Justin Thomas' Five-And-A-Half Year Streak Comes To An End

The former World No.1 has dropped out of the world's top 10 for the first time since August 2017

Justin Thomas looks on after hitting a drive at the Valspar Championship
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Justin Thomas was one of two high profile players to skip last week's WGC-Match Play and was ultimately replaced in the world's top 10 by winner Sam Burns.

Burns took down Cameron Young in the final 6&5 to win his fifth PGA Tour title and return to the world's top 10, at the expense of Justin Thomas.

Thomas had been a mainstay inside the top 10 since August 2017. In that period he has spent weeks as World No.1. The Kentucky native first moved inside the top 10 in January 2017 after winning in back-to-back weeks at the Sentry Tournament of Champions and Sony Open.

His Sony Open win saw him open with a 59, becoming the PGA Tour's youngest ever player to break 60 at the age of 23. He won a total of five times in 2017, including his first Major at the PGA Championship staged at Quail Hollow. 

The American has played seven times so far in 2023, with his best finishing a 4th at the WM Phoenix Open.

He decided to skip the WGC-Match Play due to a lack of course form and is also not featuring in this week's Valero Texas Open, meaning he'll have had two weeks of practice heading into next week's Masters.

The two-time Major champion has played in seven Masters tournaments and has never missed the cut at Augusta National. His best finish was a 4th in 2020.

Elsewhere in the rankings this week, Rory McIlroy is back up to 2nd in the world after his 3rd-place finish in the Match Play. Runner-up Cameron Young has moved to a career-high 14th after his sixth second-place finish on the PGA Tour.

Max Homa is also set to rise to a career-high 5th in the world next week ahead of The Masters.

CURRENT MEN'S TOP 10

  • 1. Scottie Scheffler
  • 2. Rory McIlroy
  • 3. Jon Rahm
  • 4. Patrick Cantlay
  • 5. Cameron Smith
  • 6. Max Homa
  • 7. Xander Schauffele
  • 8. Will Zalatoris
  • 9. Viktor Hovland
  • 10. Sam Burns
Elliott Heath
News Editor

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