Justin Thomas is golf’s next superstar

It’s odd to say finally when speaking of the success of a 23-year-old. That’s especially so in the game of golf, where a healthy chunk of each season’s most compelling moments are produced by those north of age 40.

But one might understand if this kind of success in professional golf felt like a long time coming for Justin Thomas.

With two wins already on the young PGA Tour season — including last week at Kapalua, where Thomas turned in his most impressive performance yet, lapping the field with a record-setting performance at the Sony Open in Hawaii. After joining the 59 Club on Thursday, Thomas set a new 72-hole PGA Tour scoring record, breaking Tommy Armour III’s record of 254 from the 2003 Texas Open. His seven-shot margin of victory gives him three wins in has past five PGA Tour starts, all by a total of 13 shots. Thomas isn’t just winning golf tournaments in the middle of winter, but dominating in the way a super-talented megastar does when firing on all cylinders.

Maybe now, finally, he can pull out of the shadow for delivery to a wider sports audience.

For almost as long as he’s been on the golf scene, the Kentuckian has seemed to exist in the shadow of his own pals — specifically Jordan Spieth. The two’s careers have been inextricably linked since the junior circuits, but Thomas has always seemed be just a half step behind, lingering in the shadow of the Texan’s bigger star.

Consider the career path of the two over the last eight years. Thomas was first among the two to make a PGA Tour cut at age 16 in 2009, but Spieth one-upped him a year later when he actually contended as a teen at the 2010 Byron Nelson. The two were the top freshmen in college golf at Texas and Alabama in 2012, and it was as can’t-miss as you can get when the two were paired in the national title match that season. Spieth won somewhat handily, and led Texas to victory. He turned pro the following year, instantly gained PGA Tour status through sponsors exemptions, won the John Deere Classic, and set the table for his splash onto the scene at the 2014 Masters. And then, yeah, you know — the 2015 season happened.

Thomas took a far different path to today. He returned to Alabama, avenging his loss the next season with a national title — but not against Spieth. He then turned pro, admitting his peer’s success had motivated him.

“It was totally Jordan,” Thomas’ college coach Jay Seawell said at the time. “He saw what Jordan did and it made him itch. Justin is thinking I can do that, I competed against him.”

But, Thomas’ success wasn’t immediate. He went the traditional route, without the benefit of sponsors exemptions. To Q-School, to the Web.com Tour. A few months after his longtime friend and rival walked the front nine with a lead on Masters Sunday, Thomas picked up his first professional win. On the Web.com tour.

Spieth wasn’t the only shadow cast over Thomas in recent years, either. Former roommate Patrick Rodgers got a good deal of the household’s hype when he turned pro after shattering Tiger Woods’ records at Stanford. Hell, even SB2K16 pal Smylie Kaufman made his splash with a Sunday final-group walk at Augusta last year.

But, you can be certain, Thomas’ major moment is coming soon.

Golf is a fickle, dumb game. The consistent repetition of dominance is as or more impressive than capturing magic for a single big week. When a replacement-level PGA Tour player is in great form, it maybe manifests in a pair of top-fives or a runner-up finish or two. When a good PGA Tour player is in great form, they’ll often be able to squeeze out a win to secure the long-term career security that comes with it.

But this is what it looks like when a true superstar connects with one. It is beat-you-down-and-crush-your-soul, why-am-i-even-coming-to-the-course-today dominance. Thomas has that kind of ability, and he’s fascinating to watch. He’s a long-hitting fantastic ball striker, with launch angle that ranges from sexual to downright majestic depending on the day. He manages to generate Dustin Johnson power with Corey Pavin size. He is golf’s answer to Stephen Curry, a relatively tiny dude effectively playing an aesthetically pleasing version of the game that often leaves your jaw on the floor, wondering — wait, that dude hits it how far?

This is what Justin Thomas can do. This is what superstars can do. When one is clicking at maximum output, they turn golf tournaments into a race for the second-place paycheck. Spieth said so himself last night after posting his own streaky 19-under score.

“Honestly it felt like we were playing a different tournament,” Spieth said. “I honestly felt like I was trying to win the tournament for second place.”

Will Thomas continue this current clip? Probably not. Blowing out the field three times in five PGA Tour starts by a total margin of 13 shots isn’t sustainable even for mid-aughts Tiger Woods. But, still, it doesn’t matter if it’s January in Hawaii or November in Malaysia.

This is the kind of dominance only a superstar can provide. This is validation.

And, this, believe it or not, had been coming for a long time.