Justin Thomas is out indefinitely after his “hip problem” turned out to be his spine

Justin Thomas spent months trying to ignore it. The nagging hip pain that showed up during his rounds, lingered after practice sessions, and eventually refused to go away even with rest. After his Ryder Cup appearance at Bethpage Black in late September, the 32-year-old finally got the MRI that confirmed what he didn’t want to hear—a herniated disc in his lower spine that needed immediate attention.

On Thursday at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, Thomas underwent a microdiscectomy to fix the problem. The surgery went as planned, and he was released from the hospital Friday. But the timing couldn’t be worse for one of golf’s most consistent stars.

The cost of waiting

Thomas considered his options carefully. A cortisone injection could’ve bought him time, but as he explained in his social media announcement, that was just a temporary fix. After consulting multiple doctors, he made the call no athlete wants to make—surgery over shortcuts.

“It’s a bummer, but I don’t want to have this stuff bother me the rest of my life,” Thomas said. The interesting twist? He never felt pain in his back. The herniated disc was masquerading as hip pain, fooling everyone including Thomas himself until the imaging revealed the real culprit.

What he’s missing

The casualty list is substantial. Thomas is out of the revived Skins Game on Black Friday, where he was supposed to compete alongside Xander Schauffele, Tommy Fleetwood, and Keegan Bradley at his own Panther National golf course in Florida. The Hero World Challenge the following week? Gone. The PNC Championship with his father? That’s out too. He was even scheduled to start next week at The American Express in the California desert—all of it now on hold.

His doctor’s orders are simple but restrictive: no BLT. That’s bending, lifting, or twisting. For the next few weeks, Thomas is on strict rest before he can even begin rehabilitation work in about three weeks. He could theoretically be swinging a club again in two months, but he’s not setting any target dates.

The comeback mindset

Thomas is leaning on wisdom from Jim Furyk, who once told him something that’s become his mantra during this recovery: “No one has ever come back from an injury too late.” It’s the perspective of someone who’s seen enough golf to know that patience beats rushing back broken.

This is the same Justin Thomas who ended a three-year winless drought with a victory at the RBC Heritage in April, climbed back to No. 8 in the world, and earned his fourth straight Ryder Cup appearance. He made 19 of 21 cuts in 2025, racked up eight top-10 finishes, and posted three runner-up results. The momentum was building, and now it’s paused.

The uncertainty ahead

Nobody knows when we’ll see Thomas back on tour. He’s committed to taking this recovery slowly, refusing to set artificial deadlines that might tempt him to return before he’s truly ready. The 2026 PGA Tour season starts with the Sony Open January 15-18, and Thomas has already accepted he’ll miss at least the first couple of events.

For now, his offseason plans have been replaced with rehab protocols and patience. The Skins Game organizers are scrambling to find a big-name replacement, and golf fans are left wondering when one of the game’s most popular players will return to competition. Thomas is making the smart play—taking care of his body for the long haul rather than risking his entire career for a few early-season appearances.