Mayakoba Golf Classic: Why Justin Thomas Will Contend
By Tim Letcher
There are a couple of big names at this week’s Mayakoba Golf Classic, including former FedEx Cup champion Justin Thomas, who should contend.
As the Mayakoba Golf Classic gets underway this week, there are two names in the field that stand out above the rest. We have already touched on the four-time major championship winner Brooks Koepka, who is playing this week. The other standout name is Justin Thomas.
Thomas is already a very accomplished player and he is still just 27 years old. We named him the best golfer ever from the state of Kentucky earlier this year, already eclipsing great Kentucky golfers like Gay Brewer, Bobby Nichols, J.B. Holmes and Kenny Perry.
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He has played six seasons on the PGA Tour and has won in five of those seasons. His first win came at the CIMB Classic in 2016.
In 2017, he had an amazing season. He won five times, taking the titles at the CIMB Classic, the SBS Tournament of Champions, the Sony Open, the PGA Championship and the Dell Technologies Championship. He would go on to win the FedEx Cup, would be named PGA Tour Player of the Year and would establish himself as one of the best, if not the best, young players in the game.
Thomas continued his hot streak in 2018, winning the Honda Classic, the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and the CJ Cup. He finished seventh in the FedEx Cup standings that season.
In 2019, he won just once, but it came in the playoffs at the BMW Championship. That vaulted him up the FedEx Cup standings, where he would ultimately finish third.
Last season, Thomas won three more times. He took titles at the CJ Cup, the Sentry Tournament of Champions and at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational. He went into the playoffs with a shot to win, but came up short of Dustin Johnson’s magnificent effort in the postseason.
As the 2020-21 season has gotten underway, Thomas has stayed near the top of every tournament he has entered. He tied for eighth at the U.S. Open in September, where he led after day one.
He tied for 12th at the CJ Cup, where he defended his title on a different course than he won on last year. And he tied for second at the Zozo Championship, losing to Patrick Cantlay in a playoff.
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At the Masters, he had a chance going into the weekend, but closed with 71-70 to finish fourth. Still, a solid showing.
He should be, and is, one of the favorites this week in Mexico. It would be no surprise to see Thomas in contention this week.