Justin Thomas reminisces about 2013 Palmer Cup at Wilmington Country Club

The PGA Tour heads to Delaware this week, where the game’s best will tee it up at Wilmington Country Club for the first time.

Almost all the players in this week’s field are seeing the golf course for the first time, but Justin Thomas is making a return trip after competing at Wilmington CC in the 2013 Palmer Cup, which the United States won 20.5 to 9.5.

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Thomas spoke Wednesday about the golf course and how much more severe the greens are than he remembered.

“I remember once I would get to the holes, I would remember the shape of the hole and that part of it, but I did not remember the greens at all,” Thomas said. “They have a lot of slope. They’re very difficult. You need to leave it in the right place. You can’t short-side yourself kind of thing.”

The Palmer Cup has a special place in golf, and Thomas reminisced about how meaningful it was for he and his family to be around one of the biggest legends the game has ever known.

“Mr. Palmer, I think that was his last Palmer Cup that he attended, and seeing him and greeting him on the first tee, it was at this tournament – I think it was 2013, talking to him, that I learned and he told me to write my signature to make it legible,” Thomas said. “It was from this tournament at this golf course from him where I learned that. It’s little things like that and memories like that that I’ll have. I remember my mom and my aunts getting to meet Mr. Palmer and taking a picture with him.”

Justin Thomas was a winner the last time he teed it up at Wilmington CC, as he defeated Sebastian Cappelen, 2 and 1, in his singles match at the 2013 Palmer Cup and was part of the dominant U.S. squad.

Thomas could find himself in prime position at next week’s Tour Championship if he leaves Delaware with another trophy.