Justin Thomas insists there will be no ‘asterisk’ next to his name if he wins The Players Championship for a second time…despite a diminished field in 2024 without LIV Golf stars

Justin Thomas says there won’t be an asterisk next to his name if he wins the Players Championship for a second time despite the dwindling strength of the field.

The PGA Tour’s flagship event, a self-described fifth major because it has historically had the deepest lineup on tour, has been noticeably weakened by the exclusion of LIV golfers.

This year’s tournament, which begins Thursday, will be played without three of the last five big winners – Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka and Cameron Smith – but Thomas, the 2021 champion, has downplayed their absence as self-inflicted.

He said: ‘It has been the best golf course for many previous years. Yes, you can always argue that there are other tournaments that are or are not. The PGA Championship has been the deepest field in terms of the most top 100 players, and I’m not just saying that for selfish reasons, it’s just the truth.

“I know what you mean in terms of world rankings and guys who are already on the Tour or not, but that’s the reality they’ve gotten themselves into. I’m not going to have an asterisk next to my name to win this because the field wasn’t very good, right?

World number three and 2023 Masters champion Jon Rahm is among the notable names who will be absent from the event

Viktor Hovland (pictured) has added a strong voice to Tour commissioner Jay Monahan’s criticism of his handling of the civil war with LIV last year.

Meanwhile, Viktor Hovland has added a strong voice to Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan’s criticism of last year’s handling of the civil war with LIV. The world No. 4 remains unhappy about the secretive nature of Monahan’s proposed and yet to be finalized merger with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.

Calling on Monahan to “own” his “mistakes,” Hovland said, “Some things were said that have been backtracked and then things have been very contradictory.”

‘As a leader of an organization, I would want a person like that to take responsibility and say, “Hey, we made a couple of mistakes, but this is how we’re going to rectify it,” instead of sweeping it away. swept under the rug, which I felt had already been done to some extent.

‘I don’t care if people make mistakes. We all make mistakes. But I think when you make a mistake you have to own up to it and say, hey, we’re trying to do better here and this is how we’re going to do it.

‘I just think there has to be some reconciliation between being a member organization where the leadership represents the members and then decisions are made without the players knowing about these decisions, or even having the information present. “I think there has to be some transparency.”

Monahan (pictured) was endorsed by Thomas and Rory McIlroy.

Hovland’s criticism came a week when Xander Schauffele revealed the lack of “trust” PGA Tour golfers feel in Monahan. Rory McIlroy has since thrown his support behind the commissioner, a stance shared by Thomas, who said: “I think Jay is just one part of the huge group of people who have been pushing for all the changes and progress that the Tour”.

“So I’m pleased with all the latest things that have been happening and are happening, and Jay has been a part of that group, so I think this is much bigger than one person sitting there and making all the decisions.”