KAPALUA, Hawaii – Justin Thomas apologized on Saturday afternoon for uttering a soft anti-gay slander by missing a 5-foot partial stroke on the fourth hole of the Sentry Tournament of Champions.
“It’s unforgivable,” said Thomas. “First of all, I apologize. I am an adult. I am an adult man; there is absolutely no reason for me to say something like this. It is terrible. I am extremely ashamed. I am not who I am; I am not the type of person I am or anything I do.
“Unfortunately, I did it and I have to confess it, and I’m very sorry.”
Thomas said he didn’t know he had been chosen and was a topic on social media until after his round.
Thomas finished with a 5-under 68, and he is four times behind the lead.
The PGA Tour said in a statement: “As he expressed after his round, we agreed that Justin’s comment was unacceptable.”
He will likely be fined for improper conduct for a professional, although the PGA Tour does not disclose punishment for conduct.
A year ago, Scott Piercy lost two endorsement deals for sharing an anti-gay meme mocking Democratic candidate Pete Buttigieg, who is gay, when Buttigieg announced he was suspending his campaign. Piercy also made reference to the extreme right conspiracy theory QAnon.
Patrick Reed also had to apologize in Shanghai in 2014, when he swore in conjunction with an anti-gay slander after three strokes.
Thomas, who reached the top spot in the world for a week last year, is the defending champion at Kapalua.
“It’s bad. There is no other way to put it,” said Thomas. “I need to do better; I need to be better. It is definitely a learning experience. I just … I deeply apologize to everyone and anyone that I have offended and I will be better because of it.”