Justin Thomas, one of the brightest young stars on the PGA Tour, has had to get used to extra attention this year. With three 2017 victories, a round of 59, and a recent record-tying round of 63 at the U.S. Open, Thomas’ success has put him squarely in the spotlight.
At a Wednesday press conference for this week’s Quicken Loans National, Thomas was asked about championship rounds of 63, which immediately made Thomas think of Johnny Miller, a man he has been compared to a lot lately after Thomas tied Miller’s major championship low-round record.
One of the more jovial figures on Tour, Thomas said “I haven’t looked at who did it. I know Johnny Miller has because he reminds us of that quite a bit”.
Bullets
- Justin Thomas shot a record-tying 63 during the third round of the recent U.S. Open at Erin Hills in Wisconsin. His 9-under par score did set a new record. The round opened debate regarding which round was the best, with Miller staunchly defending his own round.
- Miller shot a 63 in the final round of the 1973 U.S. Open at the notoriously difficult Oakmont Golf Course. It is a consensus among the best rounds in major championship history.
- Elaborating on the juxtaposition between his 63 and the 59 he shot during the first round of the 2017 Sony Open, Thomas gave the nod to the 63 as the more difficult accomplishment, pointing out that while 59 has been shot before, it isn’t the lowest of all-time, while his 9-under-par score is.
- Thomas ended up finishing T9 at the U.S. Open, and was a surprise missed cut at last week’s Travelers Championship.
Quotable
“I mean, this sounds probably pretty arrogant, but I feel like I’ll shoot another 63 in a major at some point in my career. I don’t know if it will ever happen, but I feel like I have the game to do so.”
–Justin ThomasAdvertisement
