Justin Thomas has revealed he once drank ‘four or five beers’ while holding the clubhouse lead.
Thomas found himself leading the 2026 PGA Championship at Aronimink for hours on Sunday before eventually being overtaken by champion Aaron Rai.
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Thomas was brilliant at Aronimink on SundayCredit: Getty
For a long time it seemed JT may well have been set for a playoff or even an outright win and was not going to make the same mistake as the last time he faced a lengthy wait to see if he would win.
JT, a two-time PGA Championship winner, was out early for Sunday’s final round at the 108th edition of the famous tournament.
And he put together a stunning round of 65 to catapult himself up the leaderboard and right into contention.
Having started over three and a half hours before the leaders, Thomas knew he could put the pressure on if he went low.
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He set the clubhouse lead at five-under-par before sitting back and nervously waiting to see where his score would leave him once all was said and done.
Thomas then revealed he has only once held such a clubhouse lead and it nearly went very wrong.
He said: “I’m not sure if there’s an art but I can tell you how there isn’t, because it happened to me one time in Connecticut.
“I shot 61 and finished while the leaders where halfway through the front nine.
“I had a buddy with me and probably had four or five beers at lunch, and next thing you know… I’m still the leader in the clubhouse.
“My caddie at the time was at a Subway like an hour and a half away and we were like what do we do?
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Thomas shot a brilliant 65 in the final round of the 2026 PGA ChampionshipCredit: Getty
“I didn’t want to be in a playoff then, that would not have been a good situation.”
Strong winds and tough conditions were consistent throughout the week at the PGA Championship.
And Thomas couldn’t hide the fact that he was hoping for more tricky weather to roll in again late on Sunday and cause mayhem for his rivals.
He joked: “Hopefully the rest of the golf course plays tough, every single hole I hope is very tough to make par, if I’m being honest.”
He added: “It was nice to not have to play some holes in 25 mile an hour winds today.
“I felt like all week, it’s all dependent on the weather.
“If the wind stays down like this, I’m not sure it’ll be enough but if the wind picks up, at least I’ll have a few hours to think about it.
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Thomas is a two-time PGA Championship winnerCredit: Getty
“It’s all dependent on the weather, you never know.
“It’s really hard to win a golf tournament. There’s a lot of people out there but I like my chances a lot more at five under than at four under!”
Thomas, who won the PGA Championship in 2017 and 2022, ended up coming tied for fourth, four strokes behind England’s champion Rai.
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JT has only recently come back from surgery and his performance at Aronimink this week should set him up for a big summer.
He’ll be hoping to impress at the US Open at Shinnecock Hills next month and at The Open at Royal Birkdale in July.