“I have a hard time viewing myself as that" - Justin Thomas isn’t ‘quite ready’ to call himself a veteran on US Ryder Cup team

Justin Thomas is appearing in his fourth straight Ryder Cup and is among the most experienced players on the team. However, he still does not view himself as a veteran, as he is not ready to be called ‘older’.

Thomas is in New York this week for the Ryder Cup 2025, which tees off on Friday, September 26. On Tuesday, September 23, Thomas addressed the media at the pre-event press conference.

During the pre-event presser, Thomas was asked if he saw himself as part of the leadership group given his ample experience at the Ryder Cup.

"I have a hard time viewing myself as that," he said. "I don't know if I'm quite ready to call myself the veteran because I think I associate the veteran with an older player and I'm just not quite ready for that yet. It's coming at me head on. It's just the reality."

"But I'm going to be anything that I feel like I need to be for this team, for certain players, for the captains. Yeah, I know that I'm one of the leaders on the team, but I don't think there's necessarily one person on the team the last handful or couple times I've been on that I'm like, this is the person that when in doubt, you're looking at them like what do we do or what's going on kind of thing," he continued.

Thomas added that this is what makes this team different and special compared to past editions.

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How has Justin Thomas performed at the Ryder Cup in the past?

Justin Thomas has been part of three Ryder Cups so far and has a strong record at the biennial event. Overall, he is 7–4–2 in 13 matches and has collected eight points.

Justin Thomas played his first Ryder Cup in 2018 and made an immediate impact. The US team faced a humiliating 17.5–10.5 defeat, but he emerged as the joint second-highest point getter of the tournament and the best performer for the team. He finished with 4 points in five matches, with an overall scoreline of 4–1–0.

Thomas returned to the team in 2021 and helped the US post a thumping 19–9 win at Wisconsin. Eventually, he collected 2.5 points and finished with a scoreline of 2–1–1.

Justin Thomas returned to the team in 2023 with questions surrounding his selection. The two-time major champion was struggling with form, and this proved to be his worst outing in the biennial event. He went winless and finished with 1 point and a scoreline of 0–2–2.

The 16-time PGA Tour champion is back in form and will be hoping to help the US secure a third straight win at home.