Masters of the Majors for the 2020 Season
By Bill Felber
7. Justin Thomas, -0.74
Thomas’ victory at the 2017 PGA stamped him as a perennial Majors contender. He has yet to find that elusive second Major, however, and the 2020 portion of his search proved at times frustrating.
There were a lot of reasons to expect 2020 to be Thomas’ year. He won the Tournament of Champions back in January, and won the WGC FedEx St. Jude in August. Yet just one week later, he basically mailed in his PGA showing, tying for 37th with nothing more interesting than a third round 68. Dominance rating: +0.19.
Thomas capped 2019-20 with a runner-up at the Tour Championship, and in his next start opened with a 65 at Winged Foot. That gave him a one-stroke lead and the Friday morning headlines. They dissipated in the mist of Friday-Saturday rounds of 73-76. Still Thomas could claim a tie for eighth withFinau and several others. Dominance rating: -0.93.
He was top 12 at the CJ Cup, then tied for second at the Zozo played this year at Sherwood. That showing stamped Thomas among the favorites at Augusta National, a status Thomas verified by firing a first round 66. That was just one stroke out of the lead shared by Dustin Johnson, Dylan Fritelli and Paul Casey.
Thomas couldn’t keep up with Johnson, but this time he certainly did not fade. His 12-under 276 was good for fourth place, three shots behind runners-up Cameron Smith and Sungjae Im. Dominance rating: -1.48.