Thomas’ big drives make headlines

Justin Thomas has become such a freak of nature that his golf swing and body – right down to his pelvic rotation – were the subject of a recent Wall Street Journal article that detailed, in precise scientific language, just how a 145-pound man can hit a golf ball longer than anyone on the PGA Tour not named Dustin Johnson.

Thomas was asked Monday to boil down the story, which came complete with a Golf BioDynamics graphic detailing every move of his swing, in plain English.

The third-year pro said his length off the tee has been a work in progress and admitted that well into his high school career in Kentucky, his game off the tee was nothing special.

“I hit it nowhere,” he said. “My short game was really good … it had to be for me to have a chance to compete at the junior level, or whatever level I was at.”

But with a club pro for a father and a strong work ethic, Thomas learned that technique meant more than brute strength. His distance caught up with other bombers in college.

“Probably something to do with my form or maybe I got a little bit stronger … but I doubt it,” he said. “I have never really worked out. Then in college it’s kind of when I started hitting it a little bit farther than just about everybody I was playing with. I’ve just gotten stronger since then, and my form and how I’ve started to get up on the ball and speeds are just getting faster. So kind of all that accumulated into it.”

The Cliff’s Notes version as to why Thomas hits the ball so far, according to Golf BioDynamics, is that he rotates his pelvis 25 percent faster than the average Tour player and has fast-twitch muscles. The result is that he gets 2.1 yards of distance per pound of body weight, the most of any player on the Tour.

Rickie Fowler, 24th on the PGA Tour in driving distance, is another example. He’s about Thomas’ height (5 feet 10) and is listed as 5 pounds heavier.

“I think it’s very impressive what (Thomas) is able to generate,” Fowler said. “Really, it’s efficiency. When it comes to the smaller guys, we have to use our whole body to generate that power.”

Jimmy Walker said it’s simple: Thomas and Fowler are athletes who play golf.

“Are they big enough to play basketball … are they big enough to play football? Probably not,” Walker said. “But they are all just as good athletes, eye-hand coordination, second to none, speed, power, all that.”

Thomas had a 409-yard drive at Kapalua Plantation in one of his three PGA Tour wins this season, and he’s 11th on the Tour in driving distance, averaging 306.5 yards.

Thomas remains a good putter (he leads the PGA Tour in average putts per green hit in regulation, 1.676) and it’s the key reason he’s tied with Johnson for the most wins this season – and also why he shot 59 on his way to a Sony Open victory.

Thomas, who is playing in his second Masters, has leveled off since winning those tournaments in a span of six starts. He’s missed three of his past six cuts but finished tied for fifth at the World Golf Championship in Mexico City and said he’s put in quality work in getting ready for a tournament and a course that he said are both “sweet.”

“Mexico was a big week for me because I really didn’t play very well and I had a chance to win,” he said. “That, for me, was the first time I had a chance to win a tournament of that caliber. That’s big going into a week like this. My game feels good. I’ve made a lot of great work and progress the past couple of weeks.”