(Reuters) – Justin Thomas has long preferred to rest the week before golf’s four major tournaments but said on Wednesday he decided to ditch that approach ahead of next week’s PGA Championship and could make that his new normal.
World number eight Thomas, whose lone victory in a major came at the 2017 PGA Championship, will give his new approach a test run this week when he joins a solid field at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas, for the AT&T Byron Nelson.
Thomas, who did not compete in the Valero Texas Open the week before finishing in a share of eighth at last month’s Masters, admitted he is already considering adding the RBC Canadian Open to his schedule in June ahead of the U.S. Open.
“I personally just want to try something a little different this year. I wasn’t going to play Valero before the Masters, but these last three majors, I’m going to see how I feel this week, and potentially add Canada,” said Thomas.
“But I just want to play the week before and see how that feels and see how that gets going, going into next week and seeing if that can lead to some success.”
Thomas has long felt it made more sense to take the week off ahead a major to preserve energy for what are typically the most physically and mentally taxing events on the golfing calendar.
But Thomas said TPC Craig Ranch, a wide open layout with big greens, could prove beneficial for his preparations as it will offer similar heat and wind conditions that could be in store at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma for the PGA Championship.
“If it’s easy then it doesn’t get you ready for hard, but then if it’s too tough then you beat yourself up and you’re exhausted going into next week,” said Thomas.
“So I would like to say this is kind of a perfect balance and a good mixture. I mean it’s very similar heat, wind, we’re going to get some wind next week, I’m sure we’ll get it here, usually do. So, yeah, hopefully it’s perfect.”
Thomas, who is looking to extend a streak of six consecutive seasons with a win on the PGA Tour, will play the opening two rounds this week alongside Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat and 45-year-old journeyman Scott Gutschewski.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Toby Davis)
