You're Reading: Lessons from Justin Thomas's 2022 PGA Championship Victory
At the PGA Championship 2022, Justin Thomas pulled off a truly improbable comeback. As noted on CBS’s Sunday broadcast, Thomas was given just a 1.2% chance of winning heading into the final round. Before making birdie on the ninth to go to 2 under, JT was a daunting 8 shots back. Ultimately, he recorded a 7-shot comeback from the start of the fourth round, which ties for the largest comeback in PGA Championship history (John Mahaffey overtook Tom Watson in 1978 also from 7 behind).
Thomas has had a solid start to the 2021-2022 season. While not having secured a PGA Tour win prior to the PGA, he had 7 Top 10 finishes in 12 starts with a T-5 finish at last week’s AT&T Byron Nelson. His first two rounds of 67 at the PGA Championship continued his solid play despite battling the challenging, windy conditions that his side of the draw faced on Friday morning. Needless to say, playing well is paramount in winning a major tournament. However, while his final round was highlighted by impressive ball striking, with Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green of +3.306 (6th for Round 4), it was his experience that stood out down the stretch.
The reality that only one of the 6 players in front of Justin Thomas after three rounds had won on the PGA Tour (Abraham Ancer) and that none of them had won a major set the stage for a possible comeback. This reality was not lost on Thomas, as he explained in his post-round interview with Sky Sports.
Most notable was JT’s tee shot on the Hole No. 18 during regulation. It is this shot from which we can all learn. We can learn not just from the ultimate selection and execution of the shot, but his deliberate shot preparation.
"I know that 3-wood would be … fine … but I’m not sure if it’s enough for the win.”"
— Justin Thomas on the 18th Tee Sunday
After making a crucial up and down from the front bunker to birdie the 17th, he was positioned at 5-under and just one back of Pereira. That said, Thomas’s tee shot on 18 could make or break his championship hopes. The 18th hole at Southern Hills Country Club is one of the hardest finishing holes in major championship golf. Of the seven previous majors played at Southern Hills, only Tiger Woods (2007 PGA Champion) and Tommy Bolt (1958 U.S. Open Champion) made par on the 72nd hole. Off the tee, players are challenged by a creek that borders the right-side of the fairway which the fairway feeds towards. Longer drives require greater precision; on the right side of the fairway, the creek begins at 275 to 300 yards compared to almost 330 yards for drives played down the narrow section of the left fairway. However, even taking less-than-driver presents risk. Both Cameron Smith with 3-Wood and Jordan Spieth with hybrid found the water earlier in the week.
Thomas needed to hit a good tee shot that would give him a chance to attack the pin and lead to a birdie opportunity. “I know that 3-wood would be … fine … but I’m not sure if it’s enough for the win,” was Thomas speaking to his veteran caddy Jim “Bones” Mackay. 3-wood was his club of choice in round 3. While he avoided the water with this shot, his 247-yard, 5-wood, approach from the left rough resulted in an eventual bogey. Nevertheless, before pulling the trigger on Sunday, JT demonstrated a rational, thorough, and calm pre-shot preparation. He reviewed all his options and made sure to pick a go-to shot.
Given the warmer and firmer conditions, 3-wood on Sunday was a better option than 3-wood on Saturday; by this same token, Bones pointed out the 3-wood shot his player used on 17 that could be used on 18. However, to shorten his approach, JT chose a controlled driver down the left side of the fairway which he executed to perfection.
The point: the 2022 PGA Champion chose a shot that he knew he could hit. Contrast this thought process to that of Mito Pereira. The issue was not simply that he, with a one-shot lead, chose to hit driver or that his caddy did not take driver out of his hands. Given what we know, par at 18 is a challenge regardless of how safe or smart you play it. Furthermore, Pereira is not one of the longer hitters on tour, averaging 303.8 yards compared to 313.2 yards for Justin Thomas, limiting the success that a lay-back 3-wood would have provided.
Instead, the issue was the swing he put on the ball. In Round 3, Pereira skillfully played a driver stinger, which he had used throughout the week, down the left side of the fairway. On this shot (shown below), he executed an in-rhythm follow through.
On Sunday, he appears to attempt the same shot, but his follow through is not in rhythm and is “strange” as Jim Nantz observed. This mishap could simply have been the result of pressure: “so much pressure .. your body … you don’t even know what you’re doing.” However, it looks as though he is trying to guide the ball left and away from the water with that follow through. Ultimately, his pre-shot preparation failed to give him the confidence to commit to a shot he knew he could play. This difference in experience and mentality between Thomas and Pereira made the difference in who would be lifting the Wannamaker Trophy later that day.
What can be learned from the actual execution of Justin Thomas’s tee shot? He did not simply hit a standard drive. He made two key adjustments: 1) He teed the ball an inch lower (at about the center of the clubface); 2) He choked up on the grip about 1 inch. Both of these adjustments improve accuracy. On the 18th at Southern Hills, accuracy off the tee is at a premium.
Note the differences in tee height and grip position for his tee shot on the first playoff hole, where a long drive could set up a chance to reach the par 5 13th in two. At least half the ball is above the crown of the clubhead, and there is no space between his left-hand and the top of the grip.
The rest of his swing remains practically unchanged. He finds himself at the same position at the top of his back swing and at follow through. The only minor difference is that due to the lower tee height and choking up, he naturally stays on top of the ball for longer for his controlled swing as opposed to hitting more up on the ball for his typical driver swing. With practice, your body will be able subconsciously adapt to the change in tee height.
Note: Teeing the ball lower and staying down on top of the ball has a tendency to produce a fade, whereas teeing the ball higher and hitting up on the ball has a tendency to produce a draw.
It’s never a bad idea to take a lesson from a major champion. Justin Thomas’s performance highlights the importance of the mental aspect of golf. Being committed to your shot and selecting the club and swing with which you are most comfortable is paramount in scoring and coming up clutch. It is too easy to simply hit and hope or grip it and rip it without consciously reviewing the shot at hand and how it will affect your upcoming shot. Lastly, learning how to hit a more controlled driver will ensure that you have a shot with which you are comfortable and will give you more versatility in your game.
