(Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)
By Sam Britt
Justin Thomas apologized after he was caught on television microphones using a homophobic slur after missing a put during the Sentry Tournament of Champions, according to CNN.
Thomas missed a par putt during the fourth hole of his third round of the Hawaii based tournament and uttered the slur under his breath.
The world number three golfer spoke to the Golf Channel immediately after the round on Saturday and apologized.
"It's inexcusable," he said. "First off, I just apologize. I'm an adult. I'm a grown man, there's absolutely no reason for me to say anything like that. It's terrible. I'm extremely embarrassed. It's not who I am, it's not the kind of person that I am or anything that I do."
NPR reports this is not the first time a golfer on the PGA Tour has gotten in trouble for homophobic remarks. Last year Scott Piercy lost five sponsorships after sharing a homophobic meme on Instagram.
For many golfers, this latest incident with Thomas is just an example of the sport's culture, according to Outsports.com.
“To me that sums up the golf industry in many ways — it’s a place some people can congregate and use racist, misogynist and homophobic terms and get away with it because ‘they’re at a golf course,” said pro golfer Kyle Winn, who is gay. “It just makes me sad that the golf industry has probably lost so many golfers and possible professionals who have been turned off by these unfortunate true stereotypes.”
The PGA does not make conduct punishments public.
"As he expressed after his round, we agree that Justin's comment was unacceptable," said the PGA Tour in a statement.