Justin Thomas, the No. 3 golfer in the world, sparked criticism during the Sentry Tournament of Champions. He uttered a homophobic slur in anger after missing a putt for par. He has since apologized but will reportedly face a fine from the PGA Tour.
A video surfaced on Twitter that showed Thomas lining up for a punt during the Sentry Tournament of Champions. He tapped the golf ball but was slightly off-target, missing the hole by mere inches. He walked up and tapped the ball in, saying “f—ot” in the process. The announcers said that he was “really unhappy with that one.”
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Big fan, not a great look.
Are we gonna apologize for the language here @JustinThomas34 @PGATOUR ? pic.twitter.com/QvIYdOv7F9
— Imsolazy (@DustyBurlap) January 10, 2021
“There’s just no excuse. I’m an adult, I’m a grown man,” Thomas told the Golf Channel after the round. “There’s absolutely no reason for me to say anything like that. It’s terrible. I’m extremely embarrassed. It’s not who I am. It’s not the kind of person that I am. But it’s … unfortunately I did it and I have to own up to it and I’m very apologetic.
“Like I said, it’s inexcusable. I’m speechless. It’s bad,” he continued. “There’s no other way to put it. I need to do better. I need to be better. It’s definitely a learning experience. I deeply apologize to everybody and anybody who I offended and I’ll be better because of it.” The PGA said in a statement after the round that “we agree Justin’s comment was unacceptable.”
The Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ rights group, condemned the slur and Thomas’ use on Sunday. The organization’s president, Alphonso David, posted a message on Twitter, saying: “This type of discriminatory language causes real harm, and there is no place for it in sports. We must continue to work for greater inclusion and acceptance.”
Thomas, the winner of the PGA Championship and 13 Tour Events, sat tied for fourth overall midway through Sunday’s tournament. He was within reach of the lead during the fourth round but needed to outperform fellow competitors in Ryan Palmer and Joaquin Niemann among others. Although his performance on the fairway became less of a story in light of his use of the slur.
Thomas most recently partnered with his father Mike for a different type of competition. They took part in the PNC Championship, facing off with Tiger Woods and his son Charlie, among other high-profile duos. Thomas and Mike secured the victory, walking away with matching belts and a $200,000 prize purse.
