Justin Thomas will play his first golf competition of 2026 at SoFi Center on Monday when the Atlanta Drive team returns to action for the fourth round of the TGL season. Thomas announced on Instagram that he would be performing at the event with the help of country music star Luke Bryan, posting, “See you Monday.”
Thomas underwent a microdiscectomy to repair a back problem and was cleared to return to full golf activity last week after being out since November 2025. Testing the waters at TGL before his PGA Tour debut makes sense. Because simulator golf leagues are a comfortable way to safely return to competitive golf and see how your body reacts when you take a swing without having to worry about walking around for 18 holes.
Thomas is coming off a resurgent 2025 season that saw him return to the top 10 in the world rankings with his first win at RBC Heritage since 2022. He dropped to No. 14 during his inactivity since the start of the 2026 season, but hopes he can quickly return to the form he showed last year as he resolves his back issues.
As I shared in last month’s post, if all goes to plan, Thomas is aiming to return at some point during the Florida swing.
“My recovery is going well,” Thomas posted in January. “I’m slowly gaining strength and conditioning back in the gym and also hitting wedges and short irons. Small wins and patience are the biggest parts of the process. I’m taking it slow and listening to how I feel each day! I hope to return to competition at some point during the Florida swing. I know how important it is to get through this injury, so I’m only thinking ahead during the season.”
The PGA Tour’s journey through the Sunshine State begins next week at the Cognizant Classic. Signature events will follow in three weeks at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the PGA Tour’s flagship event, The Players Championship.
Playing in the TGL will allow Thomas to evaluate his body and his play before testing both outdoors against the best players in the world. If Thomas performs well at SoFi Center on Monday and his body responds accordingly, Thomas could return to the PGA Tour in early March.
