Throwback Thursday: JT kicks off breakthrough year in style
Justin Thomas had a 2017 to remember but let’s take a look back at where it all began
The Background
Ahead of the 2017 PGA Tour season Justin Thomas – or ‘JT’ to his friends and, well, everyone else – was always known as ‘that bloke’ who hung around with golf’s young superstars Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler.
Well, step out of the shadows JT it’s your time.
In January 2017 his OWGR (official world golf ranking) sat at a respectable 22 but with only one win to his name on Tour it’s safe to say not many people knew much about the Kentucky native.
As soon as the now 24-year-old stepped off the plane in Hawaii it was all about to change.
The Scene
The Tournament of Champions kicked off the New Year in style boasting a star-studded field in Kapalua.
Thomas carded rounds of 67-67-67-69 for a total of 270 to finish three strokes clear of second-placed Hideki Matsuyama with best friend Spieth a further three shots back.
Little did we know this was a sign of things to come.
The Legacy
Fast forward eight months to the season finale Tour Championship and Justin Thomas is a man everyone knows all too well.
Five tournament victories, including a breakthrough major win at the PGA Championship, throughout the year helped Thomas to finish 2017 on top of the FedEx Cup pile earning himself a lucrative $10 million in the process.
JT set countless records, including becoming the youngest ever to shoot 59, oh and there was THAT round at the US Open.
You’re no longer in the shadows now, Justin – but what will 2018 hold for one of golf’s rising stars?
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Tom Irwin
Tom is a lifetime golfer, now over 30 years playing the game. 2023 marks 10 years in golf publishing and he is still holding down a + handicap at Alwoodley in Leeds. He has played over 600 golf courses, and has been a member of at least four including his first love Louth, in Lincolnshire. Tom likes unbranded clothing, natural fibres, and pencil bags. Seacroft in Lincolnshire is where it starts and ends.
