Justin Thomas: Is he getting enough respect for his wins?

Justin Thomas just won his 12th PGA Tour event. But is he getting enough respect for his achievements?

It doesn’t seem like it. Is Justin Thomas the Rodney Dangerfield of golf? (it’s a little blurry, but it’s short, sweet, and to the point.)

After turning pro in 2013, he spent 2014 on the Web.com Tour (now the Korn Ferry Tour) where he earned a spot through the qualifying school. He played 20 events, won one tournament, the Nationwide Children’s Hospital, which bumped him to 5th on the Web.com money list and guaranteed him a PGA Tour card for 2015.

Now, just a little over four years later, he has 12 PGA Tour victories including a PGA Championship. That’s an average of three wins a year. It’s even more impressive when you consider that he was out off and on for nearly two months in 2019 with a wrist injury.

That 12 victory total ties Thomas with Jason Day, Zach Johnson, Bubba Watson, Paul Azinger, and Steve Stricker, to name just a few.

He’s ahead of all but 72 golfers all-time, and some of them are on the PGA Tour Champions Tour or retired. Most of them, nearly 50, are deceased.

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Thomas, on the other hand, has just gotten his young career started. He was born three years before Tiger Woods won the 1996 Masters. He’s only 26 years old, turning 27 in April.

If he were to continue at this same pace, three per year, he could be pushing 21 PGA Tour victories the year that he is 30. Even two per year for the next three years gives him 18.

Believe it or not, 18 victories would be better than all but 17 golfers all time including names like Phil Mickelson, Tom Watson, Vijay Singh and of course, the true legends like Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and, of course, Tiger Woods.

So, maybe it’s time to upgrade the way we think about Justin Thomas. He has two victories in the 2020 season already, and there are more than 40 tournaments, including all the majors, left in the year.

Sure, he’s going to face the same life issues that many players face: getting married, having children, needing some time away, taking vacations, having the odd swing issue from time to time. But with this kind of a start to his professional career, it’s hard to believe that more success isn’t ahead. Of course, we thought the same thing about Jordan Spieth, and Spieth has had a myriad of issues on and off the course that has held him back for two seasons so far.

Life is so strange and unpredictable. Remember when everyone thought Tiger Woods was well on the way to steamrolling Jack Nicklaus’ record of major championship victories? That was before the end of November 2009.

The famous sportswriter Dan Jenkins had even said in 2001 in a Golf Digest interview: “Only two things can stop Tiger–injury or a bad marriage.“ Talk about a clairvoyant. He was two for two.

So, as well as Thomas is doing now, and as bright as his future seems, it’s golf, and it’s life. Anything can happen. Hopefully Justin Thomas will be immune to all the bad stuff and will continue to win and finally start getting more respect.