It’s September in the South, a time when it’s all about the rankings.
Justin Thomas lights up when he talks about No. 1. And, no, that’s not Bryson DeChambeau, who sits atop the FedEx Cup points list this week at the Tour Championship at East Lake.
While Thomas comes from a great golf school, it’s worth noting that Alabama plays a little football, too.
“This is a pretty unbelievable team Alabama has,” he said when asked about an alternative set of rankings – the AP college football poll, not the world golf ranking (he’s fourth). “I mean, I can’t wait. I’m going to try to go to a game or two here in the fall after I finish up my part of the season. I’ve never seen this much firepower for an Alabama offense. And our defense looks good for how young it is, especially in the secondary.”
No. 2 in that AP poll is another team of some local interest. One that figures to be well-represented in an Atlanta gallery. Thomas also smiles when he talks about Georgia. What’s there not to smile about this time of year?
“Yeah, I’m sure I’ll hear from plenty of Bulldog fans,” he said.
And he had the good grace not to even mention Alabama’s overtime triumph over the Bulldogs in last season’s national championship.
“I respect Kirby so much,” he said, invoking the name of Georgia coach Kirby Smart, who was a former Alabama assistant. “I knew him a little bit at school, and he’s a big golf fan, so he’s really close with (former Bulldogs golfer Kevin Kisner), and we’ll kind of stay in touch through him. I was very, very upset when we lost Kirby because I knew how good he was and what kind of impact he had on the team.”
We bring all this up because, well, it is September in the South, and college football just naturally dominates all discussion.
And also because there seems to be just a little Nick Saban in Justin Thomas.
Li’l Nick showed himself Tuesday when Thomas was asked about his experience at last year’s Tour Championship, as he nailed down the FedEx Cup playoff title but not the tournament itself. It was a split decision. Thomas didn’t birdie the final hole, and Xander Schauffele did to come up from the depths of the points standings to win the tournament.
Schauffele won the day. Thomas won the season. He won a coveted title based on his body of work over the long 2016-17 pull, and the $10 million bonus that came with it. But he didn’t win everything. And in classic Alabama head coach fashion, that perturbed him.
“That tee shot on 18,” he said, recounting a slightly errant ball on his last hole of the 2017 Tour Championship. “I thought I hit the fairway there, and I’m probably not going to make worse than birdie. Xander being one back as opposed to tied for the lead is a lot different. Yeah, it still bothers me.”
“Winning the FedEx Cup is a huge deal and a life-changer, but to have six wins in a season would have been pretty sweet,” said Thomas, who had to comfort himself with “only” five Tour victories last year, including his first major (PGA Championship) and a player-of-the-year award. “Hopefully we’ll get it in the future.”
In the brief 11-year history of this FedEx Cup playoff thing there have been no repeat winners. In fact, no FedEx Cup champion has ever returned to the Tour Championship in the top five in points – that exalted level where a tournament win guarantees a FedEx Cup title. Until Thomas (currently No. 5 in points).
This distinction greatly pleases the Li’l Nick inside him. “I’m excited to have an opportunity to do something that no one has ever done,” he said.
Thomas didn’t win as much this season as a year ago – if you could consider three tournament victories a drop-off. Yet he thinks himself a better, more consistent player than even a year ago, which accounts for his being among the favorites here at East Lake again.
He’ll look at the Tour stats and see a year-over-year improvement in every part of the shots-gained spectrum: Off the tee (30th to 28th), approach shots (6th to 3rd), around the green (27th to 22nd) and putting (6th to 3rd).
“If I can continue in this direction, I feel like I can do some pretty great things the rest of my career,” he said.
And, dang, if this doesn’t sound so much like a football coach that Thomas should wear a whistle when he plays: “That’s a big goal of mine, to improve every year.”
Thomas is listed as probable to make his 1:40 p.m. tee time Thursday, having shown up here with his right wrist taped up. He tweaked it a couple of weeks ago in the final round of the BMW Championship and pretty much rested it the off week.
“I chipped and putted a lot, so my short game feels pretty good,” he said with a smile. “In all honesty, this time of year, it’s nice to take time off.”
Thomas will be otherwise occupied Saturday afternoon when Alabama plays Texas A&M. This will be the last year the Tour Championship runs afoul of college football season, with a schedule change bumping the tournament up to August. He wholly endorses the move.
“I know my priority would be on watching football over golf – and I play the sport,” Thomas said. “I love football, and you only have such a short little window of football season, whereas golf is the whole year.”
There’s just no arguing with a fellow whose priorities are as straight as his tee-to-green game.
