Justin Thomas plans to go through an individual training program to “become a better person” after he was caught uttering a homophobic slander under his breath when he missed a shot at a tournament in Hawaii this month.
Clothing brand Ralph Lauren ended its longtime sponsorship with Thomas after the incident two weeks ago, which the third American golfer described as “humiliating and embarrassing, and it’s not me”.
Thomas spoke to his other sponsors – Titleist, FootJoy and the global bank Citi are among those listed on their official website – and hopes they will support him as he seeks to educate himself and restore his reputation.
“It’s not a word I use,” said Thomas on Wednesday, referring to the slander he made when he missed a 5-foot stroke on the fourth hole of the Sentry Tournament of Champions, “but for some reason it was there. trying to figure out – why it was there.
“And like I said, it will be part of that process and training program, whatever I need to do, not just to prove myself, but to prove to my sponsors and to prove to people who don’t know who I am this is really not the person I am. “
Ralph Lauren, who has sponsored Thomas since he became a professional, said he was “discouraged” with his language and decided to end his association with the player because of the responsibility he has with his stakeholders.
Talking about the Abu Dhabi Championship, where he will play this week in a rare participation on the European Tour, Thomas said he was upset, but respected Ralph Lauren’s decision.
“I spoke to them, along with all my sponsors and, although I apologized, it is an opportunity for me to grow and I felt it was something we could have done together and go through this process,” he said. “They felt they needed to move on, so that’s exactly what I’m doing, too.
“I was not disappointed,” added Thomas, “because I put them in a terrible position. I was just more upset. I had a great relationship with many people there and, as I said, we had the opportunity to do everything together. “
Driven by the training program he plans to follow, Thomas said he would keep it “on a personal level”.
“Obviously, people will be part of that process,” he said. “But what I am doing, I would like to keep internally and just follow the appropriate steps to get where I need and want to be, so that people understand that I am not the person I am, the character I like to play. “
The Abu Dhabi Championship starts Thursday and is Thomas’ first race since the Kapalua incident. He will be playing the tournament for the first time in what will only be his fourth participation in a regular European Tour event.
Rory McIlroy will play in the same group as Thomas for the first two rounds at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club and does not expect the problem to affect the American’s game
“He may not be so ignorant to offend people – obviously, what he said was offensive to a large part of the population,” said McIlroy. “He will improve, he will learn, he will move on and he will be as good a player as he has always been.
“And at the very least, it will make him a better person than he already is, which is difficult because he is already a nice guy.”