Tournament of Champions
FedExCup champ Justin Thomas back on course
Justin Thomas doesn’t have to look around much to find his No. 1 rival. He just has to look in the mirror. The defending FedExCup champion and reigning PGA Tour Player of the Year is coming off a breakout season when he joined the game’s elite, a winner of five titles in the 2016-17 wraparound season, including his first major triumph in the PGA Championship. He shot a firstround 59 in Hawaii and a third-round 63 in the U.S. Open, which set the record for lowest score relative to par in major championship history.
He was a force in the Presidents Cup and won just shy of $20 million. And he joined Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth as the only players to win five times in a season, including a major, before turning 25.
What does he do for an encore? He’s already dealt with that and similar questions a few times since the 201718 season began in the fall. And starting with this week’s Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii, where he is the defending champion, the questions and demands on his time will be a constant companion going forward, a weight on his slim shoulders at every tournament he plays.
“I know I’m constantly going to get reminded of what I did last year versus this year and whether it’s better or whether it’s worse,” Thomas said. “The hardest part of the season is going to be staying in the moment and recognizing that it’s a new year. It’s a new opportunity for great things, and I just need to continue to work hard.”
During the brief offseason, Thomas sought the counsel of his good friend, Jordan Spieth, who dealt with the comparison factor in 2016 after his spectacular five-win season in 2015, one that included two major titles and victory in The Tour Championship and the FedExCup.
Thomas and Spieth won’t divulge much of the conversations, but one thing is clear — Thomas, an accommodating sort, is on a different star-dusted plateau these days, and he better be prepared to be asked about 2016-17 over and over again, especially if he has a minislump.
“I’m just going to have to get a little better at managing my time and know that I’m going to have a press conference every Wednesday,” Thomas said. “Life’s changed a little bit, but all for good reason.
“In reality, as much as I hate to say it, I’m just going to have to pick and choose. I know a lot of people are going to want time and this and that, but that’s something I’ve really talked with my management about. I need to make sure I’m doing everything that I would normally do and need to do to be as ready as possible to play well in a tournament. I’m going to have to feel out and get a gauge for and get comfortable with and see what works best for me.”
Most everything worked last year. After he won the FedExCup by finishing runner-up in The Tour Championship, Thomas, 24, pulled out his phone and showed the world his 13 goals for the 2016-17 season. He accomplished 11 — among them winning a major and making the Presidents Cup team — and came so very close to ticking off the other two boxes.
He has a new list for the 2017-18 season saved in his phone, and he’s likely already checked off one box. In the fall, he won the inaugural CJ Cup at Nine Bridges in South Korea, pushing his total of Tour wins to seven. And this week he’s in the perfect spot to add to his victory haul — the Plantation Course at Kapalua on the island of Maui. After a six-week break, the Tour resumes the season with the Tournament of Champions.
Last year Thomas won the winnersonly event by three shots with rounds of 67-67-67-69. The next week he shot 59 in the first round of the Sony Open and followed with rounds of 64-65-65 to win by seven shots and set the PGA Tour 72-hole scoring record of 253.
Let the questions continue.
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