It will be awhile before we see Justin Thomas back in action on the PGA Tour.
The 32-year-old 16-time Tour winner announced on social media Friday that he had undergone a microdiscectomy — a surgical procedure to remove part of a herniated disc that is pressing on a spinal nerve root — on Thursday, and will be out for the foreseeable future while he recovers. Thomas said the procedure was performed at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, and it went well, as he delivered the update with a personal video to his followers.
“I’ve had some nagging hip pain for a handful of months and after some time off and worsening symptoms, an MRI showed I had a disc problem that needed to be treated,” Thomas wrote in the video’s caption. “My next few weeks will be a lot of resting before the rehab process begins. I have a great team behind me who I fully trust to get me back to a better place than I was before!”
As for a timeline for a competitive return, Thomas said he’s not targeting a specific event.
“I’m not putting any tournament on the calendar or specific time for returning,” he wrote. “While I will miss some events in the beginning of 2026, I want to be very smart and patient in letting my disc fully heal so it isn’t an issue again. I’m very lucky that the game of golf allows us to play at a high level for a long time, and that’s what I plan on doing – this procedure will allow me to do that injury free in the future. Can’t wait to see y’all back out there.”
Thomas’ recovery means he will miss a planned appearance in the Skins Game reboot, which will take place on November 28th and will feature Tommy Fleetwood, Keegan Bradley, Xander Schauffele, as well as the upcoming Hero World Challenge and PNC Championship. A Skins Game replacement for Thomas has not yet been named.
A full recovery from a microdiscectomy is generally expected to take three months, which could potentially mean a return date in mid-to-late February. In 2025, Thomas’ early-year tournament schedule included the Sentry, the American Express, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the Genesis, and the Arnold Palmer Invitational. The Players Championship, which Thomas won in 2021, is scheduled to be played March 12-15, 2026.
