His grandfather is a PGA of America professional, so is his dad.
Stardom on the PGA Tour is no guarantee, it has to be earned and Justin Thomas has made his teaching lineage proud.
Thomas has long been billed as an upcoming star on the PGA Tour. After Sunday’s gritty victory at the Tournament of Champions, that Thomas star is rising rapidly.
He might be 150 pounds with rocks in his pockets but after watching his performance down the stretch at Kapalua Sunday, you might get the impression that Thomas’ heart weighs 150.
His third PGA Tour win did not come easily although it looked like it might. Five shot leads with five to play are typically safe, especially when a talent like Thomas latches on to one.
Golf happened to Thomas at the 14th and 15th holes on the Plantation Course at Kapalua and suddenly after a Hideki Matsuyama eagle at the 14th then wild hook second shot by Thomas at the 15th that ended up with a seven on his scorecard, it was time for Thomas to dig deep and that’s exactly what he did.
He had the heart to scratch out a birdie-birdie finish to finish off Matsuyama, who did not go quietly on Sunday.
“Thanks for sticking around,” Thomas said to long-time pal Jordan Spieth, who was waiting for him at the 18th green. Mom and Dad Thomas were there all day, following their son. Mom couldn’t help but shed tears as her boy holed that final birdie putt for his first win in the United States.
“I had some woes out there,” Thomas would say afterward. He also had grit and guts and super shots when he needed them most.
He was left off the 2016 Ryder Cup team but that won’t happen again.
Thomas is bound higher heights on the PGA Tour and you get the feeling that the door has been opened for a lot more Sundays like the one we saw in Hawaii.
For his work, Thomas earned an “A Plus.”
Here’s a look at how some of the other stars fared:
Jordan Spieth: For three days Spieth suffered with his “C” game then on Sunday his “A” game appeared. Out of the 72 holes at Kapalua, he played eight of them in 12-over par. That means he played the other 64 in a mind-boggling 28-under par. “A top five finish with a significant amount of mistakes gives me a lot of confidence going into next week,” Spieth said of his play. It might even bode well for his chances at the season’s first major in April.
Dustin Johnson: He quietly finished sixth at 15-under par. You didn’t hear his name much but you will when the majors roll around this year.
Jason Day: A tie for 12th wasn’t what he was looking for but Day had to be happy with the fact that his back came out of 72 holes feeling fine. “The body felt great. The back held up great,” Day said after his week’s work was done. He’ll have time off to improve his play. We will see him at Torrey Pines in three weeks.
Pat Perez: A huge start for the 40-year-old as his comeback continues. After shooting 16-under and earning a tie for third with D.J. and Ryan Moore, Perez declared that he may soon cut his flowing hair. “It’s a pain-in-the-ass to take care of,” he said matter-of-factly.
Patrick Reed: He finished tied for sixth but you wonder if he might win more often if he could rant and scream and turn red-in-the-head the way he does in the Ryder Cup matches.
Tony Finau: Sky’s the limit for this guy, especially if he can learn to putt.
Jimmy Walker: Another great start like he’s been known for in the past but now he’s shown that he can play late in the season as well.
Bubba Watson: You wonder what’s in store for Watson now that he’s switched golf balls and couldn’t make his way into contention last week.
Ryan Moore: A tie for sixth shows he’s still in the form he had late last season when he played well enough to earn a Ryder Cup berth.
The tour stays in Hawaii this week for the Sony Open.
Spieth and Walker are two names who will stay in the islands and two guys to watch at Waialae.
