Justin Thomas returns to Japan at Zozo Championship for final start before birth of first child

Justin Thomas has 15 PGA Tour victories. Four of those have come in Asia.

His first two PGA Tour wins came in Malaysia at the CIMB Classic in 2015 and 2016. A year later, he won the CJ Cup in South Korea. In 2019, he added a second victory at the CJ Cup in South Korea.

This week, the 31-year-old Thomas returns to the largest continent in the world in search of his first victory since the 2022 PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club. He's one of the numerous stars teeing it up in Chiba, Japan, at the 2024 Zozo Championship, the PGA Tour's lone regular season event in Asia this year. It's his first time playing in the event since 2019, which was the inaugural tournament.

It's also his last start before becoming a dad. Thomas' wife, Jillian, is due with the couple's first child, a girl, in late November.

"Any golf shot or situation I am in this week, it's not going to be anything close to as hard as it's going to be in a month or so when our little one comes," Thomas said Tuesday in his pre-tournament press conference. "We're very fortunate with the timing of being able ... for me being able to come here. I think reality will probably set in when I'm flying home and then when I get home because it will be getting in crunch time."

Zozo Championship: Thursday tee times

Thomas will make his first start at the Zozo since the Tour Championship, where he finished T-14. He's coming off a season where he had more top-10 finishes (5) than he did missed cuts (4), but he remains in search of win No. 16.

In 2019, Thomas finished T-17 at the Zozo, but that week belonged to Tiger Woods, who tied the PGA Tour's all-time wins mark with his 82nd.

"It was a very obviously historic moment, historic week," Thomas said. "The tournament didn't get the hype and the buzz and the atmosphere it deserved, but naturally anything that Tiger wins is going to amplify that. I think him having that historic win brought that energy and just gave the tournament kind of the recognition I feel like it deserved, or deserves."

Another reason the 2019 tournament is remembered is because of a typhoon that hit Japan, bringing torrential downpours. Thomas said it was the most rain he had ever seen in a single day.

This year, the forecast calls for possible showers early Friday morning, but otherwise, it's going to be a stellar week for players and fans alike.

"It's just a great opportunity for us to come play in front of different fans," Thomas said. "I mean, how excited everybody is to see so many of us that play on Tour, it's really cool. I mean, they make us feel very welcome and so excited for us to be here."

This week, Thomas' focus is on the golf course, a place he's focused on finding as many fairways and greens as he can. It's likely to be his last start of 2024, and then he can turn his attention to being a father.

How ready is he for that chapter?

"I don't think you ever are," Thomas said while laughing. "All I know is I'll be as ready as I possibly can, and we're going to make the most out of every situation we can. I can't tell you honestly if I'm ready because I've never done it before. I'll let you know in a couple months.

"It will be a challenge in different ways but one that we're excited for."

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Justin Thomas returns to Japan at Zozo Championship for final start before birth of first child