Justin Thomas and Scottie Scheffler, once young guns, are now mentors on the PGA Tour

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — It doesn't seem like it was that long ago that Justin Thoms and Scottie Scheffler were the young guns on Tour. They had their PGA Tour coming-of-age moments a few years apart but they're roughly the same age. Thomas is 31, Scheffler is 28.

They are by no means two of the old guys on Tour. That said, might we be seeing a changing of the guard of sorts?

At the 2025 WM Phoenix Open, Thomas is playing his first two rounds with fellow former Alabama golfer Nick Dunlap, 21, and Luke Clanton, 21, who's still playing college golf at Florida State.

"It's crazy, man," he said after his Thursday round, adding that he's never played on Tour with two golfers 10 years younger than him. He then quipped: "It's wild. I definitely was doing a little babysitting out there."

Scheffler has a good relationship with Clanton, who's made eight of 10 cuts with four top-10s on the PGA Tour, all as an amateur. Clanton has called Scheffler one of his role models.

"First of all, I saw Luke yesterday and I was going to ask him what his status was in terms of getting his card because I feel like I've been seeing him so much playing tournaments that I didn't know if he was still in college or not, so asked him yesterday 'Are you still in school?', and he's like, 'Well, yeah'. I'm like, 'Okay, good. You passing some classes?'," Scheffler said Wednesday ahead of the tournament.

Thomas is playing the WM Phoenix Open for the 11th time. This is his 12th year on the PGA Tour, having turned pro in 2013. He has 15 wins including two majors. Scheffler turned pro in 2018 and has 13 wins, all since his first victory in the 2022 Phoenix Open.

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: WM Phoenix Open 2025: Justin Thomas, Scottie Scheffler role models now