Justin Thomas returns to Japan at Zozo Championship for final start before birth of first child

Justin Thomas has 15 PGA Tour victories. Four of those person travel successful Asia.

His first 2 PGA Tour wins came successful Malaysia astatine nan CIMB Classic successful 2015 and 2016. A twelvemonth later, he won nan CJ Cup successful South Korea. In 2019, he added a 2nd triumph astatine nan CJ Cup successful South Korea.

This week, nan 31-year-old Thomas returns to nan largest continent successful nan world successful hunt of his first triumph since nan 2022 PGA Championship astatine Southern Hills Country Club. He’s 1 of nan galore stars teeing it up successful Chiba, Japan, astatine nan 2024 Zozo Championship, nan PGA Tour’s lone regular play arena successful Asia this year. It’s his first clip playing successful nan arena since 2019, which was nan inaugural tournament.

It’s besides his past commencement earlier becoming a dad. Thomas’ wife, Jillian, is owed pinch nan couple’s first child, a girl, successful precocious November.

“Any play changeable aliases business I americium successful this week, it’s not going to beryllium thing adjacent to arsenic difficult arsenic it’s going to beryllium successful a period aliases truthful erstwhile our small 1 comes,” Thomas said Tuesday successful his pre-tournament property conference. “We’re very fortunate pinch nan timing of being capable … for maine being capable to travel here. I deliberation reality will astir apt group successful erstwhile I’m flying location and past erstwhile I get location because it will beryllium getting successful crunch time.”

Zozo Championship: Thursday tee times

Thomas will make his first commencement astatine nan Zozo since nan Tour Championship, wherever he vanished T-14. He’s coming disconnected a play wherever he had much top-10 finishes (5) than he did missed cuts (4), but he remains successful hunt of triumph No. 16.

In 2019, Thomas vanished T-17 astatine nan Zozo, but that week belonged to Tiger Woods, who tied nan PGA Tour’s all-time wins people pinch his 82nd.

“It was a very evidently historical moment, historical week,” Thomas said. “The tourney didn’t get nan hype and nan buzz and nan ambiance it deserved, but people thing that Tiger wins is going to amplify that. I deliberation him having that historical triumph brought that power and conscionable gave nan tourney benignant of nan nickname I consciousness for illustration it deserved, aliases deserves.”

Another logic nan 2019 tourney is remembered is because of a typhoon that deed Japan, bringing torrential downpours. Thomas said it was nan astir rainfall he had ever seen successful a azygous day.

This year, nan forecast calls for imaginable showers early Friday morning, but otherwise, it’s going to beryllium a stellar week for players and fans alike.

“It’s conscionable a awesome opportunity for america to travel play successful beforehand of different fans,” Thomas said. “I mean, really excited everybody is to spot truthful galore of america that play connected Tour, it’s really cool. I mean, they make america consciousness very invited and truthful excited for america to beryllium here.”

This week, Thomas’ attraction is connected nan play course, a spot he’s focused connected uncovering arsenic galore fairways and greens arsenic he can. It’s apt to beryllium his past commencement of 2024, and past he tin move his attraction to being a father.

How fresh is he for that chapter?

“I don’t deliberation you ever are,” Thomas said while laughing. “All I cognize is I’ll beryllium arsenic fresh arsenic I perchance can, and we’re going to make nan astir retired of each business we can. I can’t show you honestly if I’m fresh because I’ve ne'er done it before. I’ll fto you cognize successful a mates months.

“It will beryllium a situation successful different ways but 1 that we’re excited for.”