Who dominated in 2018? Hint: It wasn’t Justin Rose
By Bill Felber
4. Justin Thomas (7), -1.05
Save for a three-month post-Master slump, Thomas was a dominant presence on the Tour. He powered through the Masters lead-up, winning the Honda, losing the WGC Mexico to Phil Mickelson in a playoff, and finishing top 10 at the Honda. At the Masters, a sluggish opening round 74 cost him any shot at a title run, but he still finished with a score of 284, 2.5 strokes better than the four-round field average.
It would be inaccurate to say that Thomas slumped badly between the Masters and WGC Bridgestone in early August, but he played sparingly and rarely contended. His two major appearances both were uneventful. At the U.S. Open, Thomas broke 74 just once and finished in a 11-way tie for 25th. A month later at Carnoustie, his second-round 77 sent him home early.
He made four other summer starts, managing a tie for eighth at the Memorial and a tie for 11th at the Players but nothing better.
When he arrived in Akron, Ohio for the Bridgestone, though, Thomas shook off the months-long ennui. His four stroke win translated to -2.46 standard deviations better than the field average, and with the event’s 1.5 weighting produced a -3.69 score. He tied for sixth at the PGA, tied for eighth at the Northern Trust and finished credibly at the three remaining Tour Championship events.