Justin Thomas, You Have Our Attention at the Truist Championship

Justin Thomas is one of those guys on TOUR that can get on an absolute heater at a moment's notice. It doesn’t always have to result in a win, but when his game is clicking he lives at the top of leaderboards. I think we could be in for more of the same in Philly.

Thomas arrives at the sixth signature event of the season off the heels of his first win since the 2022 PGA Championship at the RBC Heritage. After taking down Andrew Novak in a playoff, the Alabama product slipped on the tartan jacket.

The win was a product of Thomas continuously putting himself in position throughout the early part of the season, a stretch that included a second-place finish at the American Express and another silver medal at the Valspar Championship. In all, he’s made 10 out of 10 cuts and grabbed five top-10 finishes.

That’ll do.

Truist: Picks to Win | How to Watch, Tee Times

But this week at the Philadelphia Cricket Club, Thomas has an opportunity to build on his momentum heading into next week’s PGA Championship at Quail Hollow. The last time the year’s second major championship was staged at the Charlotte gem, Thomas lifted the Wanamaker. So to say he’ll drive through the Queen City with nothing but confidence would be an understatement.

That being said, he isn’t the King of that town. That honor goes to a Mr. Rory McIlroy.

The Career Grand Slam winner has won four times around Quail, including at last year’s Truist. But all that attention is sure to take some spotlight off the “defending champion.”

“(McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler) deserve all the spotlight and the favoritism that they'll probably have next week. So I'm sure that is and was helpful for me,” he said.

As for this week, Thomas called the Cricket Club a “second-shot golf course.” It’s forgiving off the tee and it’s all about setting up your approach into the course’s complicated green complexes.

I don’t know about you, but that sounds like it’s gonna be a joy to watch on TV all week long.

Photo: Getty Images

Thomas’ iron game is dialed in—I know, shocker. For the season he’s ranked seventh in Strokes Gained: Approach and 29th in proximity, and at Harbour Town, he was fifth in SG: Approach.

If that same form shows up in the City of Brotherly Love, it could be lights out for the rest of the field, especially at this type of track.

I can’t wait to watch Thomas, one of the true artists out on TOUR, maneuver his way around this A.W. Tillinghast masterpiece.

We don’t get a lot of these types of courses throughout the year, so sit back, relax, and enjoy the golf this weekend, folks.

We sure as hell will.