Justin Thomas to make PGA Tour return at Arnold Palmer Invitational
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Brooks Koepka of the United States tees off hole 17 during the second round of the Phoenix Open on Feb 6, 2026. He failed to make the cut.
PHOTO: IMAGN IMAGES
LOS ANGELES – Justin Thomas is ready to return to competition on the golf course after spending the past three months recovering from back surgery.
After competing in the Atlanta Drive’s first of two TGL matches on Feb 23, the American quickly turned his attention to the PGA Tour’s Arnold Palmer Invitational.
“I’m excited to get back and play Bay Hill next week,” the two-time PGA Championship winner said.
That said, the 32-year-old knows that it may take a bit of time before he returns to form.
“Obviously, I would love to play well next week, but I’m also understanding that it’ll be almost five, six months since I played a competitive tournament,” he added.
“So I’m not exactly expecting anything great, but at least everybody else will be struggling with me at Bay Hill. So that’ll make me feel a little bit better.”
Thomas has not played competitively since the Ryder Cup in September. He underwent the procedure in November to address a disc issue that he said had caused “nagging hip pain” for months.
A 16-time PGA Tour winner, he finished joint-seventh in the FedExCup standings in 2025 after recording eight top-10 finishes, including winning the RBC Heritage in a play-off.
In other news, Brooks Koepka has split a US$5 million (S$6.3 million) charitable contribution between a number of causes, the PGA Tour announced on Feb 24, as the five-time Major winner continued to complete the steps outlined in his return to the tour via the Returning Member Programme.
The Tour revealed in January that the 35-year-old was set to return after his departure to LIV Golf in 2022. Per terms set up at that time, one step was a sizeable contribution to charities which it approved.
Another provision of his return included a five-year forfeiture of participation in the Player Equity Programme, which could amount to a US$50 million to US$85 million penalty, according to PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp.
The Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation will receive US$1 million of Koepka’s contribution. It is the primary charitable recipient at this week’s Cognizant Classic, which is his hometown event at Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
Another US$1.5 million will be spread out over 10 different recipients, while the remaining US$2.5 million will go to beneficiaries selected by other PGA Tour players.
Koepka has played in two events since making his return, finishing in a tie for 56th place at the Farmers Insurance Open, while failing to make the cut at the Phoenix Open.
He is entered in this week’s event as the PGA Tour makes its way to Florida following the season-opening West Coast Swing. REUTERS
