“Uhh...it was” - Justin Thomas takes a jibe at Smylie Kaufman’s game after their golf trip to Ireland
Justin Thomas took a jibe at former PGA Tour winner Smylie Kaufman for his golfing skills during a recent appearance on SiriusXM PGA Tour radio. Thomas spoke about his recent trip to Ireland with Kaufman and his friends. Soon after the 2024 Open Championship, they went on a golf trip to Ireland.
On the radio show, Justin Thomas was asked about his trip and Kaufman's game. In response, Thomas humorously mumbled, "Umm... it was..." which made the host burst into laughter.
The host then added, "It was..." before laughing. Thomas continued to speak about Kaufman's game, admitting that the latter had made "improvements since the Pine Valley trip." Thomas said (via SiriusXM PGA Tour radio on X):
"We actually only played together one round. I think he got the face of his driving iron fixed. It's not cracked anymore, so that's good. And he was hitting it on the course. It made improvements since the Pine Valley trip (0.46).
Notably, Smylie Kaufman made a significant transition from playing professional golf to now being active as a sports commentator. He has won one PGA Tour event in his career, at the 2015 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.
Meanwhile, speaking of his trip, Thomas stated that it was fun with his friends. He said:
"We had a really fun trip to Ireland right after the Open, which was kind of strange to go on a golf trip. But as you all know, golf is so fun over there that we had 13 guys and some of Jordan's buddies, some of Smiley's buddies, one of my friends from growing up.
"We went straight to Dublin from the Open and played four rounds of golf in three days and enjoyed some Guinness and some pubs. That was a lot of fun. But I was definitely golfed out by the end of that, after the Scottish in the Open and then that," he added.
It is important to note that Justin Thomas has not played in any tournament since the 2024 Open Championship and will also miss this week's Wyndham Championship.
When will Justin Thomas play the next professional event?
Thomas will likely play in the FedEx Cup playoffs next. He missed the playoffs last year after finishing outside the top 70 in the FedEx Cup standings. However, in 2024, he currently secures a spot in the top 50.
He is eligible to compete in the first two playoff events, including the St. Jude Championship and the BMW Championship. Justin Thomas has played in 16 events this season and recorded five finishes in the top 10, marking a decent season for him.
The FedEx Cup playoffs start with the St. Jude Championship on August 15. The tournament will take place in Memphis and will conclude on August 18. Next, the BMW Championship will be held from August 22 to 25, followed by the Tour Championship, which is slated to take place from August 29 to September 1.