Justin Thomas is the latest Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) Tour player to launch a foundation, and it wasn’t anything he threw together overnight.
“We’ve been talking about it the last couple of years,” Thomas said. “My mom has done an unbelievable job of making sure everything was done properly. We’ve talked to so many other athletes, their wives, people who have run other foundations who said, ‘If we had to do it over, make sure you to do this or do that.’ There’s no reason to do it if it’s not done right.”
The Justin Thomas Foundation officially launched last Wednesday in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. It featured a dinner with 544 guests and a waiting list, always a sign of support. Along with a silent auction, Thomas invited an auctioneer for other items because, he said, “I’m not very good at talking real fast to get people to donate money.”
Peter Jacobsen conducted a fireside chat with Thomas, who at 25 has nine victories, a major at the PGA Championship, a FedEx Cup title and has reached No. 1 in the world. Kelley James provided the entertainment.
Thomas grew up in Louisville, where father Mike was the longtime pro at Harmony Landing.
“I wanted it to be local because of how special Louisville is to me,” he said.
Thomas said the three cornerstones of the foundation would be children in need, military families and junior golf. Charities the foundation initially plans to support are the Boys and Girls Club of Kentuckiana, The First Tee of Louisville, Folds of Honor, The First Tee of Tuscaloosa, Kentucky Golf Foundation and Convoy of Hope.
The next step?
“As I said at the dinner, I need to make sure I’m playing good golf so I can help fund this thing,” Thomas said with a laugh.
EARLY START
Tiger Woods and part of his US team can expect to be bleary-eyed at the Presidents Cup this year.
Woods announced on Tuesday that his Hero World Challenge will return to the Bahamas in December and end on December 7 instead of Sunday to give him and some of the players a little extra time to get to Australia for the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne.
The matches start on December 12. Even leaving the Bahamas on Saturday, a charter would not arrive until Monday morning. This will be the latest the Presidents Cup has ever been played. The first time in Melbourne—1998, the only International victory—ended on December 12.
Still to be determined is who makes the teams, and who plays in the Bahamas.
The Hero World Challenge will be held the same week as the Australian Open, which was moved to the week ahead of the Presidents Cup with hopes of attracting a stronger field as it did in 2011, the second time Royal Melbourne hosted the Presidents Cup.
ONE COURSE, TWO TOURS
Meghan MacLaren of England will be playing with the men for the third time this year, even if she’s not on the same golf course.
MacLaren missed the cut in the Vic Open in Australia, in which men and women competed in separate competitions for equal prize money. She was runner-up to Daan Huizing in the Jordan Mixed Open, in which players from the Challenge Tour, Ladies European Tour and Staysure Tour (Europe’s 50-and-over tour) competed against each other on the same course.
Next up is the Lalla Meryem Cup on the LET in Morocco, held the same week as the Trophee Hassan II on the European Tour. The men are competing on the Red Course at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam, while the women are playing on the neighboring Blue Course.
All players use the same driving range, practice green and players’ lounge.
Image credits: AP