Justin Thomas – The Making of a Champion

A former World Number One, Justin Louis Thomas is an American professional golfer who competes on the PGA Tour. Thomas was born on April 29, 1993. Thomas had a breakthrough year in 2017, winning the FedEx Cup and five PGA Tour competitions. He won the PGA Championship in 2017 and 2022, giving him two major golf championship victories. Thomas rose to the top of the Official World Golf Ranking for the 21st time in May 2018.

Personal Details:

Full name	Justin Louis Thomas
Nickname	JT
Born	April 29, 1993 (age 29) Louisville, Kentucky
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight	160 lb (73 kg; 11 st)
Sporting nationality	United States
Residence	Jupiter, Florida

Career:

College	University of Alabama
Turned professional	2013
Current tour(s)	PGA Tour European Tour
Former tour(s)	Web.com Tour
Professional wins	17
Highest ranking	1 (May 13, 2018) (5 weeks)

Number of wins by tour:

PGA Tour                                  15
European Tour                           4
Asian Tour                                  2
Korn Ferry Tour                          1
Other                                           1

Best results in major championships (wins: 2):

Masters Tournament	4th: 2020
PGA Championship	Won: 2017, 2022
U.S. Open	T8: 2020
The Open Championship	T11: 2019

Achievements and awards:

Haskins Award	2012
FedEx Cup Champion	2017
PGA Tour leading money winner	2016–17, 2017–18, 2019–20
PGA Player of the Year	2017, 2020
PGA Tour Player of the Year	2016–17

Early years and education

Thomas was raised in Louisville, Kentucky, where he was born on April 29, 1993. He was a student at North Oldham Middle. He participated in the Wyndham Championship on the PGA Tour in August 2009, just before entering his junior year of high school, and at the age of 16 years, 3 months, and 24 days, he was the third-youngest player to make the cut. 2011 saw Thomas complete his studies at St. Xavier High School.

Thomas competed in collegiate golf at the University of Alabama, where he led the Crimson Tide six times. He received the Haskins Award as the best collegiate golfer in 2012 as a freshman. He played for the 2013 national champions.

Since 1990, Mike Thomas, Thomas’ father, has served as the club’s head professional at Goshen, Kentucky’s Harmony Landing Country Club. Thomas was a devoted Louisville Cardinals supporter growing up.

Professional career

Thomas became a professional in 2013 and obtained his Web.com Tour tour card through qualifying college. At the 2014 Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship, he won his first career match. Thomas won a PGA Tour card for the 2015 season by placing third after the Web.com Tour Finals and fifth overall in the regular season of the 2014 Web.com Tour. With fourth-place finishes at the Quicken Loans National and Sanderson Farms Championship as his finest results, Thomas finished in seven top-10s and fifteen top-25s in 2015. At the FedEx Cup on the PGA Tour, he came in 32nd and came up short in the race for Rookie of the Year to Daniel Berger.

By defeating Adam Scott by one shot at the CIMB Classic in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on November 1, 2015, Thomas achieved his maiden PGA Tour triumph. During the final round, he survived a double bogey on the 14th hole and sank a six-foot (1.8 m) par putt to win by one shot. Thomas had earlier achieved a course record of 61 in the second round, helping the team finish at 26 under par.

2016–17 PGA Tour: five wins, first major, FedEx Cup champion, Player of the Year

2017–21 PGA Tour

2021–22 PGA Tour: one win, second major

Controversy

On January 9, 2021, Thomas faced criticism for using a homophobic slur to vent his rage during the third round of the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii. Sponsors Ralph Lauren and Woodford Reserve severed their ties with Thomas despite his sincere apologies and description of his words as “inexcusable.”

Amateur wins

• 2010 Terra Cotta Invitational
• 2012 Jones Cup Invitational

Professional wins

• PGA Tour Wins 15

Major championships (2)

Players Championships (1)

World Golf Championships (2)

FedEx Cup playoff events (2)

Other PGA Tour (8)