JUSTIN time? It was always a question of when not if

JUSTIN THOMAS ascended to the top of the World rankings following last week’s Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass.

The American’s T11 finish was enough to knock Dustin Johnson off the summit. In truth, it was only a matter of time.

In the past 17 months, Thomas has won six PGA Tour titles, including a maiden major at the US PGA last August.

This season alone, he has picked up two wins, five top-10 finishes and leads the Fedex Cup rankings.

At 25, he is the fourth youngest to hold the No1 spot since its inception in 1986, behind Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth and Rory Mcilroy.

Much has been made of his friendship with Spieth and I’ve no doubt that bond has served as a personal motivation in recent times.

He lurked in Spieth’s shadow a couple of years ago, but he has grown alongside one of the top modern day players and realised he is just as good.

Sometimes when you see a peer achieve great things – particularly at a young age – it can impact in a negative way, but Thomas has used it as a spur. His family has also been at the heart of his success. His dad has always been his coach and they seem to have a very good understanding of their roles. The parent/child connection is easily the most powerful influence for a budding sports person and when the combination works, it really works.

It has helped him become the player he is today.

Thomas was a standout player from a young age and leaving college after only two years was a bold move because success is not always guaranteed in professional golf.

But he believed in himself and earned his card in his first Web. com Tour season.

Can he become a dominant World No1? That remains to be seen.

The modern game is ultra competitive and I suspect we’ll see several different guys top the rankings over the course of the next decade.

Dustin Johnson held the title for an impressive 65 weeks, but gone are the days when Tiger was at the top for five years.

How Thomas copes with his elevated status and the weight of expectation will be key, but I don’t see it being a major issue.

I’ve been a big fan since I first saw him swing a club – he has incredible speed and power. He has also matured. I suspect he’ll be comfortable with his new status the next time he tees it up.

Whatever happens in the months ahead, he’ll always be able to say he reached the top of the sport.

THE SON SHINES Having his father as his coach has worked wonders for Justin Thomas JOAKIM LAGERGREN came in for us at 50/1 with his win at last week’s Sicilian Open. An each-way punt of €5 would have pocketed you €300 profit. Let’s see if we can hit...