World No. 2 Justin Thomas is ¡°ecstatic¡± about the possibility of competing in the Tokyo Olympics, as he looks to keep his momentum rolling at WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play this week in Austin, Texas.
Fresh off his first Players Championship win at TPC Sawgrass a week ago, the 27-year-old American is in prime position to secure a spot at the July 23-Aug. 8 games ¡ª a tantalizing possibility, Thomas said.
¡°I hope I qualify because I think that would be one of the coolest honors that I¡¯ve ever had,¡± the 2017 PGA Championship winner told reporters on Monday, after world No. 1 Dustin Johnson confirmed earlier this month that he would skip Tokyo.
¡°It¡¯s probably one of the only tournaments that I would brag about playing in or qualifying for, the fact that I would be able to play for Team USA in the Olympics.¡±
Thomas, who has finished in the top 15 in nine of his last 10 starts, must keep his steady and strong performance going until the end of the men¡¯s June 21 qualifying window to book a ticket to the Tokyo Games, which were delayed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He defeated England¡¯s Lee Westwood by one stroke at Sawgrass for his inaugural Players Championship win, earning the applause of 15-times major winner Tiger Woods, who texted his support while recovering from injuries sustained in a brutal car accident last month.
¡°(Woods) was in great spirits,¡± said the 14-times PGA Tour winner. ¡°My dad said he was texting him the whole day, giving him grief about what was going on, so it was good to see he was watching.¡±
Thomas faces off against fellow American Matt Kuchar, defending champion Kevin Kisner and South Africa¡¯s Louis Oosthuizen in the first round of the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play at Austin Country Club on Wednesday.
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