Justin Thomas – First Major Triumph
Let’s go back to the summer of 2017. A then 24-year-old Justin Thomas conquered the golfing world by winning the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow. He came back from an opening round 73 to win by two shots at 8-under.
He began the final round two shots back but surpassed Hideki Matsuyama and overnight leader Kevin Kisner on the back nine to secure his maiden major victory.
Embed from Getty ImagesStart of Pro Career
Justin Thomas emerged onto the scene when he turned professional in 2013 before earning his full PGA Tour card for the 2015 season. Coming out of Alabama where he went to college, Thomas was seen as a bit of a young prospect. His rise was analogous to that of his good friend Jordan Spieth. It is well documented that the pair played junior golf together and became close from a young age.
Thomas did not win his first Tour event until November 2015, when Spieth had already won two majors. But JT began to find his feet on Tuour and racked up a handful of wins before his major win in Charlotte in 2017. He had been in the final grouping at the US Open that year after equalling the lowest round ever on Saturday shooting 63. But he faltered on Sunday to finish in a tie for ninth.
Justin Thomas – Rise to the Top
Following his major win, Justin also became only the fourth golfer ever to win five times in a single year, including a major, before turning 25. He joined the likes of Jordan Spieth, Tiger Woods, and Jack Nicklaus. A mere month after the PGA win, Thomas then won the FedEx Cup at East Lake, rounding off a perfect year.
Justin was then predicted to push on and cement himself as one of the best golfers on the planet for years to come. He had his whole career ahead of him. He had got over the major hump and reached number one in the world in 2018.
Embed from Getty ImagesStriving for Success
But golf just isn’t that easy. There are so many talented golfers on Tour that it makes it incredibly difficult to win any tournament, let alone the majors. Thomas continued to reel off Tour wins and was widely considered as one of the top players.
He debuted at the Ryder Cup in Paris at the end of 2018. Despite the USA losing to Europe, Justin was one of the few standouts from his team, going 4-1-0, and beating Rory McIlroy in singles on Sunday – the first match to go out.
It would be half a decade before Thomas would win his second major. Again, it was the PGA Championship, this time it was at Southern Hills. He beat youngster Will Zalatoris in a playoff after producing an extraordinary final round. This was after the PGA was moved from August to May, providing slightly different conditions and also a different place on the calendar.
Embed from Getty ImagesJustin Thomas – Career Outlook
Two majors is still an accomplishment, but Thomas probably feels like he deserves more. He still has time to win more, but has he passed his prime? Now 30 years old, and with the depth of skilled golfers wider on Tour, it makes it harder for JT to get back into the major winning circle. There are only four chances every year where a major can be won. And, at this moment in time, it seems as if Thomas is far from that.
Recent Struggles
Last year in 2023, Justin Thomas had the worst year of his professional career. All top players have slumps, it is natural in golf for that to happen. But Thomas’ slump was not only prolonged, it was meteoric. To see him struggle so much in basically every facet of his game, after being on top of the world only a few years ago was alarming.
Justin missed out on the FedEx Cup finale in September for the first time in what was a winless campaign. The Kentucky man also needed to be a Captain pick for the Ryder Cup in Rome. This followed debates in the golf media on whether he should be picked at all.
The makeup of Justin Thomas has always been his stellar approach play. Even in his best year on Tour in 2016/17, he was 43rd in putting. This season, he is currently ranked 149th on Tour and is losing over half a stroke on the greens per round.
Looking to the Future
Justin Thomas appears to be slowly getting back to somewhere near his best. But he is far from the player he was a few years ago. We have seen a similar demise from his friend Jordan Spieth, who has himself struggled of late.
Golf is such a unique sport where every week, every day even, is different. You could play light out one day, then not be able to find the middle of the face the next.
As we enter the major season in 2024, the pinnacle of the sport, Thomas will be hoping to find some form with the short stick and keep his swing ticking.
JT has had an interesting career. He has 15 Tour wins as he gets into his 30’s. He will arguably look back on his career so far and think that he has had some outstanding achievements.
But he will want to do more and hope that last season’s form was just a blip. Will we see Justin Thomas back on top of the golfing world again?
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