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PGA Tour: 5 players hoping to pick up where they left off

By David Salituro

JUNO BEACH, FLORIDA - MAY 17: Rory McIlroy of the American Nurses Foundation team plays his shot from the second tee during the TaylorMade Driving Relief Supported By UnitedHealth Group on May 17, 2020 at Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
JUNO BEACH, FLORIDA - MAY 17: Rory McIlroy of the American Nurses Foundation team plays his shot from the second tee during the TaylorMade Driving Relief Supported By UnitedHealth Group on May 17, 2020 at Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /
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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA – MARCH 11: Justin Thomas of the United States plays a tee shot during a practice round prior to The PLAYERS Championship on The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on March 11, 2020 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA – MARCH 11: Justin Thomas of the United States plays a tee shot during a practice round prior to The PLAYERS Championship on The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on March 11, 2020 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images) /

Justin Thomas

Justin Thomas got to exchange a golf club for a sideline reporter’s headset during the PGA Tour’s lengthy hiatus. Thomas served as the on-course reporter for The Match on May 24, trading barbs with commentator Charles Barkley and offering a players’ perspective on the round.

On Thursday, though, Thomas and the rest of the tour will return to action for the first time in three months at the Charles Schwab Challenge. And judging by his play when the tour was halted, he should be considered one of the favorites this week at Colonial.

Thomas has already won twice on the PGA Tour this season, capturing the Sentry Tournament of Champions and the CJ Cup in South Korea. He was also third at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. In his last tournament, the WGC-Mexico Championship, he held the 54-hole lead before shooting two-over 73 on Sunday and finishing five shots behind Patrick Reed. He leads the tour money list and ranks fourth in scoring average. He also ranks in the top-10 on tour in strokes gained: approach to the green, tee-to-green, and total strokes gained.

Still just 27, Thomas now has 12 PGA Tour titles, a major championship, and a FedEx Cup title. He’s been No. 1 on the Official World Golf Rankings (he’s currently fourth) and won PGA Tour Player of the Year in 2017. And, while he admits things will be a little different for the foreseeable future, he’s ready to embrace it.

“I just think there’s things that are going to be weird, but hey, at the end of the day, weird stuff happens,” he told Golf Channel after The Match. “But we’ll all get accustomed to it.”

“I guess I’m just curious, selfishly, just getting back into it. I know it’s been so long since we’ve been in a tournament. I’m fully understanding that this is going to be the norm for a little bit. I’ve been on board with this all along.”

Thomas will be thrust into the spotlight right away. He’s in one of the featured groups, along with Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth, for the first two rounds at Colonial.

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