Justin Thomas is one of a strong cast of pursuers at Waste Management’s Phoenix Open, but will make his pursuit on Sunday with a heavy heart following the death of his grandfather on Saturday.
It is well documented that golf takes place in the Thomas family. Justin’s dad, Mike, is a PGA pro and Mike’s dad, Paul, worked in the same industry. Paul, who was born in Ashland, Kentucky but moved to Cincinnati as a child, was a longtime club professional and spent a long portion of his career as a head professional at Zanesville Country Club in Ohio. .
Like his grandson, Paul, who was 89, entered the world of golf early. He left school and declared himself a golf professional at the age of 17 and rebounded in several clubs. He competed in the 1960 and 61 PGA Championships, but was not fortunate enough to play on the PGA Tour. Later in his life, he made the cut in three US Open Senior.
According to an article about Paul on PGATour.com, he and his wife Phyllis have followed their grandson’s career closely from their home in Columbus, Ohio. Both were in attendance at Firestone Country Club in 2018 when Justin won the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. Paul had competed on this course in the 1960 PGA Championship.
Justin has had a strong start to the 2020-21 season on the golf course – registering the top 5 spots in the Zozo Championship, Masters and Sentry Tournament of Champions – but has widely made headlines for an anti-gay slur he used after a missed putt at the Tournament of Champions. He has spoken on several occasions of his desire to learn from the experience as he goes along.
Golf writer and general golf nerd after #amateurgolf & #collegegolf for @golfweek. Still in pursuit of a handicap of less than 5, place for the USGA Championship, high draw.
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