Justin Thomas apologizes after mic picks up anti-gay slur following missed putt

Justin Thomas ended wishing he could redo his finish on the fourth hole in the Tournament of Champions, in more ways than one.

Thomas, the third-ranked golfer in the world, missed a short par putt during the third round of the event at Kapalua’s Plantation Course in Hawaii. As he walked over and prepared to tap the ball in for bogey, Golf Channel microphones picked up him muttering an anti-gay slur (NSFW warning).

At the end of the round, Thomas was brought forward by Golf Channel to address the slur:

Justin Thomas apologizes pic.twitter.com/p10jwyMp0n

— Oma Golf (@oma_golf) January 10, 2021

“It’s inexcusable,” Thomas said. “First off, I just apologize. I mean, there’s no excuse. I’m an adult. I’m a grown man. There’s absolutely no reason for me to say anything like that. It’s terrible.

“I’m extremely embarrassed. It’s not who I am, it’s not the kind of person that I am or anything that I do, but it’s, unfortunately, I did it and I have to own up to it and I’m very apologetic.”

Thomas, the defending champion of the event, currently sits in a tie for fifth place at 17 under par in the Tournament of Champions. The PGA Tour has not commented on the matter as of Saturday night, so it’s unclear if any discipline is coming.

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