mean, if you weren't good at golf,
there would be a problem. Because your grandfather played and compete competed nationally a couple of PGA's right, he played in a couple of your dad a PGA head pro for about forty years. There wasn't a question early on about whether you would play right. You were just this is what you do as a Thomas I'd say.
So, I mean, I you know, I like sports. I played not well, but you know, I played kind of the all the sports that little little kids play growing up. You know, your baseball, your soccer and whatnot, basketball, but I kind of sucked at all of the other ones. So I knew that if I wanted to continue my life and potentially become a professional athlete, if you want to call us golfers. Golf was my only chance. But I loved it. I just I.
Couldn't get enough of it.
And you know, I grew up in that era of Tiger Woods and watching him just dominate and do things nobody else could do. So I was pretty inspiring to a you know, seven eight.
Nine year old.
Well, I was going to ask you about Tiger now. It seems as though, because I know how this works, right, I mean, I've played in a bunch of big events and oftentimes there are a few people who get to decide who their partners are and who they play with and what time they go off, it seems like it is a contractual obligation for Tiger to show up that
he has to play with you. Now, I don't know if anyone else has mentioned this, or if this is just like this is just random that every time, you know, you just mentioned on Monday you guys are playing together. First off, I read and of course rewatched the video at Valhalla in two thousand. Your dad had access and you were actually there when he made his famous stalking pointing putt there. What kind of an influence did that moment have on you?
That week was massive?
And I've he knows that.
I've told him that many many times. You know, I think when you're you know, I was seven years old at the time, and it's like when you're able to watch, you know, if you play a sport.
Like I did golf, and you're you're able.
To watch that sport at the highest level, and not only that, but your favorite player. I mean, it was an unbelievable tournament. It was a crazy shootout between him and Bob Ay.
Somebody that a lot of people hadn't.
Heard of, and he was kind of being, you know, the David versus Goliath kind of thing, and it was just just the roars and the energy. And the Midwest can be very passionate in terms of sports fans, so I think that Louisville was very into it.
We don't get a.
Lot of golf other than at Valhalla for.
The most part.
I mean, you're seven years old, right, like you might want to be like a race car when you wake up the next day, you don't know. But when I left there, I remember that week being like, you know, this is that was awesome kind of thing, Like I want I want one of the I want one of those trophies, like he has you.
Want one of them? Yeah, well, I mean you have a couple of them now, So that's that was a good That was a good goal. What why do you guys get along so well? Now?
I mean, first, I just think we were very similar in the sense of our personalities and competitive. We're both very very competitive. We're both smart asses, so I think we both we get along in that sense. But I think I think he sees and respects how much I and I don't know this, how much I love golf and how much like I want to be the best sometimes probably too bad. And you know, I think there's
a part of him that respects that. But he, you know, he's been used to probably his entire life of people kind of kissing up to him or telling him what he wants to hear or Yeah, there's plenty of times when I, you know, I remind him of things he's done and great, but I definitely don't let his head get too big, and I definitely not keep him in his place, because it's not really arguments or battles that I can ever win, But I like to keep him humble. From time to time.
You play in and you win your first junior event, at eight years old playing twelve and under. There's a big difference between twelve and eight. By the way, when you're a kid, how many tournaments are you playing? Like are you treating golf as a job or is it still fun for you?
Like, yeah, it was very, very fun.
I don't know. I mean, I was so young, it's hard to say. I mean, I you know, I don't know. I wasn't old enough to understand or realize the amount of time and money that my parents were spending. And I mean, my dad's working and my mom is driving me at all these tournaments in Indiana and around you know, Kentucky and Ohio, Pennsylvania, like, you know, all these places. And you know, I would like to think I'm old
and mature enough now to appreciate that and understand. And you know, they made a lot of sacrifices for it. But maybe they were like me, and they saw that I wasn't good at anything else, so that maybe they just need to put all these eggs in this golf basket and uh open open doubts. So I'm glad I was able to do.
That, all right. So here's the difference between you and I. When I was a kid, these other sports that you're referring to. I was I was all right, it was I mean, you know you've seen me shoot the rock. I mean you know, I was all right. Here was the thing. I didn't play golf. Do you think if I had started that early that I could be as good as you?
Now, how do you want me to answer this?
I didn't start. I didn't start. I didn't start until after college. I mean you were playing before I was, and I'm a couple of years older than you. Yeah, I mean this is I missed those very formative years, right.
You know, I'll say, I'll give you a chance that I think, yeah, you know, you could have been you could have been something special. But you know, whatever I end up in my career, it's just it's going to be one less for the sake of my own well being. I can't sit here comfortably or go to sleep at night knowing that I said, yeah, you would have been as good as me, for sure. You know.
I no, I don't obviously think I would be as good as you. But I do, like I regret not having started early, like I really, I really do. And I found golf, you know, I mean I had all the other sports for reasons that we don't need to go into. I had moved on and I was doing theater, and for me, golf was about trying to get outside and compete because I was competitive as well, and find something that would get me outside, and that's where I
found golf. But I really do wish. It's such a great, even for not professionals, just such a great lifetime game to be able to do. And I I it's funny when I play with people now and I see their swings, I can almost always know, yeah, who's been doing it longer?
Yeah, it is. It's such a unique and interesting game. And it is because it's you and I. You know, we we okay, we we love basketball or we love college football, but we we can't do anything that emulates what they're doing like you can if you go play Augusta National. Like that's one thing. Okay, it's not set up the same as a tournament whatever. I understand that. But you're still hitting. You can still hit the shots.
You can stand in the back of the eighteenth green at Torrey Pines and you can hit that plot to the front left pen that Tiger made on Saturday at the US Open, like you can physically do that. But yeah, like I can't catch a pass from you know, Jalen Milroe with the best cornerback covered, Like that's just it's not a real thing.
So yeah, but not everyone can hit a three wood two hundred and ninety nine yards in a professional tournament and shoot sixty three. So I hear the point that you're making. You can all you could hit the same shot. There is there is still there's still there's still a layup versus dunking like there is still like there is still.
You're playing it on like an eight foot rim, how about that?
That's right? You know it's funny though, I know you know you know this. I mean you you've probably done it when you were a kid all the time. But you just brought up Tory Pines and I remember the kind of Tiger's first tournament back after a long layoff of Tory Pines and the crowds were crazy, and it's near my house. So I went down. I watched and gosh, I can't remember what I'm gonna totally screw up the hole,
but par three down the hill. It's before you go into the big horseshoe with the the par five coming up. I don't know what it is. Anyway, I watched him play it and make four. I had the opportunity to play it on Monday a couple of days later, same tease, hit it to two feet, make the putt, make two. I mean so in my brain, I go and one
up on Tiger. After this, we start on this whole one up, right, I mean, like that speaks to what you're talking about, Like, but it's the length, the longevity, whatever that that becomes much more of a of a problem. I think it was Phil Nicholson, and I don't remember what he was talking about, but he was talking about the concentration thing and how difficult it is. I think about this all the time, which is probably not helpful, Like how difficult it is to focus on every shot
for four hours. And he was talking about, you know, if he can maximize this or that, you know, and can focus for ninety two or ninety six percent of the time, like that's like amazingly optimal. I think about that all the time and how many shots that I lose just because I'm not really focused in that moment. How much of a challenge is that even for you playing professionally now or is that just you've got that dialed now?
No, I definitely, I definitely don't. I think that there is something to be said about that. And yeah, I mean Tiger was the best at it. I mean, obviously
his skill was to another level. But I mean I think brooks Kepka is a perfect example and major championships like he he finds a way to not make any stupid mistakes and not take any you know, he's not focused to the point where he's trying too hard, but he's giving every shot his attention, if that makes sense, And I totally know because I mean a place like Riviera to me is a place where if you do not give every single shot your full attention, I mean you can do what.
I did, where you just you miss like eight.
Or ten greens with like a nine iron or less, Like you don't burdy the par fives because you didn't put it in the right spot. You just you make these dumb mistakes. And it's all because like harder courses like that.
Can expose that.
Kind of mental weakness. It's something I mean, I would I'd be hard pressed to say that anybody is on fully on all the time you know, there's days where it's easier than others, but there's plenty of days where it's harder to stay or be focused, and those are the ones you really just have to be patient and almost like let it come to you kind of thing.
What is that? It's so it's so insane. Now when you play a course, are you playing with your and how you're swinging it on that day or are you sticking with the plan that you have with bones, with your coaches before you start.
It's a little bit of both. I think it's most important to play, in my opinion, how the course is playing. You know, like I look at a place like an Open Championship. I've made this mistake many times. You know, I'd go play practice on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or whatever it is, and you know, you'd have nice weather, you'd have this wind, and it was like, okay, yeah, I got it on this whole. I'm gonna keep it short
of these bunkers. You know, I'm not going to bring any of these in play, and boom, next thing, you know, Thursday, it's raining and the windows blowed in the opposite direction and you're like, holy shit, my game plan is ripped up in the row, it in the trash, and but you try to force that and you're like, well, this is what I'm gonna do, so this is what I and it's like, no, you have to you have to
take just all the outside influences into account. And I mean, honestly, a great example for me is the uh the BMW in two thoy nineteen uh Madinah. I was hitting it so bad, just I couldn't find anything all week on the range, Like my dad, we just we couldn't find anything. And I literally was going to the first tea on Thursday of the tournament like I got nothing, Like I got no, I don't know what to think, what to
do whatever. And my caddy Jimmy at the time, I was like I do, Like we just have to just play really smart and just kind of literally pick our way around here to the point where if I have an iron, like just hit the green, like I can't be trying to hit it close whatever.
You're playing like me, Dan, You're just like PA, hit the green.
Yeah yeah, except I went on to shoot twenty six under and win that week, and you know, no offense to you. But I don't know if that would have happened, you know. But that's but to my point, I just remember literally just going about and I'm like, okay here, and then I was like okay, yeah, like I found a little something here and then kind of get that through the first day and then maybe do a little
work afterwards. Friday, it's kind of the same kind of thing, and that all of a sudden Saturday, everything just clicked and then it was like, see a pin hit at the pin.
See a pin hit at the pin.
Now it's not always that easy, but that's at least what I found over my career is the game plan has to change sometimes based off of what's happening.
Yeah, I mean that's true. I'm not going to relate everything back to me, but you know, for me on a base level, it's about the driving range before. Yeah, right, and this is this is a tournament. These are scores that are going to be recorded for all of history. And I go and I hit a few balls and play really well day one. So the next day, what am I going to do. I'm going to get up early. I'm gonna yeah, I mean, I just make a couple of little tweaks here and there, and this can get
to be a real number. My day after that disaster, you know what coming there. So then the third day, I'm like, screw it, Let's have a couple of cocktails and keep things loose. Let's just let's just rip it off of one. It's it's so fascinating to me. If I could figure it out, I'd be better than I am. I don't know that I would be good, but I mean that part for me is really tough, that you know, what is the best way how can I adjust to
what my swing is? And then suddenly I'm out there on the course and it totally changes.
Yeah, and I think to a different level. But I mean, we've all gone through what you just said, and I to me, it's it's something I'm honestly been working on right now. It's it's all expectations. You know, how many times you go out and you haven't touched a club and however long, and you go play around the golf and you're like, wow, like I actually played kind of nice today, and then yeah, you go next day you're like yeah, like telling your buddies like I played great.
And then it's like you have this expectation in your head of like I'm playing.
Good, everything's going to get and then you start thinking.
About what could happen, what you could choose, all these things, and then you just don't play well. And that's yeah, that is one thing I think is very unique about golf in comparison to other sports, because so many other sports are you're reacting and like real time fast time of like the pitcher through this pitch, I have to hit it. You know that. In basketball, I'm this defender when over here, so I'm going to go this way?
And you know you don't.
You obviously have the time between games or timeouts when you're out, whatever you want to call it.
But just how often in golf.
You have te long walk you have you have the opportunity to think about so many things that you just shouldn't think about.
Yeah, I don't know what just reminded me of this. I'm sure you hear this, and again it goes to your point like where it's actually not this, It is can you hit a two hundred and nine or nine yard three wood in a major to make eagle? But in a program, I'm sure you hear this every single program from a guy the like casual you know, walking off of the T box, Like, man, I don't know what's up with me today. I shot seventy four. Shot
seventy four a couple of days ago. I mean, you must hear that all the time, and you gotta think like, well, of course, of course, well one, maybe you didn't, but of course you're like, well, you're out here, you're playing with me, dumb ass, you're playing there's some people around. You're not supposed to shoot seventy four, right, You hear that at least once a pro am round, right, yeah?
Like, oh, I usually hit my eat in one sixty. I don't understand, Like it's.
Yeah, why did I come up short of the bunker? It's so weird, it is.
And I I've said this so many times in so many whether it's like a a podcast or a pro am dinner the night before or something, or I tell it to their face, you know, they what's your biggest piece of advice? I'm like, honestly, I'm sorry to say this, but you're not supposed to be good, Like I expect you to suck. So don't like, stop thinking that you're good because you're not. Number one and two, I don't expect you to be so.
You hit a couple of good shots, I'm gonna be impressed.
Yeah, Like any shot that you think is the worst that you've ever hit, it's not, or that I've seen it's not. I promise you I've seen worse, and just the bigger deal you make about it the worst. Just let's let's move on.
I was in uh, well, not a pro am because I'm not a pro, but a celeb am here a couple of months ago, and I did it. I will admit this, and if anyone's listening, you guys were delightful and I really had a great time that day, but I did sort of do it to be a smart ass for the tournament director. I was playing with four
other people. Double bogie was the max, and I wrote down every single score for every hole starting at the first one, not including me, that there were three fifty fours and one fifty three in nine holes, that one guy made a bogie on a par three and that was it. That was it, And I was like, yeah, I got to write this down. This has to be written down so that everyone sees, like when we come in last or whatever his pro am day, this is this is what we were dealing with today.
Yeah. I had again not to name names. I had a friend at at and T this year where we were, you know, talking, Oh yeah, it's a good time housing your partner. My partner's good. It's like, how was yours? It's like not green. It's like, how uh how did he play? I was like, I mean yeah, like it was hard. It was very soft, so he didn't get a roll, like it was a long golf course. He's like, how many bogie putts did he have? I was like, I mean I had a lot.
It's like, I want to know.
How many mine had one two days? He had one bogey punt or.
Better in two days.
It's like, I am sorry.
Have you ever done this at Pebble or at any other multi day pro am? Have you ever missed a putt on purpose that mattered when you were not going to make the cut but you were going to have to come back and play if you made the putt and your team was going to have you ever? Have you ever missed on purpose? Man?
That's deep. I haven't played.
I haven't played in the answer is no, okay, but I haven't played probably in enough pro ams to have that.
Opportunity, right, I'm not talking about the you know what I'm talking about. I'm not talking about a Tuesday pro am. I'm talking about like at and T and you're going to have to stay on Saturday to play around.
You're talking about like the BMW charity program with you as my partner.
And I'm like, yeah, yeah, would you have you? Yeah? And You're like, Okay, I could go prepare for the US Open that I've qualified for next week, or I could make this cut and play another round with Brian. Would you do that?
It would have to be so situational of the person, But I think I would look at you dead in the eyes and just hit upon as hard as I could right over the other side of the.
Yeah, well, I mean I'm at least a nice guy. I have heard that that has happened, but it was with someone who was not Yeah, it was not overly nice.
I could see it.
Jordan Spieth, you guys started competing well when you were thirteen years of age. Did you become friends right away or was this a gradual process?
It was gradual, Okay, Yeah, I would say we were both very competitive and.
You wanted to beat the other one.
Yeah, definitely.
You lost to him, by the way, when Texas won the national championship, were you at that point were you friends friendly?
Oh? Yeah, you were friends by then, Yeah, we were. I would say that we were always friends, but I just don't think we were like old enough or mature enough at thirteen fourteen, fifteen years old to like, you know, at that point, it was nothing but like jealousy and competitiveness. And then once we got to college, not that we were much more mature as freshmen in college, but we both I mean we were kind of we were one and two in the running both for Player of the
Year and Freshman of the Year. And I mean it's easy to say looking now that it's done, but I mean I knew that I had had a better year than him, and I felt like I was going to win Player of the Year and.
Freshman of the Year.
And I think you did.
It was a part by the way.
I know, there's a part of him I felt. I think that also knew that but didn't want to maybe believe it or wanted to make me prove his point to kind of show that it should be me. And yeah, and I lost, but I don't. And they won the national championship, but at least I had consolation prize of winning both of those over them.
I don't know, would you have given away that.
You know, I was just thinking that.
I think I would have to win that match against him and for us to win the national championship.
Yeah, I think i'd give him both back.
Even though you won the next year. Yeah, you would have had back to back, just like the football team. Is that what you're thinking?
Put it this way now that I'm like actually thinking about it, I've heard a lot more about the match that I lost to Jordan than I have the Player of the Year that I won.
That same year. Okay, that's fair enough. When you win the national championship, you decide you're going to go pro. If you hadn't have won, would you have come back? Do you think? Or was it just time for you?
It was time.
I knew my second semester of that sophomore year. At the end of the fall of my sophomore year, it just it felt different.
I don't know. I was having a hard.
Time getting as motivated, like going to tournaments, and we had a great team, and I wanted to, you know, I wanted us to win a national championship. But I just I felt like I wasn't I wasn't getting as better as I could have or improving as much as maybe I did my freshman year. And and that was just, to be honest, it was a little bit of a worry or concern. It was the first time that, you know, going to these tournaments, and like there were times when I didn't really want to go that bad. I just
I couldn't get as motivated. And then I felt like after kind of Christmas break and I kind of come to the reality that like, you know, this is this is going to be my last semester, and like We're going to go kick some ass and I'm going to, you know, do everything I can for us in this team, for us to try to go in a national championship and play through the summer as en amateur, play the US am Walker Cup, and then turn pro after that and it all all worked out.
You know, that's really interesting and I'm thinking about it just hearing you talk. Also, it's something that we don't talk about or consider so much. You know, obviously there's a lot of the want and done in bast ketball, but also football players, there's a you know, there's a time a number of years they have to stay in college obviously, but I never thought about it in terms of that. You know, you hear like, oh, are we going to turn pro? Are we going to stay here
in school? And there's pluses and minuses on both sides of that that we hear, we hear all the time. But actually stopping your growth or having your growth not continuing, almost like you have grown out of what this experience
can give you. That's actually super interesting to me. If you think about a quarterback or whatever who chooses to stay or chooses to go, Like at a certain point you may feel like within this system within you know, not to denigrate your coaches or the school or anything like that, but just like, Okay, playing these tournaments against these people with this much preparation, I'm not getting any better. I'm not getting toward where I want to be. That's
really interesting to me. I never thought about it like that before.
Yeah, it just I specifically remember our last event of the fall my sophomore year. It was our home, our event that we host in Birmingham, the Jerry Pate. I'd just gotten back from Turkey, believe it or not. For the World Amateur and like I missed a week of school for that, and it was like I got back a Sunday or Monday, and then like we left Wednesday or Thursday for that tournament, and I was like I was missed so much class and I was going to be so far behind. And I was like I was
so jet lagged. And I got back and you know, kind of coaches asking what I want to do, and I remember like talking to my mom and it was you're gonna play what you're gonna do? And I was like, honestly, I don't want to play. I'm like I'm tired, I'm like not motivated. I am so far behind in all of my school, Like it's just and I just I
just don't want to go. And I mean my mom has not said things like to me very often, but it's something long lines of like well it wasn't like this isn't your job, because it obviously wasn't that point, but like, you play golf, this is what you do. You kind of need to go. And I was like, no, actually I don't need to you don't you know. My stubborn ass was like no, it don't tell me. It's a new mom. But but I ended up going to play and I won by like four and I was
like I and I it just was wild. It was like, I mean, I remember that like it was yesterday, that whole week, just the mindset, and that's it's scary, you know, Like I just didn't want to go through. I'm like, what if I do this another year and then all of a sudden I start declining because, like you said, I want to keep getting better and improving, and if you know, this stage or level, whatever you want to call it, I'm not going to get better than this is not what I need to be doing.
That's really interesting. You turned pro after that year, but of course you had started playing in PGA events before, all the way back four years earlier. In two thousand and nine, you were the third youngest player to ever make a cut at sixteen years old, with your dad on the bag. So I want to talk about your dad just a little bit, who is a delightful gentleman.
By the way, I like your dad. Was it tough for you or is it tough for you navigating the relationship between someone who helps you on the golf course in this case that I'm referring to as your caddie out there and being your dad, you know, is that is that tough for you guys, both of you, either of you.
I would say it isn't as much now, I think, you know, when I was in high school and probably more in high school, I mean college, obviously I was, I wasn't home, so it was a little different, and it was just kind of through communication of phone or you know, if he came to tournaments. But even you know, my first couple of years as a pro, like he was, you know, he was busy, he was working, he's a pro. He came to you know, handful of tournaments a year
if he could. And but yeah, I mean I was still twenty twenty one, twenty two years old.
Like I'd be the first to admit I.
Wasn't mature enough to to realize that, you know, my dad actually does have my best interest in thought, Like what a wild concept, right, So I mean it's it's sixteen. When he was caddying for me, like it was. It was a cool experience and he was very much there to help, as he still is now. But there's there's definitely times and you know, whether we sit down have conversations or throughout the year of just say we know that when our kind of father son hat is on
and our student coach hats on. And that's something I've really consciously tried to do the last five six years, is like there are two different things. And you know, when I'm out here with you and you're with me on the range, like you are my coach, you're not my dad and I'm not your son, Like don't hold my hand out here, and don't like you know, you're not I don't want a yes man, Like if something's wrong,
you need to tell me it's wrong. And if I don't think you're doing a good job, like I'm going to tell you I don't think you're doing a good job, and it's right. You know, we've definitely had our moments that have probably been a little chippy or uncomfortable, but at the same time, I think it's it's healthy. I mean, we need, we need to have those kind of conversations than we have, and it's been you know, we thought that's pretty pretty good success.
I'd say that's awesome. You know. One of the toughest parts for me leading up to this conversation with you was trying to decide a few moments from your professional career that I wanted to talk about. One that was which is not really a question, which was super cool while one of your old land lord's Ben Silverman, and I and a group of twelve guys. I think I texted you when you won the PGA the second time. We were all together up in the Hampton playing Shinnecock
in National. By the way, National is one of my favorite courses on the planet. Shout out to National. My invitation for membership, I'm sure is in the mail, but anyway, I will never forget all of us together watching you from the pro shop at Shinnacock. I think that day I did want to ask you about this, And you know I've mentioned a couple of times. For those of you who don't remember. Aaron Hills US Open third round, Justin shoots sixty three, first to shoot nine under in
a US Open. There's a plaque. Apparently Justin's never invited me to play Aaron Hills, but apparently there's a plaque two hundred and ninety nine yards away where he hit this three wood. My question is a little bit, a little bit different, though. I just saw the clip again and you know you were wearing pink pants. So my question is do you anticipate great rounds and wanting to make a bold fashion statement during those rounds? I mean, can you see it in advance of this happening or
is this just is this just good luck? Do you consider yourself pain Stewart basically is what I'm saying to you.
Definitely not. If I if I could see that kind of stuff coming, my my success would definitely not be golf. I would. I would, I would be much wealthier and I would although I still believe I'd be playing golf for a living. I something tells me I'd be better at some other things. But yeah, I made.
Not really a question. It was just it was just it was just now, I mean, not making fun of you, but I you know, you you do have I'm very boring typically on the golf court. You you do have some panache. Shout out to your to your closing sponsor. You do. And I and I saw the pink pants and I thought, you know what that was. I mean, that's that's it's not like a tiger red shirt. But it's a you know, it's a statement, it's a it's
a I'm a I'm here today to dominate you. Is that the best shot you've ever hit?
It's definitely the It's the most unrepeatable shot I've hit in my career. It's it's why I've hit you know, other shots in my career under the circumstances that are, uh maybe better in terms of the nerves I had and where I was in the tournament or whatnot, but something like, you know, give me a thousand balls. Do I think I could do it again in that situation? I every time I see the video, I truly don't
understand how it happened. It just doesn't It doesn't make sense, and but I'm I'm glad that it did.
Do you feel nerves? Oh?
Yeah, for sure you do. Yeah. I think it'd be concerning if I didn't, because it wouldn't mean anything to me if I didn't have any nerves.
Again, if you're playing around, if you're playing a major, where do you feel it the most? It'll be a multiple choice question, or you can answer fill in the blank, first t shot, short putt, long putt down the hill that you have to keep close or fill in the blank.
I'd say fill in the blank, and really anything in the back Yeah, the back nine of a major, when you you know, the last three or four holes, when you know that you know that you need something. You know you need to make a putt, you know that you need to hit that fairway or you know, like seventeen at the Players in twenty twenty one, the year
I want. It's like, that's it's not like you miss a fairway and you're like, oh okay, Like I can just get this next one by the green, And it's if you hit in the water, that's an automatic two strokes whorst you're looking to probably make. And when you have a one shot lead on that that tee, it's it's basically you're winning it or losing it on that shot.
So like if you sit.
There and you really think about it, you're like, holy shit, this is a pretty important shot right here, but right at the same time, it's really no more important than the rest of the ones you hit before that.
So that's the craziest thing. I know, that's the craziest thing. Something you said just made me think about this and I never thought about this before, either when I'm watching or or whatever. You're back nine of a major Sunday, you're not going to win. Okay, I mean this is this is is math. Right, you're not going to win? How much do you I'm not going to say check out?
But do you relax? Do you something else? Or is there the same kind of intensity the to finish because of some other reason that I don't know of, or quite frankly, money like that I want to beat this guy. Maybe you're playing with them, or you are looking at the leader board going well, I want to be top ten or I want to be top twenty, or you know, or does that sort of go away a little bit?
I'd say it just depends where you are. I think, I mean finishing you know, top ten, top five and even sometimes whatever, top fifteen, top ten in a major. It is it's a big deal. We're all out there to obviously try to win them, but right, I mean the hardest tournaments to win all year, and because of the pedestal that they're put on, it makes them even more difficult at times. But you know, it's also you get more accolades or potentially feel better about a top ten.
So you know, it's one thing if you're in forty fifth and you're playing in the back nine, you're like, all right, what you know, what am I trying to do here? But I think it really is a situational of something like, Okay, maybe there's something in my swing I'm working on, and this is a chance for me in competition to maybe exaggerate it and kind of try
this to see how it performs. Or h yeah, there's I mean, there's plenty of times when I'm playing with someone, I'm like, I really don't want to lose to the schmuck in this tournament, so I'd like to beat him on this nine or whatever it might be. So I guess.
Yeah, I've got a few of those. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I do. Of course, by look at the leaderboard and I'm like, oh, okay. Twenty seventeen, Sony opened Hawaii, you get your fourth victory, you win by seven. You at the time become just the seventh player in PGA Tour history to break sixty the magical number of fifty nine. Now it's been done eleven times with mister FURICKX incredible two timer. Is that the best round for professionally you've ever played?
I No, I.
Don't think so.
No.
What is the sixty three at Aaron Hills was up there sixty not I shot sixty nine the players two years ago. It was blown about forty miles an hour and I went bogie free and that was that was one of the best rounds of golf I've I've ever played.
Okay, yeah, given the circumstances, the stakes and and what the conditions were.
Yeah, I mean obviously fifty nine fifty nine. I mean, but like you know, I shot sixty one at Madina, Like that's that was unbelievable. Like it it's it's something it's hard because you know, you see it and it's like, wow, that's you know, I've made a terrible bogee on my second home, like I only played I didn't thirty five, six, seven or eight. Like there's you know, there's plenty of right and spoken like a golfer. So it's good.
That's that when people ask me about golf. Actually, what you just were referencing, right there is exactly what I always say. I mean, there's literally something in baseball called the perfect game. You can have a perfect passer rating in football. There is no such thing as a perfect round of golf. There is always something that you can do differently or better on a shot, on a hole in a moment, and that, to me is what makes golf the greatest game.
Yeah, I mean, well when Yorick shot fifty eight, he didn't thirty thirteen or fifteen maybe, Like I mean, a driveable hole and a par like two of the easiest holes. Like it's it's crazy, it really, it's it is. It's very very true. I never thought of it that way.
What's your favorite course on the PGA Tour that you play a non major?
I assume no, Yeah, I love I love Augusta, okay, the player. I love TPC sawgrass. If it's firm, if it if it gets a little bit of fire, like in May when we used to have it in May versus March. I loved it because it would get it could get dicey, and it could get you know, firm and fast and you had to be very very precise. And for that same reason I love Riviera. I think Riviera is one of the best golf courses you know, really in the world and especially have to play on tour.
Yeah, Riviera is great. I mean it has everything m hm, which to me is is the signal of a great golf course. And there's challenges, but also it challenges you differently and such variety. Yeah, yeah, Riviera's great. What is your favorite course to play as just a person? Is it the same?
It probably depends on I play because I love playing Augusta. But if I'm struggling at seventy three or four in the Masters, that's not very fun. It would definitely be probably like you know, like a Baker's bay or something where I have some drinks and music going. That sounds like a lot of fun.
To me, right, Yeah, but it's got to be something tough, right.
Well, to not necessarily, I mean, to be my favorite. It's I don't know. I mean, I'm looking at this as like a this is my last round before I croak. I'm not really trying to grind out a seventy four, right, although it would be fitting a last memory of golf if I hate.
This game seventy four. Because I have a story for you, I think you'll appreciate. What do you what do you? Pine Valley versus Augusta.
Believe it or not, never played Pine Valley?
Oh I'm going I've played somewhere you haven't played? Kidding?
You got to remember this. If there's not a golf tournament there. I probably haven't played it right, but yeah, man is hosting a little crew of us at Pine Valley.
At the end of I didn't get the invite us.
It's probably on the way. It's right, it's right next to your the What was that other invite you're talking about the the tournament, was it?
Or uh No, it's your it's your invite for the for the corn faery deal. Well, i'll be interesting. Let me know once you play in your little fun little gathering. I'm really telling you this. You can make fun of me. I when I played it, very gracious invitation that I had, I went and played, did the whole deal, which I hope you're doing. You stay in the in the cabins, so you play afternoon, then you stay and then you play in the morning the next day, and then they
kick you out of there. Great experience. I was worse than I am now when I got this limitation. Okay, this is not an easy golfer. I've heard it had and it rained afternoon and morning. And I'm not a mutter. Okay, I don't. I live in California. If it rains, I'm like, I'll play the next ten days in a row. I'm not going to play it. Yeah, which I think I need to change that a little bit because some of these tournaments back East that I have to play in it and I look at the weather and I'm like, well,
I'm you know, there we go. I'm screwed. Have you heard about the Devil's Asshole?
I have?
Okay, Well just know this. There are videos that exist of me in the Devil's Asshole, which is this little t so people don't think there is teeny pot bunker. My memory of it is it's fifty feet tall. No, it's not fifty, but it's I don't know, twenty straight up. Couldn't get out of it. Everybody's videotaping it having a great laugh.
It's messed up. I would do that to you.
No, thank you. I appreciate that you had three goals in golf. I've been told win a major, be ranked number one, make the Writer Cup team. You have accomplished those three goals. Which that's that's why I don't make goals in golf, because I don't want to accomplish them too quickly. Then then what the hell am I going to do? What do you still have that you want to accomplish in the game of golf.
I want to win a lot more majors, that is for sure. I want to win a lot more tournaments, a lot more majors. You know. I think that there's plenty of other things that come with both of those, and you know, being number one in the world for certain amount of time, and yeah, winning more team events, especially winning a Ryder Cup in Europe. I mean, there's there's a lot, a lot of things, But the end of the day, winning ample amount of golf tournaments is is it?
Is there going to be a resolution.
With live I don't know. There's a part of me that, you know, wants to wants to be involved in and and know more in terms of, you know, where everything stands. But there's also a part of me that feels like that I'm just simply not smart enough to be in those conversations. I I I applaud the PGA Tour, the policy.
Board, and and I mean the amount of.
Hours and time those guys have spent talking about every little detail and everything and getting the PGA.
Tour to where it is now.
It's you know, it's it's it's unbelievable because this is determine the future of our tour and and the future of golf, and we want it to be the best product for you know, for you, for me, for the fan, everybody that's either watching it or partaking in it. And we're definitely making the steps in the right direction. And and now that that's done, I think now the next step is figuring out what what happens with that, right.
I don't think I'm speaking out of turn, but you know, in terms of what you're talking about about the work that it takes. And I mentioned Charlie Hoffman obviously on the on the board. They're working very hard over the last year or so. And we're sitting around after a round of golf at clubhouse, having some laughs whatever, and Charlie stands up. He's like, oh, all right, it's a commissioner on the phone. And we all start laughing. We're like, that is the greatest nickname for a wife in the
history of the world. Got the commissioner, Got the commissioner on the phone? Got to answer that one. We laugh and then suddenly I go, oh, I think that's really the commissioner. That's actually that's actually the commissioner of the PGA. Tour was referring to his wife and we had we
had a good laugh about that one. I know how much work that he's put into it, that all of you guys have put into a you know, a difficult situation, and hopefully there's resolution that makes you guys happy, that's all I'll say.
Yeah, yeah, I mean, you know, it's the same thing as decisions whatever ten years ago on the PGA Tour, whatever the big decision is, there's always somebody that isn't going to be happy. You know, if guys are rewarded on the top end and the guys in the bottom end are going to be pissed off, and if there's you know, then you feel like it's you do something for the bottom end and the guys in the top end,
Like you're just never going to please everybody. But I think it's it's tough to swallow and hard to think sometimes that in reality, the best thing to have happen is for golf to be competitive and all the best players in the world to be playing against each other. But yeah, the decisions that those guys made something is going to have to happen for that to happen again. Together on the PGA tour.
In my opinion, Yeah, well, good luck, good luck finding someone to figure that out. I appreciate your time so much. I want you to know I'm always rooting for you, and I know how much it means to you. I want you to win Augusta this year, all right, Yeah.
It's no, absolutely not. And uh, you know if I think we should, we should just go ahead and get this, go ahead and get this, you know, set in stone, you know, and not even in writing it in words audio that if I do win Augusta this year, you know, I think that I need to make sure it happens that you and I go on a trip to Augusta together. I'll find a member to host this and and I think we should do that. What do you think about that?
I'm in.
No, I don't you are, No, I am in.
Here's the thing. I'll even I'll even buy your drinks. I this is I should not be telling this story. I'm not going to mention any names. But a few years ago I got a phone call and it was in around April May, end of April May, and I was told, you're going to be getting a phone call in the next couple of weeks. Just when you get this phone call, answer the phone and just say yes.
And I was like, well what are you and they were like no, no, no, You're going to be getting a phone call when the phone rings, answer it and just say yes. I'm picking out outfits. I'm like, what shoes am I going to wear? Like I'm doing the phone never rang, phone, never rank justin and I'm from Georgia. At this point, it's borderline embarrassing that I haven't played it, because when I'm around golf and people, they always are like, oh, you played, Augusta, how is the gun? And I'm like, no,
one's invited me. Oh, that's what we're talking about. That invitation got lost in the mail too. It's weird. It's weird National hasn't called me Augusta. Yeah, all right, well that's done. When you win this year, should I put some money on you? No, when you win this year, that's going to happen. All right, I like it. Good luck at the Arnold Palmer Invitational this weekend. I will be watching and have a great season.
Thank you, dude. I appreciate it.
Thanks for having me on.
JT. It's great to catch up with you. Thank you so much for coming on and yeah, my phone is on. The ringer will be on for the next year, maybe waiting on your call to go play Augusta. Listeners, thank you for listening. You do it very well. Come back and listen again next week, will you. Until then, everybody, have a great week. Off. The Beat is hosted and executive produced by me Brian Baumgartner, alongside our executive producer Ling Lee. Our senior producer is Diego Tapia. Our producers
are Liz Hayes, Hannah Harris and Emily Carr. Our talent producer is Ryan Papa Zachary, and our intern is Ali Amir Sahem. Our theme song and squeak performed by the one and only Creed Bratton.