“It's close” – Justin Thomas picks a new ‘most dominant player,' just days after giving the title to DJ
Justin Thomas has named Scottie Scheffler the "most dominant player" he’s seen on the PGA Tour in the past 10 years.
In a query on the best player he’s seen during his time on the circuit, Thomas said that the 2022 Masters champion is “obviously the first person” that comes to his mind. However, he added that “it is close.” Interestingly, his comments come just days after he gave the title to Dustin Johnson.
Speaking at his Valspar Championship press conference, Thomas noted that he considers consistency first when thinking about dominant players. He said that there have been players who’ve had dominating stretches in their careers. However, he didn’t name any in particular, including DJ.
The 15x PGA Tour winner later added that no player “holds a candle to Scottie” on form in the past two years. He said that the 27-year-old has been “winning a lot.” Interestingly, JT noted that no player has had “Tiger-like” dominance. The 30-year-old stated that he’d probably choose Scheffler in the current scenario.
Replying to a query about the most dominant player he has seen in his 10 years on Tour, Justin Thomas said (at 6:17):
"Scottie's obviously the first person that comes to mind. It's got to be Scottie. Because he has, I would think, probably the most wins in the last couple of years maybe. It's close. But I think of dominance and I think of people winning four, five, six times in a season and or going on a stretch I remember in kind of through 17 and 18 like I think I'd won like seven events in 30 starts or something like that like it…
"In terms of consistency and who's played the best, nobody holds a candle to Scottie in the last couple of years. But to me, dominance is winning and winning a lot and often. And I guess when nobody has had Tiger-like (dominance), it's whoever's done it the most. So, I'd say probably Scottie."
Justin Thomas picks Dustin Johnson as the ‘most dominant player’
Thomas’ comment on Scottie Scheffler comes just days after he named Dustin Johnson as the “most dominant player.” The PGA Tour star surprised many fans by picking the LIV golfer over the likes of World No. 1 Scheffler and No. 2 Rory McIlroy. He said that DJ was “the most dominant in terms of consistency.”
Speaking in a press conference ahead of The Players Championship last week, Justin Thomas said (at 11:13):
"I would say obviously not on tour anymore. But I think DJ was the most dominant in terms of consistency. I mean Rory's up there but he's had some years hasn't won some. I mean honestly, I would put myself up there. I have a lot of confidence in saying that but probably DJ."
It is pertinent to note that Justin Thomas didn’t mention Scheffler in last week's interview. He skipped the No. 1-ranked golfer, only to change his mind a week later.