“We hated each other for 18 holes.”
Justin Thomas’ attitude towards Rory McIlroy epitomises the height of tension that is involved when competing in the Ryder Cup.
Thomas and McIlroy are good friends, but have gone toe to toe in this competition with such a fierce competitiveness that the friendship had to be put to one side.
In fact, the American goes as far as saying that for the 18 holes that they are against each other, he “hates” the Ulster man.
“I love Rory and we get on extremely well. But we played each other in the Ryder Cup and we hated each other for 18 holes. It’s nothing personal.
“It’s just my wife knows – if Jill teed it up in the Ryder Cup for the other team, I would try to beat her pretty bad.”
Despite having a fairly dismal season so far, the 30-year-old has a strong record in this competition, and captain Zach Johnson decided to pick him based on those past performances.
His six wins, two ties and one loss in previous Ryder Cups were enough for Johnson to put his trust in him, regardless of recent form.
Thomas however, wasn’t so sure that he would be selected giving his poor showing so far this year, but is determined to make things right.
“The US Open was a really, really low place for me. I was playing arguably the best golf I’ve played in years going in there and I shot a thousand and almost finished last.
“I did not feel like I could win golf tournaments this past year with the state that I was in mentally. Now I’m just in a good head space, and that’s what’s most important.”
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