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Justin Thomas: 'Jim Furyk was laughing about it, my resume is not normal for a Ryder Cup rookie'

Justin Thomas' debut at the Ryder Cup is rumoured to see him paired with Tiger Woods - USA TODAY Sports
Justin Thomas' debut at the Ryder Cup is rumoured to see him paired with Tiger Woods - USA TODAY Sports

If ever the term “Ryder Cup rookie” can be deemed as inappropriate then surely it is when tagged in front of the name of Justin Thomas.

Not only is the American the second player in history to go into his debut already having won a major and been world No 1, but he knows exactly what to expect with the atmosphere because he has attended three previous matches as a fan.

Obviously, it is Tiger Woods who Thomas is joining in that exclusive club – although Thomas actually surpasses the Tiger of 1997 as he already has a PGA Tour player of the year award in his locker as well as a FedEx Cup - and that may appear very apt on Friday morning as the whisper on the range is that Jim Furyk may pair them together. Whatever and whoever, the 25-year-old will be ready.

“Jim was laughing to me about that and I suppose my resume is not that normal for a rookie,” Thomas said. “But I am definitely going to rely on some of the veterans and other guys who have played if I have anything uncomfortable. Hopefully, last year’s Presidents Cup taught me a lot, but the intensity is supposed to be even greater at a Ryder Cup. It's going to be a lot different. Not even close."

In truth, Thomas knows all about the charged ambience unique to the biennial dust-up. He first encountered it when he was just 11. His father, Mike, is a PGA teaching professional and took his son to Oakland Hills. “I prefer not to remember that week,” Thomas said with a grin, recalling the record European victory in Detroit.

Thomas claimed his first major title at the PGA Championship in 2017 - Thomas claimed his first major title at the PGA Championship in 2017 - Credit: AP
Thomas claimed his first major title at the PGA Championship in 2017 Credit: AP

Four years later, it was an infinitely more enjoyable experience for the then teenager. Thomas is from Louisville and Mike is a former president of the Kentucky PGA so there was no problem with access.

“Yeah, I have a lot of good memories from Valhalla, with [Paul] Azinger’s team winning and everything,” he said. “Two years later we went over to the UK. I was in the Junior Ryder Cup team and we won at Gleneagles and on the Wednesday we went down to Celtic Manor. It was cool as my dad was a scorer at that Ryder Cup. I was in stands on the first tee and, despite the rain, the atmosphere was incredible. At that point we were winning so everyone was talking trash to me. I just kept referring to the scoreboard but we lost in the end so it didn't bode well. So I’ve been to three of them. I know how crazy it is.”

Jordan Spieth was also on that Junior Ryder Cup team and the childhood friendship famously endures. With Rickie Fowler another of Furyk’s fledglings who goes on the notorious “spring break” – on which this golfing boy band’s antics are recorded on social media for posterity and prosperity – the harmony of the unit should not be questioned.

“I love these guys – our whole team this year I truly love, I love spending time around them,” he said. “I would love to get paired with any of them and feel I have a great chance to win the match. There are a lot of possibilities and a lot of things that can happen in the future but we are definitely all very comfortable with each other. 

“It’s hard for me to answer what the camaraderie was like back in the day. To be perfectly honest, looking back in the past, I would say that's trying to find something out of nothing, just the fact that they were playing better. Yeah, the Europeans, they're close, as well. It's just the fact of the matter that this is our life, and these are the people that we spend 60, 70 percent of the year with, which is bizarre, but true.”

The veterans might even be going for Thomas for advice. Bubba Watson played in the France Open seven years but other than the left-hander, Thomas is the only player on the visiting team to have played at the venue competitively. Thomas finished tied eighth there in June.

“I loved playing there,’ he said. “It is in a great spot, it's a great course with a great vibe there. It's a very strategic course - you have to play for position. I hit seven drivers in four days in the French Open. The fairways were extremely narrow, and the rough very long.

""It's a great test of golf, and I think it's going to be a lot different than some Ryder Cups in the past. You could have pars and bogeys winning holes this week. We are going against a very tough home team on a course they are extremely comfortable with. It is going to be very tough.

“We haven’t won on European soil since 1993. That’s 25 years. So we have no reason to be cocky coming into this Ryder Cup. I know I want to be part of, and contribute to the team that ends that streak. But just because our guys have won more majors over the last year or two has nothing to do with the confidence we bring into this."