Justin Thomas Struggling Badly At Bay Hill

Justin Thomas has returned to the PGA Tour this week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club & Lodge, but his comeback hasn’t gone as he would have loved so far. The 32-year-old has been away from competitive golf due to back surgery since November 2025. However, the two-time major champion struggled badly in his opening round at Bay Hill.

Thomas In Tough Start In His First Competitive Round Since Surgery

Thomas’ first round at Bay Hill was far from the return he hoped for. The American shot a 7-over-par 79, leaving him near the bottom of the leaderboard after the opening day. He struggled across several parts of his game and lost nearly four strokes to the field with his putting as he struggled to read and control the speed of Bay Hill’s greens.

The 32-year-old missed putts from inside 10 feet at Nos. 1, 7, 10, 11 and 13, and made just 58 feet worth of putts for the day. He also came home in 5-over 41, with a double bogey at the par-4 11th and then again at the par-5 15th, after rinsing a ball on his approach. The result placed him tied for last place after the opening round. After the round, Thomas said he was disappointed with how he played. Reflecting on his first competitive outing in several months, the American admitted the thought his scores would be higher.

“I know it’s been a while since we played, but these scores are a lot lower than I thought they would be,” Thomas said after his round. “Yeah, it was kind of hard to say it was good to be back out. Not obviously how I expected it to go. But the rust aspect kind of, unfortunately, was a little bit of what I anticipated. Yeah, just it is what it is.”

Thomas Set Sights On Better Second Round

Thomas’ struggles at Bay Hill come after a long recovery period. The 32-year-old underwent microdiscectomy surgery in November 2025 to fix a disc problem in his back that had been causing pain. The procedure forced him to step away from competition for several months. His last appearance before the surgery was during the 2025 Ryder Cup, meaning the Arnold Palmer Invitational marks his first PGA Tour event in about six months.

During his recovery, Thomas focused on gradual rehabilitation rather than rushing back to the course. He explained that he and his team deliberately took a cautious approach with his recovery timeline, choosing to delay certain parts of the rehab process to ensure his back healed properly. Despite his disappointment with his opening round result, Thomas will have the opportunity to bounce back with a Friday tee time at Bay Hill.