Justin strikes while irons are hot
KAPALUA, Hawaii – Justin Thomas is making his fifth straight start to a new year at Kapalua, a current streak matched only by Dustin Johnson and a reminder that he has made winning a habit on the PGA Tour.
Thomas, still only 26, already has won 11 times in five years. That includes a major at the PGA Championship, a World Golf Championship at Firestone, two FedEx Cup playoff events and four victories on the Asian swing. He has won a FedEx Cup and reached No. 1 in the world. And he doesn’t feel as though it’s enough. “I’m disappointed I haven’t achieved more, to be honest,” he said at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, which starts Thursday on the refined Plantation Course. “I shouldn’t say disappointed. I’m obviously pleased with my career thus far, but I feel like I could have and should won a lot more tournaments – and definitely should have contended and won some more majors. So that’s just my opinion.”
It’s more of a typical outlook among the elite in golf. Nothing is ever enough.
It just might be hard for others in the 34-man field to appreciate, especially those who for the first time are soaking up endless views of the Pacific, the surfers at Honolua Bay who can be seen beyond the 11th green, the occasional breech of a humpback whale between Maui and Molokai.
Xander Schauffele won last year and knew for 12 months he was assured of coming back. Dustin Johnson, a twotime winner at Kapalua, has won 11 of the 12 years he has been on the PGA Tour. He appreciates winning, but the scenery is nothing new.