Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth may be one of golf’s biggest bromances, but it seems the pair aren’t afraid to put their friendship to the side when it comes to fighting for the game’s biggest prizes
One of golf’s greatest friendships is that between U.S. stars Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas.
Spieth, 31, and Thomas, 32, have known each other since competing in junior tournaments at just 13 years old. And the pair will both be in action this week as the U.S. Open gets underway today (Thursday) at the Oakmont Country Club, Pennsylvania.
While Thomas ended his dry spell with victory at the RBC Heritage in April, Spieth will be hoping to conclude a barren period without huge success as they take on the notoriously difficult course.
Speaking on Netflix’s latest golf documentary, Full Swing, Thomas displayed his fierce side, however, by admitting that he is happy to put his 20-year long friendship with Spieth on the back-burner in order to achieve his dreams.
“He’s one of my best friends, we’re always going to pull for each other,” Thomas said on the first episode of the show. “But at the same time, I hope that I beat him in every single tournament that we play in for the rest of our life.”
Spieth is a three-time major winner, having won all of the game’s premium events bar the PGA Championship where he finished runner up in 2015. However, he has failed to clinch a major in almost eight years, with his last victory coming at The Open in 2017.
Thomas on the other hand has two majors to his name, winning the PGA Championship in 2017 and 2022. While they will be going head-to-head at Oakmont, it appears Thomas has always enjoyed a competitive streak with his closest friend.
Speaking in 2017, he opened up on how they’ve always gone toe-to-toe, regardless of the tournament and level of ability.
“I mean, we’re always competing,” he said. “Whether it was we want to be at the top of the Rolex Rankings in junior golf; we want to be the low junior golfer in the U.S.
“Amateur; we want to make the cut as an amateur in a Tour event; we want to win college player of the year and we want to lead our team’s scoring average. It’s just now we’re at the top level you can get.”
The duo, who grew especially close after playing all over the world as teenagers, have been spotted on vacation in the Bahamas together, while Spieth was also Thomas’ best man when he married Jillian Wisniewski. Despite their highly competitive nature, there is a softer side to their bromance.
In January 2024, Thomas opened up to GOLF’s Subpar podcast on his friends’ contribution to his wedding. “I hate to do this, but man, he crushed it,” Thomas said on Spieth’s best man speech.
“I’ll give him an A+. He didn’t lose the rings, which, if you know Jordan, that’s always on the table. He had a great speech. Didn’t throw me under the bus but also had a few subtle jabs in there.”
Spieth and Thomas also purchased shares in the 49ers group, which own English Premier League side Leeds United. Yet, alliances will once again be cast aside as the pair battle it out for the U.S. Open.
With Oakmont’s damp conditions spooking some of the finest names in the game – from Bryson DeChambeau to Rory McIlroy – Spieth, who is still battling back after wrist surgery, has revealed that he is ready for whatever Oakmont throws his way.
“This course is built to be like this,” he told the Associated Press recently. “So they’re not doing a whole lot different to the golf course. You hit a good shot, you get rewarded for it here. And if you don’t, you’re in big trouble. It’s pure golf, no funny business about it.”
Subscribe to our golf newsletter for all the latest news and views from the PGA Tour, LIV Golf and beyond