FLOWTOWN, Pennsylvania – In the last period when major championships took place at Quazlo Hollow, Justin Thomas used the final round of 68 for a two-shot victory over the competitor’s puck at the 2017 PGA Championship.
With the PGA Championship returning to the same site next week, Thomas should be one of his favourites after his recent victory showed he found his top form. However, Thomas’ odds in major sportsbooks are between 20-1 and 22-1. Scotty Scheffler and Rory McIlroy as much attention is concentrated on two of his teammates.
It suits Thomas well.
On Wednesday, before the start of the Trust Championship at the Philadelphia Cricket Club, Thomas was questioned not about outside expectations but about the difficulty of not being too excited about his chances.
“To be totally honest, Rory, who won the Masters, probably helped it… Of course. Scotty wins last week. These two deserve all the spotlight and favors they could potentially make next week,” Thomas said. “So I’m sure it helped me.
“…Yeah, I might feel a little different when I get there (to Quail Hollow), but like I said, I think I was lucky enough to have some of my peers performed well that they might steal some of it from me.”
McIlroy was the most winning player on the tour to date in 2025, with the Northern Irishman capturing the Masters last month to complete a career grand slam, ending a massive decade-long drought. Schaeffler never won at an equally fierce pace in 2024, but last week he shot a 31-under 253 to escape with CJ Cup Byron Nelson, who tied Thomas’ PGA Tour scoring record.
It was the legacy of RBC that was caught between these tournaments, where Thomas won his first tournament in almost three years. McIlroy, Scheffler and Thomas are the three most famous faces on the PGA Tour, combining nine major titles.
“I’m grateful that you’re mentioned in the same sentence and in the same area, just like Rory and Scotty,” Thomas said. “Obviously, I think of myself and my game and a lot of my accomplishments and I know I did it. But like almost all of us, we all disregard everything we did and what we probably feel ourselves.”
When he sees McIlroy, Thomas added that the ultimate achievement of golf is “huge” and “huge” not only for sports but also for himself.
“It was inspiring for me,” he said. “It’s obviously not that I didn’t want to win a Grand Slam before that, but it’s even more motivated.”
In a Harbortown Golf Links legacy, Thomas opened with a 10-under par 61, with 11 birdies and was left off the field at the remaining week’s signature event. Like heritage, The Truist Championship is a signature event with 72 PGA Tour players taking part in the field.
“I don’t necessarily feel as good at this exact moment as Harbortown or Harbortown’s Sunday Thursday, but that doesn’t mean I’ll feel better than tomorrow or the next day,” Thomas said.
“I have proven that, so I know I have firepower in my game to make 10, 11, 12 birdies in my game. So I know my bad rounds are 2 under or 1 under or 3 under.
