Michael Phelps congratulates Justin Thomas on his victory at the RBC Heritage Championships [Image Source : Getty]

Michael Phelps reacts to Justin Thomas' win at the RBC Heritage Championships

Modified Apr 21, 2025 04:29 GMT

Michael Phelps was all praise for former world No. 1 golfer Justin Thomas. The 31-year-old recently ended his three-year title drought at the RBC Heritage Championship.

Thomas hadn't won a single tournament since his US PGA Championship triumph in 2022. However, he overcame fellow American golfer Andrew Novak in a closely contested play-off to win the RBC Heritage Championship on Sunday, April 20.

Phelps reacted to the victory by congratulating Thomas on his Instagram story, writing:

"Let's go!! Congrats @justinthomas34"

Screengrab of Michael Phelps' congratulatory message for Justin Thomas [Image Source: Michael Phelps' Instagram/@m_phelps00]

For the unversed, Michael Phelps is an avid follower of golf, and passionately pursues the sport on an amateur basis, especially after his retirement from competitive swimming in 2016. He previously congratulated Min Woo-Lee and Rory McIlroy on their respective victories in a span of less than two months.

In an interview with Golf.com, Phelps revealed why he took to the sport after he retired from swimming.

"I have goals in the game. I’d like to get down to a scratch. I’m a 7 handicap right now. I know that to get to a scratch golfer, that’s going to take time. It’s going to take practice. It’s going to take a lot of energy, and that’s something that I’m excited to do, because that’s what I did in order to accomplish the goals that I did in the sport of swimming. So it kinda gives me that competitive focus and a way for me to channel that energy nowadays," he said.

Michael Phelps is currently juggling between his passion for golf and his responsibilties towards his family. He also works consistently for the cause of raising awareness about the mental health of athletes through several mediums.

When Michael Phelps revealed his mindset for the 2008 Beijing Olympics

Michael Phelps talks about his mindset for the Beijing Olympics in 2008 [Image Source: Getty]

Michael Phelps remains one of the most decorated swimmers of all time. He once talked about his mindset for the Beijing Olympics, which continues to be the game-changer of Phelps' swimming career.

In his conversation with NBA star Chris Paul for Bloomberg in 2022, Phelps remarked:

“So in '08, I didn't see anything else. I was like, almost like a racehorse with blinders on. I knew exactly what I had to do. I knew like to the second, I knew where I had to be at every, every single day."

Michael Phelps went on to win eight Olympic gold medals, which remains the highest-ever medal haul by an athlete in a single edition of the Summer Olympics.

About the author

Animesh Pandey is a seasoned content writer at Sportskeeda with over eight years of experience, having previously worked as an intern for Follow Your Sport before joining SK as a columnist in 2017. A graduate with a Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing, he also worked at TFI Media Private Limited and contributed as an intern for the movie website Nettv4u.

He has extensively covered events from World Championships to the Olympics, providing insights and analyses that resonate with his audience. His belief in mastering the basics and delivering accurate, relevant, and ethical information through thorough research is reflected in his work.

He was notably invited to the National Sports and Adventure Awards 2018 at Rashtrapati Bhavan after winning a MyGov quiz on Indian Sports, where he engaged with celebrated athletes such as Rahi Sarnobat, Hima Das, Jinson Johnson, Saikhom Mirabai Chanu, and Subedar Neeraj Chopra, who also happens to be his favorite Olympian.

Despite being a field hockey enthusiast, Animesh's most cherished Olympic moments include Wayde Van Niekerk's unexpected world record in the 400 meters at Rio and Chopra's historic gold medal in Tokyo.

When not immersed in writing or watching the Olympics, Animesh indulges in his love for movies, embracing quality cinema regardless of the language.

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