PITTSBURGH — On his way to the Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio, Justin Thomas stopped at Oakmont Country Club to get in a practice round for the 125th U.S. Open that was still two weeks away.

Thomas, the fifth-ranked player in the world, and his caddie Matt Minister wanted to get some early preparation before the crowds and players converge on Oakmont for the third major of the season. So they played alone last Monday and did some homework before Thomas and a field of 156 players head to the U.S. Open that begins June 12.

"Practice rounds, especially in U.S. Opens, have gotten pretty long and can be a little difficult to get all the work done that week," Thomas said. "So I felt like it was a better use of my time."

His reaction?

"It's still tough," Thomas said. "I would say all of the rumors and everything are pretty on point."

Thomas, a 16-time winner on the PGA Tour, had just one official victory when he played at Oakmont in the 2016 U.S. Open. He finished tied for 32nd at 8-over 288, 12 shots behind winner Dustin Johnson, after making 17 bogeys and four double-bogeys in four days. Curiously, he made two of the double-bogeys in the second round, when he shot 69.

Thomas has a pair of top-10 finishes in 10 U.S. Open appearances, but he has missed the cut each of the past two years. What's more, he has missed the cut in six of his past 10 major tournaments. He is hoping to change that at Oakmont, where he has strong family connections in the area.

His dad, Mike, was a former assistant at nearby Fox Chapel Golf Club and head professional at now-defunct Cherrington Golf Club (formerly Montour Heights) in Moon in the late 1980s. His mom, Jani, is from Penn Hills. Thomas, 32, wasn't born until his parents moved to Goshen, Ky., where his dad was head professional at Harmony Landing Country Club.

"Generally, the place doesn't change very much," Thomas said. "I think that the years I haven't played well, I don't think it's necessarily from a lack of course knowledge. It's more of an execution standpoint. "

Thomas, though, had a breakout season the following year, winning five times, including the PGA Championship and FedEx Cup championship. He eventually ascended to No. 1 in the official world golf rankings.

After going nearly two years without a win when he dropped to No. 26 in the world rankings, Thomas has had a nice bounce-back season. He has finished second three times in 12 starts and ended his victory drought when he won the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head, beating Andrew Novak on the first playoff hole. His only missed cut came in the PGA Championship.

He was headed for an early exit at the Memorial when he opened with an 80. But he birdied three of the final five holes to shoot 69 on Friday and made the cut on the number.

All part of the mental fight that has been part of his bounce-back. And a good time for it to happen.

"This part of the season can get pretty busy and hectic, and I think it becomes more difficult to be sharp mentally," Thomas said. "But that's not the case for everybody. I think some guys are maybe in a little bit more of a groove mentally or physically or whatever it may be.

"If you could choose to be 100 percent at one, what would it be, especially at a major championship or at a U.S. Open like Oakmont? I would like to think my 100 percent physical would produce some pretty good mental, as well. But is it the chicken or the egg? You never know. But you just hope that they're both as high as possible."

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