Justin Thomas not afraid to admit he's golf's petty king

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Golf is a funny sport. It’s both a gentleman’s game and a sport where you have zero control over how good or bad your opponent fares. Since there is no defence in golf, all you can do is watch as your opponent either opens the door for you, or slams it in your face.

Even recreational golfers know the feeling of watching a buddy roll a nice putt in, giving them a high-five, but secretly wishing it was them having a good round.

On Tuesday at the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, Justin Thomas gave a nice dose of honesty when asked how much, if at all, he is fuelled by competitive jealousy.

“A lot,” he answered. “I just remember that a lot from my first couple years on tour and Jordan (Spieth) having a lot of success and playing well.

“When you’re in college and someone turns pro early and they’re winning tour events and you’re like, ‘I’ve beaten him before,’ that kind of thing. We all obviously beat each other quite often.”

It wasn’t long before Thomas was winning majors and his buddy Spieth was having a rough go of things, but that’s golf.

More recently, Thomas remembers a conversation with his wife after watching this year’s Masters and seeing Rory McIlroy accomplish the career grand slam.

“I told Jill, after watching the Masters, it was like, obviously I knew I always wanted to win the grand slam, wanted to win all the majors. But for some reason watching somebody do it firsthand, it reminded me almost of, damn, I forgot, I really do want to do that. It’s weird.

“It’s something I think all of us, some certain people maybe hit us different ways in terms of jealousy or drive or whatever you want to call it.”

For Thomas, it’s a strong motivator.

“Yeah, any time someone wins that isn’t me, if it’s a friend, I’m obviously happy for them, but there’s always going to be a part of me that’s jealous and wishes it was me. I think you’d be crazy to say otherwise.”

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