ATLANTA — All mothers say things their children don’t want to hear, but Justin Thomas’ mom gave all other mothers a run for their money in 2014 when she sent her son a text he’ll never forget after the Memorial.
During his press conference Wednesday at East Lake Golf Club, Thomas said five years ago when he was on the Web.com Tour, now the Korn Ferry Tour, he earned an exemption to play in the Memorial.
“I was playing pretty well,” Thomas said. “I was in probably 18th, something like that, going into 18 on Sunday, and I made double. I remember like, ‘Wow, that cost me. I didn’t look it up. It cost me a lot.’
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“But I’ll never forget, I got a text from my mom the next day, ‘That double bogey on 18 yesterday cost you $42,000.’ I was like, ‘Mom, if you ever send me a text like this again, I will delete your number. Don’t ever text me something like this.'”
Thomas can now laugh at the text, but he still remembers the feeling of being dumbfounded his mom would draw attention to his mistake and calculate the financial cost.
When asked if he ever talked to his mom about it, Thomas quipped, “No, I think she got a pretty good idea from the text I sent back to never bring it up again.”
After a final-round 72, the former Alabama golfer finished T-37 and won $25,420. Those who finished T-19 got $65,237.78.
Thomas, who won the BMW Championship on Sunday, begins the Tour Championship at 10 under and tees off in the first round Thursday alongside Patrick Cantlay at 2:05 p.m. ET.
