[ad_1]
Justin Thomas intends to go on an individual training program to “become a better person” after being caught uttering a homophobic slur under his breath when he missed a putt at a tournament in Hawaii this month -this.
Clothing brand Ralph Lauren ended its long-standing partnership with Thomas following the incident two weeks ago, which the No.3-ranked U.S. golfer described as “humiliating and embarrassing and that’s not me.
Thomas has spoken to his other sponsors – Titleist, FootJoy and World Bank Citi are among those listed on his official website – and hopes they will support him as he seeks to educate himself and restore his reputation.
“It’s not a word I use,” Thomas said Wednesday, referring to the insult he let slip by missing a 5-foot putt through the fourth hole in the Sentry Tournament of Champions, “but for some reason it was there and that’s what I’m trying to figure out – why it was in there.
“And like I said, it will be part of this process and this training program, whatever I have to do, not only to prove myself to myself, but also to prove to my sponsors and to prove to the people who do not know who I am this. it is indeed not who I am.
Ralph Lauren, who has sponsored Thomas since he turned pro, said he was “discouraged” by his language and made the decision to end his association with the player due to his responsibility to his games. stakeholders.
Speaking from the Abu Dhabi Championship, where he will play this week in a rare appearance on the European Tour, Thomas said he was upset but respected Ralph Lauren’s decision.
“I spoke with them, with all my sponsors, and although I apologized, as was the case at the time, this is an opportunity for me to grow and I felt like it was something that we could have done together and go through this process, ”he said. . “They just felt like they had to move on, that’s exactly what I do too.
“I wasn’t disappointed,” added Thomas, “because I put them in a terrible position. I was just more upset. I had a great relationship with a lot of people there and like I said we got to do it all together.
Pushed on the training program he intends to take, Thomas said he would keep it “on a personal level”.
“Obviously people are going to be a part of this process,” he said. “But what I’m doing I’d like to keep internally and go through the appropriate steps to get to where I need to be and want to be, so people understand that’s not who I am, the character that I like to play. “
The Abu Dhabi Championship starts Thursday and is Thomas’ first test since the Kapalua incident. He will take part in the tournament for the first time in what will only be his fourth start in a regular European Tour event.
Rory McIlroy will play in the same squad as Thomas for the first two rounds at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, and doesn’t expect the issue to affect the American’s game.
“He might not be so ignorant to offend people – obviously what he said was offensive to a large part of the population,” McIlroy said. “He will be better at it, he will learn, he will move on and he will be as good a golfer as he always has been.
“And, if anything, it’ll make him a better person than he already is, which is difficult because he’s already a great guy.”
[ad_2]
Source link