The Heartfelt Reason Justin Thomas Skipped the Wyndham Championship This Week
Inches Away from Playoffs: Justin Thomas Skips Wyndham Championship for Hometown Event
From Heartbreak to Triumph: A Season of Transformation
The late Arnold Palmer famously said, "Golf is a game of inches. The most important are the six inches between your ears." Justin Thomas knows this well. His 2023 season ended in heartbreak at the Wyndham Championship when a missed putt by a single stroke cost him a spot in the FedExCup Playoffs. A wayward tee shot and a near-magical recovery left him needing a chip on the 72nd hole to keep his season alive, but it agonizingly rolled off the flagstick.
Fast forward to 2025, and Thomas is a different story. With a win at the RBC Heritage – his first since the 2022 PGA Championship – and seven top-10 finishes, he's sitting comfortably in fifth place on the FedExCup standings. This year's Wyndham Championship? A tournament Thomas chose to skip, opting instead for a homecoming filled with meaning.
A Special Homecoming: Justin Thomas Hosts His Junior Golf Event
Thomas returned to his childhood home of Louisville, Kentucky, this week to host the AJGA Justin Thomas Junior Championship at Harmony Landing Country Club, his old stomping grounds.
"I see all those kids down in the chipping green and just the amount of hours I spent in my life down there and up on the putting green there, outside the pro shop," Thomas said during an interview. "I can't even fathom the amount of mozzarella sticks I've had inside that pool house for lunch... This was my life. I arguably spent more time here than I did my own house growing up."
This marks the 10th year of the event, which began Tuesday and runs through Friday. Thomas, now a father to his daughter Molly Grace Thomas, born in November 2024, spent a day with the junior players, answering questions and offering advice before the tournament kicked off. Fatherhood has brought him a renewed perspective on both life and golf.
"I'm starting to play against these kids that are playing in my tournament, but that's the hope, hopefully play against all of them," Thomas said.