Justin Thomas has fast been rising through the ranks of the golfing world, boasting one major championship victory and 14 PGA Tour titles to date.
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The 27-year-old currently ranks as the No. 7 golfer in the world, one spot ahead of Dustin Johnson on the OWGR leaderboard.
So, just how did Thomas reach this level of stardom?
Well, a lot of credit belongs to his father Mike Thomas, who has been there with his son every step of his esteemed career on the golf course and is a former professional in his own right.
Who is Justin Thomas' Dad?
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Mike Thomas, much like Justin, was inspired to play golf by his own father, Paul Thomas.
Paul was a renowned golf teaching pro in Ohio. Mike was formerly a PGA of America professional but now works as a head professional at Harmony Landing Country Club in nearby Louisville, Kentucky. He frequently travels between Justin's PGA Tour events and Goshen, where he teaches.
In an interview with PGATour.com, Mike discussed the incredible drive and passion Justin displayed during his youth and how his son would spend upwards of eight hours per day practicing golf.
When it came to other sports, forget it. Mike recounted a funny anecdote regarding his son's basketball ability, during which he told his wife Jani that Justin was simply "not good."
"I love him, but compared to these guys he's got no chance. Now, he's athletic enough, he'll put it up, but he doesn't have the skill set to bounce a pass or to go - he would not go in there where people were inside. He's never going to be able to do that... But I'll tell you what: Nobody out on that court is going to hit a 3?'wood to a tucked pin over water like he is."
Well, fortunately for Mike, that realization eventually dawned upon Justin, and clearly choosing to stick to golf has paid dividends.
The star golfer and head pro won the 2020 PNC Championship in Orlando, Florida together against Tiger Woods and his son Charlie Woods.
Justin Thomas' Golf Career
Justin Thomas turned professional in 2013 and earned his first victory on the PGA Tour at the 2015 CIMB Classic in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
In 2016-17, Thomas broke out and earned PGA Tour Player of the Year after earning victories at the CIMB Classic, SBS Tournament of Champions, Sony Open, PGA Championship (his first major victory) and Dell Technologies Championship.
Thomas became the fourth golfer ever to win five events in one PGA Tour season, joining Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Jordan Spieth. He became the FedEx Cup champion after finishing runner-up at the Tour Championship.
In 2018, Thomas briefly dethroned Dustin Johnson to become the world's top-ranked golfer after a strong season that saw him earn two victories and compete in a wild sudden-death clash with Phil Mickelson at the WGC-Mexico Championship.
To arrive at the sudden death playoff, Thomas had scored an eagle to finish his final round but missed a birdie putt against Mickelson. He was also featured on the 2018 U.S. Ryder Cup team.
While Thomas has yet to record another major championship victory, he's performed well and has accumulated 14 PGA Tour wins, including THE PLAYERS Championship in 2021.
Thomas regularly competes with the likes of Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, and others at The Masters Tournament at Augusta National, the U.S. Open, and other various invitationals and golf tournaments across the globe.
No matter who he is taking advice from, whether it's his father Mike or his caddie Jimmy Johnson, Thomas is constantly seeking to refine his craft and improve his game before and after his tee times.
With his father acting as his swing coach and playing a significant role in his career for the foreseeable future, look for the 27-year-old to continue dominating on the golf course, especially with his putter. But at the end of the day, his Dad is just impressed that his son is out there dominating.
"It's wildly exceeded any expectation that we had of our son," Mike told PGATour.com. "If I told you he was going to dominate out here, I'd have been a lunatic. I was hoping he kept his card - the first year he had his card, in June I'm checking with his agent and they thought he had enough money to keep his card for next year, and I told Justin that I thought that was a big accomplishment. I said, 'You've got a job next year, I think you're a lock for your card,' and he was pissed. He's like, 'I'm not out here to keep a card, I'm out here to win.' If you ask him, he'd probably give himself a B- or C+. He wants to win all the time and he wants to win a lot of majors. So having a third or fourth does not fit his goal structure."
To finish off the Q&A, Mike added on more chestnut. "I'm not proud at all how he plays, I'm proud of the person that he is. That means more as a parent."
This post was originally published on December 18, 2020.
