Justin Thomas: Tiger Woods inspired me before Players Championship win

Justin Thomas played through a range of emotions on his way to a win at The Players Championship this weekend, and some of that had to do with his good friend Tiger Woods. After he was awarded the trophy on Sunday, Thomas spoke a bit about what his relationship with Tiger has meant to him.

Thomas said a lot of what he and Woods talk about will stay “between us,” but he shared some great perspective about their age gap. Thomas, who is 27, said he and some other golfers on the PGA Tour never would have imagined being friends with Tiger when they were idolizing him 10-15 years ago.

“He’s so nice to myself and Bryson (DeChambeau) and so many guys out here,” Thomas said. “If you had told us when we were 15, 20 years old that Tiger Woods would be texting us the night before we have a chance to win a tournament trying to inspire us — it’s pretty cool.”

Thomas also joked that he wished Tiger were there to see him win The Players Championship so he could “rub it in his face.”

“He likes to give me a lot of grief, especially when he’s not here. We’re all pulling for him. I’m so glad to hear everything’s been going well with him,” Thomas said. “Part of me wishes he was here so I could rub it in his face a little more. I’m happy, and I hope he’s happy and I always appreciate his help.”

If you remember, Thomas got extremely emotional when talking about Tiger’s crash a few weeks ago. Thomas’ grandfather also died last month, and the two were very close. Needless to say, Sunday’s win was bittersweet for him.