Justin Thomas

Lore & Background

Thomas was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. He attended North Oldham Middle School and graduated from St. Xavier High School in 2011. His father, Mike Thomas, has been the head professional at the Harmony Landing Country Club in Goshen, Kentucky, since 1990. Thomas grew up an avid fan of his hometown Louisville Cardinals. He played college golf at the University of Alabama, winning the Haskins Award and the Jack Nicklaus Award as a freshman in 2012, and was on the national championship team of 2013.

In Their Own Story

The afternoon light at Quail Hollow was turning the pines into columns of amber. Thomas stood over a 14-iron on the back nine, the kind of shot most players would chip. He didn't. He set up, took a breath that seemed to pull the whole gallery's noise into his chest, and swung. The ball tracked low and true, kissed the apron, and rolled past the hole. The crowd didn't cheer yet. They were waiting. Waiting for the putt. He walked to the ball, read the break, and stroked it with the kind of quiet confidence that only comes from a man who has already won the tournament in his head. The cup swallowed it. He exhaled. One hand raised, fingers spread, a small nod to the caddie who had been calling lines since the first tee. The WGC trophy, the Match Play trophy, the Bridgestone trophy—none of them would outshine this one. This was the one that made him a household name. This was the one the Kentucky kids in the back of the gallery would tell their friends about for the rest of their lives.

Reader's Guide

Thomas turned professional in 2013, earning his tour card on the Web.com Tour through qualifying school. He won his first professional event at the 2014 Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship. He earned his PGA Tour card for the 2015 season. His first PGA Tour victory came on November 1, 2015, at the CIMB Classic. He successfully defended that title in 2016. In 2017, he won the SBS Tournament of Champions, shot a 59 at the Sony Open in Hawaii, and won his first major at the 2017 PGA Championship. He became FedEx Cup champion in 2017. He won the CJ Cup in 2017 and 2019, The Honda Classic in 2018, the BMW Championship in 2019, the Sentry Tournament of Champions in 2020, the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational in 2020, and the 2021 Players Championship. He won his second major at the 2022 PGA Championship. After struggling in 2023 and 2024, he won the RBC Heritage in 2025.

Did You Know?

• Thomas became the 21st player to top the Official World Golf Ranking in May 2018.
• He is the youngest player to shoot a sub-60 round on the PGA Tour.
• He shot a 59 in the first round of the 2017 Sony Open in Hawaii.
• He equaled the U.S. Open single-round record of 63 in the 2017 U.S. Open.
• He went 4–1–0 in the 2018 Ryder Cup, winning his singles match against Rory McIlroy.