Tour Life
PGA Championship 2024: Justin Thomas took this extreme measure to cut down distractions in his hometown—and it's working
Patrick Smith
Like a thoroughbred down the road at Churchhill Downs, Justin Thomas has put on the blinders at Valhalla this week. And it seems to be working.
In an effort to cut down distractions while playing a major in his hometown of Louisville, Thomas has taken an extreme measure. He changed his phone number before the tournament started.
So if you've been unsuccessfully trying to get in touch with Thomas this week, that's why. And at this rate, you should just let the man be. Thomas shot a second straight 67 to move to 10 under through three days and within range of the leaders as they head down the final stretch on Sunday.
"I hadn't in a while, and honestly, I felt like I just was—it was going to make my week a lot easier," Thomas told reporters on Saturday about changing his phone number. "I just was like, I don't need to be distracted."
On Friday, Thomas revealed his strategic communication decision when he was asked about managing ticket requests and friends wanting to hang out.
"Yeah, I changed my phone number last week," said Thomas, who will start Sunday five shots behind Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa as he seeks a third PGA Championship title. "That helped quite a bit. (Laughing). Don't really have too many of those requests."
Savvy move. That being said, Thomas is thoroughly enjoying the home crowd's support this week.
"Actually, this week has exceeded all my expectations. It's been better. It's been more fun. It's been more enjoyable than anything I really thought or could have imagined," Thomas said. "I mean, I'm very, very excited for tomorrow, and it should be a lot of fun. But I'm pretty bummed that the week is almost over. Just enjoy tomorrow as much as I can and see what happens."
In particular, he'll never forget the roars when he holed a miraculous flop shot for birdie on the par-3 14th.
"It was crazy. I had goosebumps for pretty much right up until I got to 15 tee. As you know, it's not exactly cool outside," Thomas said. "It was one of the coolest moments of my career. It was unbelievable."
Just don't bother texting him about it. JT will reach out to you, maybe, when his work is done this week.
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