The Wall Street Journal recently featured the incredible striking power of Justin Thomas, the PGA golfer who made his collegiate mark at the University of Alabama.
The article pointed out the incredulous reaction of Tour enthusiasts when they realize the 5’-10” 145-pound Thomas is one of the most powerful athletes in today’s pro game. Despite his stature, Justin is averaging nearly 307 yards a drive this season, and his fans aren’t the only ones scratching their heads. As he told the Journal: “It definitely surprises everybody. It surprises me, honestly. It doesn’t make sense.”
This excellent article provided an insightful animated graphic that breaks down Thomas’ fascinating swing. It starts with a body rotation leading into his downswing that’s 25% faster than the average PGA player. Next, the article explains how Justin uses the force of the ground to hit up into the ball, creating a high launch angle but low spin. “If you look at him as he comes through impact, he’s literally off the ground,” added Greg Rose, of the Titleist Performance Institute.
The long and short of all this is that Thomas, while much smaller than the likes of the muscular Rory McIlroy or the 6-foot-3 Bubba Watson, has nearly perfected the science of the swing. As Brian Costa, author of this WSJ article so aptly stated: “In other words, with a driver in hand, there may be no other golfer who has ever done more with less.”
Like most golfers, not all of Justin’s swings are straight. As he told Costa, “I can hit it crooked with the best of them.” But as Costa was quick to point out, “when he hits the ball squarely, it is a sight to behold. On his way to winning the SBS Tournament of Champions in January, Thomas hit a drive on the par-4 17th hole that caught the downslope of a fairway and picked up speed as it rolled toward the green. Thomas had already handed his driver back to his caddie when the ball finally came to a stop. It was 404 yards away.”
Thomas has already won three PGA tournaments this season and will be a serious contender at the Master’s next month, so be sure to follow the former Crimson Tide golfer this spring to see a less than imposing player with a truly mighty swing.
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