Justin Thomas explains why alarming number of – Sports News
Justin Thomas of Atlanta Drive GC speaks to the media after the match in opposition to Boston Common Golf at SoFi Center (Image: Rich Storry/TGL, TGL Golf through Getty Images)
Justin Thomas has acknowledged it’s a “bummer” that the PGA Tour’s elite gamers will skip this week’s Cognizant Classic as a result of of scheduling conflicts.
The match, beforehand known as The Honda Classic, was as soon as among the many strongest occasions on tour. Past champions on the Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, venue this century embody Thomas, Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler, and Ernie Els.
This time, Brooks Koepka leads the sector as he continues his PGA Tour return after departing LIV Golf. PGA National is considered one oan f essentially the most difficult programs on tour, with quite a few star gamers faltering on the legendary “Bear Trap.” It comes as Alysa Liu is required to return her Winter Olympics gold medal for an odd cause.
The water-surrounded stretch spanning holes 15-17 has delivered loads of final-round drama via the years, although the sector has diminished not too long ago.
Thomas gained at PGA National in 2018 (Image: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
The Cognizant Classic finds itself in an awkward spot on the calendar, sandwiched between three of the tour’s premier tournaments.
McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, and others competed in The Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles final week, and most of the tour’s high gamers have opted to bypass the Cognizant.
This is due to the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players, which offer purses of $20 million and $25 million, going down instantly afterward on March 5 and March 12, respectively.
Despite many PGA Tour gamers residing within straightforward driving distance of the opening occasion of the Florida swing, the bulk decide to deal with restoration and preparation for the higher-profile and more profitable tournaments at Bay Hill and TPC Sawgrass.
Justin Thomas has made his emotions clear on the state of The Cognizant Classic (Image: Rich Storry/TGL/TGL Golf through Getty Images)
Thomas, set to return from back surgical procedure on the Arnold Palmer Invitational, acknowledges that The Cognizant has sadly suffered as a end result of the congested schedule during this stretch of the season.
However, he notes that the sheer quantity of marquee occasions and “great golf courses” on the PGA Tour calendar represents a “good problem” to have, citing the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines and the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial as tournaments he would like to compete in below ultimate circumstances, however his packed schedule merely will not allow.
“There are obviously a lot of arguments or a lot of different reasons, I guess. But it’s a bummer,” the 2018 champion stated of the Cognizant Classic.
“It’s one of those events that has fallen at an unfortunate time in the schedule. I think it’s both a great thing and a bad thing about our schedule, how great it is, and the amount of great golf courses that we go to.
“It kills me that I can not play Torrey Pines yearly. Like Torrey Pines South, to me, is such a great golf course. It suits my eye so effectively. I just like the North Course, however I can not play in it yearly. Or Colonial. I really like Colonial. I believe that golf course is unbelievable, however I can not play 4 or 5 [weeks] in a row.
“It’s unfortunate. It’s a great, great problem to have, but it’s just one of those things the way that guys need to play certain events or feel like they give themselves the best opportunity to win and make the most points as possible. It’s just kind of where it falls [in the schedule].”
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