Justin Thomas has been out practicing at the US Open as Oakmont prepares to challenge the best in the world and the world number five seems to have found some advice for Rory McIlroy along the way.
Thomas is one of a number of players looking to upset the apple-cart and beat off the likes of Scottie Scheffler and McIlroy to the US Open title.
Of course, Thomas is well aware that navigating his way around Oakmont with careful club selection and shot choice will be crucial.
Indeed, after going out for his opening practice round, Thomas seems to have found what could be a winning formula for Rory McIlroy and a few other big hitters.
Justin Thomas tells Rory McIlroy what to do to win the US Open
Thomas was speaking to the media after his first practice session out on the course, Thomas was asked about how many times he hit driver, given the tough nature of the Oakmont course.
But while Thomas admitted there is opportunity to hit the big stick, he conceded it could very much vary depending on the conditions.
“I hit one, two, three, four — I hit five on the back nine today. Probably would have hit one on 1, maybe 2, 3, 4, maybe 5, 7, maybe 8 if they decide to have the tee back for some stupid reason, and maybe 9,” Thomas said.
“The thing is you have a hole like 15 today, I mean, I hit driver, but again, if it gets a little bit firm and it’s downwind, I could hit 5-wood. I think that’s cool. I think you have a lot of tee shots out here where you’re not just like grabbing a club. You’re stepping it up on 1, and some guys might hit 3-wood or they may hit driver. On 2, you can see anything from 5-iron or 6-iron to driver.
“It really is just kind of a comfort thing in what people are feeling. It may be a certain game plan they have.”
Asked if the big hitters are likely to hit driver more and get it up as close to the greens as possible, Thomas suggested someone like Rory McIlroy might well take that route.
“Potentially. You look at someone like Rory McIlroy, you drive it like he does, I would pull that driver out as often as I can. He hits it further and straighter than maybe anybody that’s played the game. It’s hard to argue why he wouldn’t hit driver as often as he could. It truly is dependent on the player and their strategy.”
McIlroy can win at Oakmont if his driver behaves
It’s actually interesting to hear a top player effectively give a rival some advice but in a way, Justin Thomas is just saying the obvious.
With Oakmont playing so tough, McIlroy’s distance could well serve him well. But he must be accurate.
Yes, there is an element of just getting the ball as close to the hole as possible and then gouging it out of the rough as close to the pin as possible.
| Rory McIlroy | Scottie Scheffler | Justin Thomas | |
| SG Off the tee – Driving | 1st | 2nd | 106th |
| Driving Accuracy | 175th | 24th | 113th |
| Total Driving | 82nd | 11th | 62nd |
| Driving Distance | 3rd | 80th | 51st |
| Distance from Edge of Fairway | 118th | 58th | 128th |
However, over four days of golf, that could also prove the undoing for a number of players as well.
Still, if McIlroy can get his driver going and keep it in the fairway, then there’ll not be many longer than him around Oakmont and suddenly his chances improve.
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