Justin Thomas Witnessed ‘A New Side’ Of Tiger Woods As Fatherhood Came Knocking On His Door: ‘Unbelievable’
The 15X PGA Tour winner Justin Thomas is back on the greens and ready to take on the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas. But what’s even more exciting is that Thomas is now a new dad to beautiful baby girl Molly. Back in September this year, the family man announced the coming of his and Jillian’s baby girl.
Molly arrived in the world on 18th November, but a night before, JT got a surprise call from his big brother, Tiger Woods! JT recently at the press conference of the 2024 Hero World Challenge reflected that Woods knew when Jill’s surgery was and checked up on 17th November to check how everyone was doing. He then shared how stunned Jillian and he were, and his wife said, “I bet you didn’t think that was going to happen when you were growing up.” “No, I didn’t,” Thomas replied to Jillian. This was shocking as Thomas did not expect Woods to remember and check up while recovering from his back surgery, all while hosting a tournament.
Woods, known for his ferocious competition on the golf course, has shown a softer side with Thomas. The two golfers share a tight friendship, with Woods often acting as a mentor. This continued after Molly’s arrival as well, and the 15x major winner continued to check up on him, knowing how difficult it can be as a first-time parent since he has two kids of his own who he adores.
“He’s been unbelievable,” Thomas said of Woods. “I mean, yeah. I’ve definitely seen a new side of him. I mean, it’s just been really cool. He’s so—he’s always checking in, wanting to see how I’m doing, how Jill’s doing, how Molly’s doing.” Scottie Scheffler also became a first-time father this year, and at the same presser, he also shared that he and Woods excitedly talked about their kids at the Pro-Am.
What a world. ⁰⁰@JustinThomas34 reflects on @TigerWoods reaching out as he became a new dad. pic.twitter.com/fKmFG2htu8
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) December 4, 2024
Woods clearly cares for his ‘younger brother.’ Their shared bond was also evident when Tiger Woods said, “We have become so close that I think Charlie’s like Justin’s little brother he never had, and Justin has become the little brother I never had.”
Now, the pro is at Tiger Woods’s event. The last one of this season, and along with golf, he has also got diapers on his mind, quite literally! On Tuesday, Thomas shared on his Instagram, “Hero World Challenge, this is the week! I got to pay for the diapers.” But beneath the humor, Thomas is a man on a mission.
Is fatherhood fueling Justin Thomas to win the Hero World Challenge?
Even though the golfer has made no winning titles under his name in 2 years, he is confident about the 2024 Hero World Challenge. In 2024, JT had a forgetful season. He was in the top 10 only 6 times. Thomas’s best performance of the year was when he finished T-2 at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP with a total score of 19 under. But this is not keeping his morale down.
“I feel like I’ve been making progress, kind of steps in the right direction as the year’s gone on,” he said. “I feel like I’m getting closer and closer. I believe it was a major reason I wanted to play this week. I feel like it was my last chance to win a tournament this year,” said JT.
