Justin Thomas says Augusta National have made a change he really likes

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Justin Thomas has enjoyed a promising start to the 2024 PGA Tour season and is in promising form ahead of Augusta at the beginning of next month.

The 15-time PGA Tour winner has participated in six events since the turn of the year and has only missed the cut twice.

His 27 under over four rounds at The American Express saw him tie for third before breaching the top ten at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

The American has recently found life slightly more arduous, having missed the cut at The Genesis Invitational and The Players Championship.

However, with $1,854,767 in price money banked, it’s been a solid beginning to his schedule.

There are now just three events remaining until the elite head to Augusta for the first major of the year, and Thomas has opted to head to Palm Harbor to compete in the Valspar Championship at the Copperhead Course.

Having featured at the event seven times, the 30-year-old knows what to expect on Florida’s west coast. However, despite his know-how, Thomas admitted he’d noticed one big difference with the Copperhead Course.

Justin Thomas shares something he’s never seen before at the Copperhead Course

The two-time major champion has claimed the rough is unlike anything he’s ever seen at the Innisbrook resort.

“In terms of the course, I don’t remember seeing the rough this long in the past, maybe ever. It’s very thick and tough around the greens to chip,” he said (footage via Ten Golf).

“That’s definitely different. It is softer than normal, more than everybody would like, so those two might even out a little bit.

“We are going to play a softer golf course significantly better than a firmer golf course, so that takes a little bit of the fire away from it in terms of getting crazy difficult.”

Can Justin Thomas compete for the Masters title?

Thomas’ game is in relatively good shape, and he appears confident heading into the year’s first major. However, whether he can compete at Augusta is an entirely different question.

As Thomas has previously alluded to, Scottie Scheffler’s form is Tiger-esque. And after his win at The Players Championship, it’s hard to look past the 27-year-old adding another Masters title to his already impressive resume.

Wyndham Clark and Xander Schauffele are names to consider, as well as the LIV Golf contingent.

As for Thomas, it’s certainly fighting talk from the American. Whether he will be able to compete is another question. Keeping an eye on how he fairs at the Valspar could indicate how he’s going to cope.