Justin Thomas excited for new analyst role at The Match: Champions for Charity
Justin Thomas will have a front-row seat for The Match: Champions for Charity on Sunday afternoon.
This time, though, the 27-year-old won’t be participating in the special golf match that pits Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning against Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady. He’ll be on the mic instead.
Thomas will serve as the special on-course analyst for the 18-hole match — and is more than ready to get involved in the inevitable trash-talking at the Medalist Golf Club.
“We’ll have some fun and jaw at each other. I know if they don’t, I will,” Thomas said, via Golfweek. “I can’t be on a golf course for 18 holes around four competitors like that and not talk trash.
“I’m obviously not going to say anything bad or controversial, but you can’t put me on a golf course for that long and expect me to keep my mouth shut.”
The charity match on Sunday will secure a $10 million donation for COVID-19 relief, and is bound to be a much better sequel than the original “Match” in 2018 — which, in most aspects, was seen as a failure. Adding in Manning and Brady to the mix is sure to help with that, too.
Thomas, a 12-time Tour winner, was off to a hot start this season when play was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. He won both at The CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges and the Sentry Tournament of Champions, and finished in the top four at the Safeway Open and the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
His efforts helped him reach No. 4 in the World Golf Rankings, too.
Thomas, though, isn’t ready to put the clubs away and make the jump to the broadcast booth. Not even close.
While he thought the request to be the on-course analyst for the event was unusual for that reason, he’s still excited about it. Not only does he not have to travel for it — Thomas lives nearby the course in South Florida — but he knows he has the proper experience for the job.
“I thought it was weird at first, because I’m in the beginning of my career and I’m not trying to start a broadcasting career,” Thomas said, via Golfweek. “I keep joking with my parents that we’re going to see how that communications major work I had at Alabama paid off those two years I was in school.
“I’m not going to be analyzing every shot. I’m going to ask them some questions that people at home want to hear. I am far and away in the background of this huge match of raising a lot of money for a great cause and that’s the main goal.
“I don’t have to travel for it. I live here. I’ll wake up that morning, I’ll go out there and just basically hang out with four buddies. And I’ll get to watch a fun match and give them some banter.”
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