Justin Thomas reveals how he was BULLIED by a teenager to SWITCH HIS PUTTER!
Justin Thomas reveals why he decided to switch back to his trusty old putter at the Northern Trust.
Justin Thomas has revealed how a conversation with a teenager last week about switching back to his old putter contributed to him racing to the top of the leaderboard on day one at the Northern Trust.
Thomas fired a stunning 8-under 63 to set the early pace alongside World No.1 Jon Rahm on day one at Liberty National, and then told the media after his round how benching his Scotty Cameron Phantom X Tour proto putter in favour of his trusty Phantom X 5.5 came about.
In fact he was not just told to change his putter by the teenager, but pretty much bullied into making the switch.
WATCH: JUSTIN THOMAS HANDS HIS GOLF SHOES TO HIS BIGGEST LITTLE FAN - THIS IS WHY WE ALL LOVE JT!
"I had my AJGA event last week in Louisville, went right from Memphis, and went out and kind of saw some of the kids playing their practice rounds, and Tuesday was the Junior Am," said Thomas.
"My dad had a couple students, and I went out to go - there's a girl Abigail that he teaches that I went out to go see because I played a couple rounds with her. She's a really good player, and she was playing with, I think, another two girls, a girl that my dad teaches and then a boy.
"He was using the putter, pretty much my putter that Scotty Cameron, the line that we kind of came out with, and he was like, you know, when are you going to use it again? Are you still using the long neck? I was like, yeah, I am, and I was kind of explaining it, and he's just like, well, when are you going to start using it again? And I found myself defending myself to this 15-year-old.
"I got my baby back in the bag ... My gamer."@JustinThomas34 is busting out the big guns for the Playoffs. pic.twitter.com/1dyZ7Di2vm
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 19, 2021
"I was like, why am I not using this thing? I've had a lot of success. It's not like I'm making a lot of putts with what I have. If you're putting well, any of us can go out and putt with anything. I don't know, it kind of hit me. I'm like, the kid's got a point.
"When I brought it out, it looked good, it felt good. Again, a lot of familiar feelings with it."
Thomas went on to shoot a superb 63 on day one to hit the front at the Northenr Trust, and he gained more than 2.5 strokes on the field on the greens, ranking eighth in the field.
"I’ve got my baby back in the bag, my gamer," conclused Thomas.
"Sometimes you’ve got to put her on the shelf every once in a while to make her feel like she needs to perform a little better."
Thomas is bidding to win the FedEx Cup this season for the second time in his career having first won it in 2017.
