It’s been a long, cold winter for Justin Thomas. But after a lengthy layoff, the two-time major winner will make his return to the PGA Tour.
Thomas announced after a TGL match on Monday that he will make his first PGA Tour start of the season at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. It will be Thomas’s first Tour start since he underwent back surgery in November.
“I’ve missed it,” Thomas said on Monday, via Golf Magic. “It’s been a long time, but it’s good to be back here playing and feel the competitiveness and the juices and get back playing again. I’ve watched these guys on TV for what feels like a really long time. It feels good to be playing with them.”
Constant Pain Led Justin Thomas to Surgery
Monday’s TGL match for Atlanta Drive was Justin Thomas’s first competitive start since undergoing microdiscectomy surgery in November. His last PGA Tour start was at the Procore Championship on Sept. 11, followed by the Ryder Cup on Sept. 26.
“It’s pretty close to normal,” Thomas said, via Golf Digest. “The rehab has been good. I’ve been, I guess, kind of fully cleared or back to normal, whatever that is, for around three-and-a-half-ish weeks. So it’s really just been about getting used to playing more.”
The disc issue caused Thomas “nagging hip pain,” according to multiple outlets. Now, his main goal is to play without any ailments.
“I have to do the little things and stay on top of it, and playing injury-free is my main goal and always has been,” he said. “And it was unfortunate, but it is what it is, and I’m just gonna make the best out of it and do the right things.”
Thomas admitted he is still working his way back from the months-long layoff and was rusty in his TGL return on Monday.
“It was not very good on my end,” Thomas said of his TGL performance, via the PGA Tour website. “I think it took me a little bit to get in a rhythm and kind of get comfortable.”
Recap of 2025 for Justin Thomas
Thomas finished his 2025 PGA Tour campaign with eight top-10 finishes, including second-place finishes at The American Express, the Valspar Championship, and the Truist Championship. His lone win on the season was at the RBC Heritage on April 17.
The 16-time PGA Tour winner is still searching for this first win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. In four appearances at Bay Hill, Thomas has made the cut but has just one top-20 finish (T12 in 2024).
Arnold Palmer Invitational Info
The Arnold Palmer Invitational is the PGA Tour’s third signature event of the season and tees off on Thursday, March 9. Bay Hill Club has hosted the event since 1979 and is considered one of the most difficult courses on the PGA Tour schedule.
Looming water hazards and a multitude of bunkers make Bay Hill a particularly tough course for even PGA pros to navigate. That makes this event an even more intriguing one for Thomas to make his return at.
“At least everybody else will be struggling with me at Bay Hill,” he said. “So that’ll make me feel a little bit better.”