Justin Thomas appears on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'

From Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club to the Ed Sullivan Theater, Justin Thomas had a whirlwind 24 hours after a final-round 71 at the Valspar Championship.

The 15-time PGA TOUR winner attended a New York Knicks game courtside at Madison Square Garden and appeared on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” Thomas and Colbert discussed the pressure of playing professional golf and Thomas’ experience at the Ryder Cup, featured in Season 2 of "Full Swing." However, the highlight of the interview was Thomas' description of what it was like to play with Michael Jordan as a 15-year-old.

“(Jordan) would always come to the Kentucky Derby, and I grew up in Louisville, Kentucky,” Thomas said. “He loves golf. He loved it then, still loves it now. He wanted to play golf when he was in town and he had a friend who he played in the NBA with, Junior Bridgeman, who was friends with my dad and put the connection together and he would come out and play my dad’s course. And I would just be lucky enough to be out there when he was playing.”

For the first two years, Thomas caddied for the group. But in the third year, Jordan came to the course and invited Thomas to play.

“He always used to call me 'little man;' he’s like, ‘Little man go get your clubs, you’re going to play the last seven holes with us,’” Thomas recalled to Colbert. “He knew that I played golf, but he didn’t know that I was decent and nobody else had any idea. So he goes, ‘I’ll take little man for whoever wants us.’”

Thomas made four birdies in seven holes and won “three or four grand,” which “helped pay for my first car.”

Thomas concluded the interview by discussing the Ryder Cup. Thomas is 7-4-2 in his Ryder Cup career but struggled at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club. He went 1-2-1 for the week. The Europeans beat the U.S., 16.5-11.5. Thomas spoke glowingly of the experience despite the result.

“I just love it because it’s an opportunity – you’re playing for something bigger than yourself," Thomas said. "You’re playing for your country, your teammates, your captains. It’s a huge, huge sporting event, and I can’t suggest it enough to people to witness it, experience it if you haven’t before.”

It was Thomas’ second appearance on a late-night television show. Thomas appeared on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" in 2022.