Quietly, Justin Thomas moves into weekend lineup at AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

Have you ever met a seasoned PGA TOUR professional who is off his game a bit that doesn’t tell you that he’s “close?” It’s a well-worn, well-traveled axiom for any player not in his best form, a defense mechanism for one searching for something that has gone missing.

When Justin Thomas tells you that he’s close, though, it’s time to lean in and heed the words. The victories have been slow to arrive for the 30-year-old Thomas the last couple of seasons – a year ago, in fact, he failed to add to his total of 15 PGA TOUR victories – but more and more, the trust is returning to his swing, and he seems to be inserting himself into the middle of things in significant events.

Thomas is playing the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am for the first time since 2014 this week, one more robust addition to a field that is considerably stronger as the tournament transitions to an 80-man, heightened Signature Event, the second such elevated event this season. In 2014, Thomas was but a young buck finding his way. He shot 70-72-75 and missed the 54-hole cut. Outside of the 2019 U.S. Open, he had not been back. He loves the beauty of Pebble, and of nearby Spyglass Hill, but it simply was a poor fit for his early-year schedule the past few seasons.

This week, Pebble is a can’t-miss stop, and there are 20 million reasons (the purse, for one) to be there. Thomas responded Friday with a round of 5-under 67 in docile, soft conditions at Pebble Beach, and at 9-under 135, he moved into contention for the weekend. His round started with a bang – a 40-foot chip-in birdie at the opening hole – and ended with a nice pitch to 6 feet to set up a birdie at the famed par-5 18th. In between, there was plenty of idling and “almosts” in his round – 10 consecutive pars at one point – but his score came with relative ease. The card was clean, an accomplishment that was a considerable challenge a year ago.

“My game is where I want it to be,” said Thomas, whose last four starts (counting the unofficial Hero World Challenge) have included three top-five finishes, including a third-place finish at The American Express. Compare that with last season, when he played 21 events and never finished better than fourth.

“I always want to continue to get better,” he said. “I’m playing plenty well enough to win. At this point, it’s just getting myself there more often. I said it in my presser earlier in the week: I mean, it’s hard to win tournaments when you‘re teeing off three hours before the leader, and that’s what I did a lot last year.”

These days, Thomas’ best habits continue to be breaking all the bad ones that had crept into his swing the past couple of seasons. He mainly works with his father, Mike, an accomplished teacher, but also dives in himself, actively watching old videos on his iPad that show him in better, winning form.

Last season was humbling for him. Thomas chased hard all the way through the tape, but after a T12 at the season finale (Wyndham Championship), he failed to advance to the FedExCup Playoffs. Captain Zach Johnson showed faith in Thomas by adding him to the U.S. Ryder Cup team that would compete in Italy, which helped bolster his confidence.

Thomas believes that winning tournaments again is something that will happen in time, and when it does, it will be a payoff for all of his hard work.

“I'm very close. I think at this point it's just starting to win tournaments again,” he said. “I feel like I'm very, very close to doing that and starting to do it, you know, often again.

“But I fully understand that just because you think that doesn't mean you deserve it or it's going to happen. I just need to keep putting myself in that position and getting in contention. I think that's what I did so often there for a handful of years. ... (The American Express) was the first final group I’ve played in on Sunday for a while, and it was fun.”

He hopes to do the same at Pebble Beach this week. So far, so good. The soft conditions of the golf course can present a formidable challenge, but he’s dealing with it the best he can. At the par-4 11th, for instance, he hit a 9-iron approach that pitched on the green and spun 11 yards back, away from the hole location. An obstacle? He chooses to view it as an opportunity to tap into his creative side.

Thus far, his season is just a tiny sample size, but Thomas looks at the golf he is playing and is proud of the product. He considers it to be more of “me” golf, meaning Justin Thomas golf, and that, quite frequently, has been a winning formula.

“I just have to keep getting myself there on Sunday, and it’ll happen,” he said.

“You know, relying on my short game, relying on my wedge game, playing smart, playing patient and understanding that at any point throughout a 72-hole tournament I could get hot and shoot, you know, 8-, 9-, 10-, 11-under. I just try to stay patient and hope to let that happen.”

Friday at Pebble, Thomas was one step closer.