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Top golfers from each state: Kentucky golf and Justin Thomas

By Tim Letcher

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - FEBRUARY 21: Justin Thomas of the United States plays his shot from the seventh tee during the second round of the World Golf Championships Mexico Championship at Club de Golf Chapultepec on February 21, 2020 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images)
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - FEBRUARY 21: Justin Thomas of the United States plays his shot from the seventh tee during the second round of the World Golf Championships Mexico Championship at Club de Golf Chapultepec on February 21, 2020 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images) /
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The latest entrant in our series, coming from the Bluegrass State and Kentucky Golf, is rising star Justin Thomas

When determining the best player ever in Kentucky golf, there are a number of good options. Cases could be made for quite a few players, including major champions Gay Brewer, Bobby Nichols and Justin Thomas.

A case could also be made for current PGA Tour player and Campbellsville native J.B. Holmes as well as current Champions Tour standout Kenny Perry, who is from Franklin. Stretching things even further, one could make a long-shot case for Russ Cochran (Paducah), Steve Flesch (Union), Jodie Mudd (Louisville) or amateur Johnny Owens (Lexington).

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However, we have determined that the best golfer ever from the state of Kentucky, even at just 27 years old, is Thomas. His complete resume has just enough to edge out both Brewer and Nichols.

For those who may not know about Brewer and Nichols, here is a brief overview of each. Brewer, a native of Lexington, won 10 times on the PGA Tour. Most notably, he was the 1967 Masters champion, edging out his fellow Kentuckian Nichols by one shot. The golf course he grew up playing in Lexington is now named in his honor.

Nichols, who hailed from Louisville, also won a major, the 1964 PGA. In addition to his runner-up finish at the Masters in 1967, he also finished third in the 1962 U.S. Open. Nichols won 12 times on the PGA Tour.

So how can Thomas, at such a young age, already be better than these two players? And how can he already be the best golfer ever from Kentucky?

The numbers, and the rankings, don’t lie. Thomas, a native of Louisville who played his college golf at Alabama, already has 12 PGA Tour victories, as many as Nichols and more than Brewer. He won his first major title in 2017, taking home the Wanamaker Trophy by winning the PGA Championship.

Thomas’ 2017 season was one for the ages

That same season, Thomas won five times, was the leading money winner on the PGA Tour, was named the PGA Tour Player of the Year and he won the FedEx Cup. Quite a season for a player who was just 24 at the time.

The next season, his progress continued. In fact, for four weeks during 2018, Thomas was the top-ranked player in the world, passing Dustin Johnson, who would pass him back for the top spot just a month later.

Thomas has already won twice in the 2020 season in just eight starts. He will get his season re-started next week at Colonial when he plays the Charles Schwab Challenge.

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When he’s done playing golf, Thomas may also have a career waiting for him as an on-course reporter. He showed a solid ability for that during the recent match between Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning against Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady.

Thomas has a lot of good golf ahead of him, but he’s already the best player ever from the Commonwealth of Kentucky. With all due respect to Brewer, Nichols and every other player from the Bluegrass state, Thomas’ accomplishments outweigh them at this point.

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