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Thomas, who also won in 2017, has only two
top-10 finishes this season and missed the cut at the Masters
last month for the first time in his career, a disappointing
run-up to the year's second major at Oak Hill Country Club.
"How I described it for a couple months is I've never felt so
far and so close at the same time. That's a very hard thing to
explain, and it's also a very hard way to try to compete and win
a golf tournament," he told reporters in Rochester on Monday.
He finished tied for 14th at the Wells Fargo Championship
earlier this month and tied for 25th at RBC Heritage in April
and said he is finally starting to see "a little bit of a light
at the end of the tunnel".
"Like anything in golf, it's easier said than done in terms of
thinking big picture, thinking process, thinking I'm going to be
better off for this and whatnot," said Thomas.
"How you learn is failure and negatives, and I feel like I've
had a great opportunity for a lot of learning the past,
whatever, six months, couple months, this year."
He will once again have the benefit of Jim "Bones" Mackay on the
bag. Thomas credited the veteran caddy with helping him navigate
his way to a thrilling finish a year ago at the major.
Thomas was seven shots back at the start of the final round but
fought his way up the leaderboard before overcoming fellow
American Will Zalatoris in a three-hole playoff.
"He's gotten to know me well enough, he can tell when I'm upset
or he can tell when I'm down on myself, to kind of almost put
your arm on your back ... and say, 'Everything is okay, you're
playing better than this'," said Thomas.
"I'm very, very lucky to have him by my side because he
definitely makes things a lot easier and better for me."
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Toby Davis)
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