“I'm not scared to do so” - Justin Thomas details secret behind his unique birdies record

Justin Thomas opened up about his unique birdie record at the 2024 Genesis Scottish Open. The American golfer showcased an exemplary performance at the ongoing event at The Renaissance Golf Club. He recorded eight birdies in a round to lead the leaderboard after the first round.

This marked the 54th time in the last decade that Thomas has made eight or more birdies in a round, surpassing all other players. The former PGA Championship winner discussed his distinctive birdie record in a press conference following the event.

Thomas revealed the secrets behind his success, stating (via Ten Golf's YouTube channel):

"I'm confident when I get in that mode. Obviously, this is as easy, I feel like, as you're going to get a link golf course weatherwise in conditions. And if you drive it well as I did, for the most part, today, you have a lot of short clubs, and it's just I see nothing but the pen." (1:34)

"You have a lot of opportunities to get the ball close with some slopes. But if I have a good number, for the most part, I'm trying to figure out how I can hit as close as possible. And I'm not scared to do so. I just keep trying to keep the pedal down and but it's also something that I definitely had to learn, I feel like," he added.

After struggling for a while, Justin Thomas finally bounced back and had an impressive start. Thomas began with a birdie on the first tee and followed up with four consecutive birdies from the fifth to the eighth holes. He added three more birdies on the back nine to finish with an 8-under 62 and top the leaderboard.

A closer look at Justin Thomas's performances in 2024

Justin Thomas has participated in 14 tournaments during the 2024 PGA Tour season but missed the cut in four of them. Despite this, he has shown some solid performances this season.

Thomas achieved five top-10 finishes in 2024, with his best result coming at the season-opening The Sentry, where he tied for third place. He also tied for sixth at The American Express and secured T5 finishes at both the RBC Heritage and the Travelers Championship.

Here are the results of the tournaments Justin Thomas played in 2024:

The American Express- T3
AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am- T6
WM Phoenix Open- T12
The Genesis Invitational- CUT
Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard- T12
THE PLAYERS Championship- CUT
Valspar Championship- T64
Masters Tournament- CUT
RBC Heritage- T5
Wells Fargo Championship- T21
PGA Championship-T8
the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday-T33
U.S. Open- CUT
Travelers Championship- T5

Turning professional in 2013, Justin Thomas has won 17 professional events in his career, including two Majors. His last victory was at the 2022 PGA Championship, where he defeated Will Zalatoris in a playoff to claim the Major title. He has his eyes set on winning the 2024 Genesis Scottish Open.