Golfer Justin Thomas on Saturday apologized for using a homophobic disappearance after missing a shot.
A microphone picked up Thomas using the slur after failing to make a stop during the third round of the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii.
“There is absolutely no reason for me to say such a thing. “It’s terrible,” Thomas told the Golf Channel after the game. “There’s just no excuse.”
Thomas, who could not be reached immediately on Sunday, told the Golf Channel the comments did not reflect who he was, and said he was “very apologetic”.
“As he said after his round, we agree that Justin’s comments were unacceptable,” the PGA said in a statement Sunday.
The Human Rights Campaign, the country’s largest LGBTQ rights group, condemned the failure. “This kind of discriminatory language is causing real damage, and there is no place for it in sports. We must continue to work for greater inclusion and acceptance,” HRC President Alphonso David said on Twitter.
Thomas, 27, is a former world golfer and has won more than ten PGA Tour appearances.
