Justin Thomas urges athletes to get checked for skin cancer

| 12 September 2019

The former world number one had a health scare of his own recently.

Former world number one Justin Thomas has urged his fellow golfers and athletes to get check-ups after he had a skin cancer scare.

Posting on Instagram, the 2017 USPGA champion said he found a "very small mole at a time when there should be no problems going forward".

However, the 26-year-old American added how fortunate he was and urged anyone else who is regularly exposed to the sun to take caution.

View this post on Instagram

I recently had a scare at the dermatologist where a very small mole on my left leg was caught in the early stages of melanoma. Luckily, we found it at a time where there should be no problems going forward. That being said, EVERYBODY GO GET CHECKED!! No harm can come from it and it's the best way to catch anything before it becomes a serious issue. Especially for all the junior golfers (and other athletes) spending so much time in the sun. It is so important to make sure you're monitoring your body – no matter how old you are or how much sunscreen you use. It really got my attention, and hoping it does the same to y'all!

A post shared by Justin Thomas (@justinthomas34) on Sep 12, 2019 at 12:54pm PDT

"I recently had a scare at the dermatologist where a very small mole on my left leg was caught in the early stages of melanoma," he said.

"Luckily, we found it at a time where there should be no problems going forward. That being said, EVERYBODY GO GET CHECKED!! No harm can come from it and it's the best way to catch anything before it becomes a serious issue.

"Especially for all the junior golfers (and other athletes) spending so much time in the sun. It is so important to make sure you're monitoring your body – no matter how old you are or how much sunscreen you use. It really got my attention, and hoping it does the same to y'all!"