Justin Thomas has revealed he’s making one change to his game after watching Scottie Scheffler dominate since the turn of the year.
It’s been a mixed start to the year for the American, who has struggled for form since picking up his second PGA Championship in 2022.
Three top-15 finishes in January and February have been followed up by three missed cuts in his last six starts, including at The Masters and The Players.
However, Thomas looked back to his old self at Harbour Town last week as he tied for fifth behind eventual winner Scheffler.
Justin Thomas looks to copy something Scottie Scheffler does so well
Thomas is now looking to take inspiration from the two-time Masters champion ahead of next month’s PGA Championship at Valhalla.
Speaking on The Smylie Show, the 30-year-old said: “Although I feel like I’ve been playing well all year, I’d say the mental aspect has been the biggest hurdle.
“As weird as it is, some of the worst weeks I’ve had have been the ones I’ve been playing best going into. Having to deal with expectations is really hard, and it makes me appreciate what someone like Scottie is doing more. Obviously, you want to have confidence but not get wrapped up in results or become outcome-oriented.
“I got in a hard time where I have a hard time not thinking about outcomes and results. That’s been something I’ve been working on, just playing the shot and then going to the next shot and just trying to get completely lost in that.
“I’ve watched Scottie do that and played with him the first two days at The Players, he’s completely lost in that process. If you add that with an extremely high level of golf, it’s really hard to beat.”
Justin Thomas is spot on about Scottie Scheffler’s mental stability
Thomas’ comments couldn’t be more accurate. Scheffler’s ability to avoid serious trouble is the perfect case study.
During the final round at Augusta, steady golf got the job done. At no point was he going to make a bogey, making life extremely challenging for those in the chasing pack. When a rare bad shot does occur, the 27-year-old will put it behind him quickly and recover almost immediately.
There’s never a focus on the outcome; always on the present. If he executes the shot at hand, the result will always be positive.
For the likes of Thomas, it’s an excellent example to follow. But at the same time, it is extremely challenging to compete with.
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