Justin Thomas closes career-defining season with FedEx Cup title

Justin Thomas put an exclamation point on his 2017 PGA TOUR season, winning his first FedEx Cup title at East Lake.

Fairly or unfairly, Justin Thomas knows that his name will always be mentioned next to Jordan Spieth. After all – stop me if you’ve heard this – the two have known each other for most of their lives. From junior golf to the PGA TOUR, Thomas and Spieth are all but inseparable.

Now, that takes on a whole new meaning, as Thomas’s name will be etched in sterling silver near Spieth’s. Just inches away, a new title will read: FedEx Cup Champion.

Thomas won the season championship at East Lake without winning the TOUR Championship itself. That honor went to presumptive Rookie of the Year Xander Schauffele, whose Sunday 68 took the lead from Paul Casey, and held off Thomas by a single shot. However, thanks to a little bit of help from the rest of the field, it was good enough.

Top-seeded Spieth was mired in mediocre play on Friday and Saturday. While he made a run on Sunday, it fell just shy. Dustin Johnson and Marc Leishman were out of contention early, and Jon Rahm needed too much help from No. 5. Although Casey had the inside track opening the day, Thomas knew that he could still control some of his own fate.

Battle tested, Thomas is turning into a true closer

Now at the end of his third full year on TOUR, nobody ever doubted Thomas’s talents. What remained to be seen was how he would handle the pressure of the biggest stages. Having a major championship (or a $10 million bonus) on the line can wreak havoc on a player’s mind.

It’s safe to say those questions have been answered, emphatically.

"“You just have to want to be there,” Thomas said. “You have to be comfortable being uncomfortable. I just enjoy that rush, the goosebumps you get.”"

That’s the point of view you’d expect to hear from somebody who had been playing on TOUR for the better part of a decade, not a 24-year-old just coming into his own.

With the weight of the season off his shoulders, Thomas also felt free to reveal a list of the goals he set early on this season. Dated February 27, and considering his play all year, it almost reads like a simple grocery list.

Tour Championship? Check. Win at least once? Check five times over. Win a major and make the Presidents Cup? Done. Even the statistical categories mostly got there, but one of the best ones I see there is near the bottom.

“Top 10 in half my starts.” That’s not just peaking at the right times, it’s peaking all the time. Sure, there are off weeks, but that’s what it takes to be truly elite. Thomas nearly got there too, going 12-for-25 in top-ten finishes.

We’ll round up and give him that one.

From start to finish this year, Thomas has put himself in position to win, and answered the call. Now there’s just one question left.

What goes on next year’s list?

Next: European Tour: Lucas Bjerregard Wins Portugal Masters

If we’re betting people, our money is on a whole lot of new targets getting checked off, one by one.