The advice Rory McIlroy once texted to Justin Thomas about his game which served as a ‘wake-up call’, ‘he was right’

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Justin Thomas is back amongst the very best golfers on the planet after a few years in the wilderness for the two-time major champion.

It has been a turbulent time for Justin Thomas. There was a stage when the 31-year-old appeared to be one of the biggest superstars of his generation. He won five times in 2017 – including at the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow.

Thomas would reach world number one the following year. But he struggled to kick on from there. He went the best part of three years without a victory until finally winning at the RBC Heritage last month.

Along the way, Thomas failed to make the FedEx Cup playoffs in 2023, before proving to be a controversial captain’s pick for the Ryder Cup that same year.

The advice Rory McIlroy once gave Justin Thomas after they played together at The Players Championship

It was notable that Thomas received putting advice from Xander Schauffele before his long-awaited victory at Harbour Town this year. As it turns out, it is not the first time that the American has sought some words of wisdom from one of his peers.

Writing for The Players Tribune in 2018, Thomas explained how he felt compelled to change things after a wild week at TPC Sawgrass.

“I had a little bit of a wake-up call last year after the Players’ Championship. After my first two rounds, I was at even par. But somehow, I made bogey or worse on 11 holes and birdie or better on another 11. There was even a 19-hole stretch in which I made only one par,” he said.

“And somehow, I came out even.

“Consistently inconsistent, I guess you could say.

“I played one round with Rory McIlroy that week, and after the tournament, I texted him. I told him, “Look, we’ve played together. You just played 18 holes with me. What do you see in my game that you think I should or could improve to take me to the next level?”

“And basically, what he told me was: You don’t always need to be aggressive. There are definitely situations where you can be aggressive or you need to be, but you don’t need to be stupid aggressive all the time.

“He was right.”

How Justin Thomas performed on the PGA Tour after Rory McIlroy’s advice

Thomas had already won twice earlier in the year by the time of The Players Championship. He triumphed in back to back weeks at the SBS Tournament of Champions and the Sony Open in Hawaii in January.

But he then missed three cuts in his next five events. And a 79 in round three of The Players Championship left him in a tie for 75th.

McIlroy’s words would not have an immediate impact on his form. Thomas missed three cuts in a row after a top 10 at the US Open. But the PGA Championship victory would follow shortly after.

That consistency appears to be finding its way into his game now, with Thomas on course to move to second in the FedEx Cup standings after the Truist Championship.

And he will certainly be one of the favourites next week, when the PGA Championship returns to Quail Hollow for the first time since his victory eight years ago.