Having undergone surgery after what he described as “nagging hip pain” for several months, Justin Thomas shared videos of his recovery.

Thomas underwent surgery in November at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York to address a disc issue, and now, it’s time for him to return to the golf course. 

Confirming his stance on the Arnold Palmer during a press conference at the SoFi Center, Thomas stated, “I'm excited to get back and play at Bay Hill next week.”

Being away from active competition for about five months certainly takes a toll on the body. But Thomas has been trying to play more often for the last couple of weeks.

However, there are still a few things that keep bothering him. Right now, he’s trying to play on different grasses, lies, scenarios, and winds. 

“I obviously want to and would love to play well next week, but I'm also understanding that it'll be, what, almost five, six months since I've played a competitive tournament.”

Hence, Thomas isn’t expecting anything grand from his upcoming tournament. But he’s still quite hopeful. Thomas said, “But at least everybody else will be struggling with me at Bay Hill, so that'll make me feel a little bit better, hopefully.”

Does this mean he has made some changes in his gameplay to give his opponents strong competition?

Is Justin Thomas Making Any Changes to His Swing After His Surgery?

“Not a lot,” the two-time major champion admitted. “I'm still going to have a lot of the same DNA and characteristics. I think there's maybe little things that have maybe changed over the last couple years that could have potentially caused an injury.”

At 32 years, it’s usually the wear and tear that brings golfers down. Thomas did some research of his own and found that many golfers have a similar situation. But it doesn’t affect everyone the same way. 

“It's just I have to do the little things and stay on top of it, and playing injury-free is my main goal and always has been,” he continued. “It was unfortunate, but it is what it is, and I'm just going to make the best out of it and do the right things. I still have another 12, 15 years of great golf ahead of me.”

A healthy Thomas adds depth to upcoming signature events and the spring schedule, especially with the major championship season approaching. But can he make a strong demonstration at the Arnold Palmer?

Read more at Daily Club Golf!

Written by

Krushna Pattnaik

Edited by

Oajaswini Prabhu