Justin Thomas Becomes New World Number One At The Players

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 14 May 2018

Justin Thomas has overtaken Dustin Johnson to become the 21st world number one

Justin Thomas Becomes New World Number One

After 64 weeks at the summit of world golf, Dustin Johnson's time at the top is over.

Justin Thomas' T11th finish at The Players was enough to overtake DJ to become the 21st man to reach the number one spot in the Official World Golf Ranking.

At 25 years of age, Thomas becomes the fourth-youngest man to reach the world number one spot after Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy.

Dustin Johnson's reign of 64 weeks in a row at the top was the fifth-longest streak since the Official World Golf Ranking began in 1986.

Bernhard Langer was the first world number one and since then the likes of Nick Faldo, Greg Norman, Seve Ballesteros, Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and Vijay Singh have all held the position.

Thomas becomes the seventh American world number one after Tiger Woods, Tom Lehman, Fred Couples, David Duval, Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth.

Thomas has become the 21st world number one. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

“It means a lot,” Justin Thomas said, “but it's something I want to have for a long time, it's not something I just want to have once.”

“It's important,” he said, “but like I said, it's not something where it's like I just want to do it once. I want to do it for a really, really long time.”

Thomas has won eight times on the PGA Tour including one major which came at the 2017 USPGA Championship at Quail Hollow.

JT hasn't missed a cut since last year's Open at Royal Birkdale, and has had four wins in that stretch - the USPGA, the Dell Technologies Championship, the CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges and the 2018 Honda Classic.

He also finished 2nd at the Tour Championship to win his first FedEx Cup in 2017.

In total, his career PGA Tour earnings are just over $22m, not taking into account the $10m bonus for his FedEx Cup victory.

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Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news team as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. His first Open was in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, when he walked inside the ropes with Jordan Spieth during the Texan's memorable Claret Jug triumph. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Western Gailes, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays off of a six handicap. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!

Elliott is currently playing:

Driver: Titleist TSR4

3 wood: Titleist TSi2

Hybrids: Titleist 816 H1

Irons: Mizuno MP5 5-PW

Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5

Ball: Srixon Z Star XV

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