Since turning professional in 2013, Justin Thomas has been one of the best performers on the PGA Tour.
That has included 15 victories and a spell at the top of the world rankings, which came in May 2018 and lasted for five weeks. While it hasn’t always been plain sailing for the former University of Alabama star, with a difficult run throughout much of 2023 and parts of 2024 in particular, he gave a strong indication he's back to his best in the the first round of the RBC Heritage with a 10-under 61 at Harbour Town to set a new course record.
However, that was just the latest in a sizeable list of course records Thomas has set in his professional career. Here are the details.
Thomas gave an insight into his state of mind when firing on all cylinders following an 11-under 61 in the second round of the 2015 CIMB Classic at TPC Kuala Lumpur.
Thomas’ course record round included carding nine birdies and an eagle, and afterwards, he said: “It was just one of those days when you kind of get unconscious and get rolling out there.” Two days later, Thomas had his maiden PGA Tour win.
Two years later, Thomas made history with just the eighth sub-60 round on the PGA Tour – a 59 in the opening round of the Sony Open in Hawaii at Waialae Country Club.
At the age of 23, it also meant he was the youngest PGA Tour player to shoot a sub-60 round. He went on to to win the tournament, which came just a week after his victory in the SBS Tournament of Champions.
Thomas was still looking for his maiden Major title at the 2017 US Open at Erin Hills, but he was firmly in contention after a 63 in the third round, which saw him tie the course record and match the lowest score in the tournament’s history.
Despite beginning the fourth round just one shot behind overnight leader Brian Harman, Thomas couldn’t take his form into the last day, finishing with a 75 for a T9 as Brooks Koepka won.
In the third round of the 2019 BMW Championship at Medinah, Thomas opened with five straight birdies on his way to an 11-under 61. That beat a new course record of 63 set by Hideki Matsuyama just a day earlier. It gave Thomas a six-shot lead with one round to play, and he didn’t throw it away as he won by three.
At the 2020 US Open, Thomas took full advantage of soft conditions at Winged Foot to storm into the lead after a first-round 65 that included six birdies and only one bogey. That was the lowest score in the US Open at the venue. However, despite that achievement, it wasn’t enough for Thomas to claim his maiden title in the Major, as he finished T8.
In the 2022 Sentry Tournament of Champions, Thomas set the course record with a 12-under third round of 61 at the Plantation Course at Kapalua. However, he only held the outright record for 90 minutes before Jon Rahm matched it.
A day later, Matt Jones also carded a 61, although, incredibly, none of them won the tournament. That honor went to Cameron Smith with Rahm runner-up, Jones third and Thomas finishing T5.
After a lackluster 2023, Thomas began 2024 in style, with a T3 in The American Express. That was helped by a 61 in the third round at PGA West’s Pete Dye Stadium Course to leave him on 23-under for the tournament.
However, even though Thomas’s round was a course record, the headlines were taken by amateur Nick Dunlap, who at La Quinta Country Club in the event, which is held over three courses, carded a third-round 60. “Didn’t think I was going to have to deal with a freaking college kid shooting 60 today, joked Thomas afterwards.” Dunlap went on to win the tournament.
Any suggestions that Thomas wasn’t getting back to his best were put firmly to one side in the second round of the 2025 Players Championship. At TPC Sawgrass, he followed a 78 in the first round with a course record-equaling 62, becoming the player with the most birdies in a round at the course with 11. Incredibly, that beat his previous record of 10 at the 2015 tournament.
Thomas began the 2025 RBC Heritage like a man on a mission as he aimed for his first win since the PGA Championship three years earlier. He made four birdies on the first five holes on his way to setting a new Harbour Town course record with a 61 that included 11 birdies.
That gave him a commanding lead, and he was full of praise for the course afterwards, saying: "I love it. I wish we played more places like it. I think more architects should design places like this. It kind of stands of test of time, I think.
"I just think it's a really, really cool place that requires you to think on every single shot you're hitting, and you can't get lazy."
Thomas backed his first round up with a 69 in the second round to hold a two-shot lead at the halfway stage.
Justin Thomas Course Records
- 2015 CIMB Classic, TPC Kuala Lumpur - 61 (second round)
- 2017 Sony Open in Hawaii, Waialae Country Club - 59 (first round)
- 2017 US Open, Erin Hills - 63 (third round)
- 2019 BMW Championship, Medinah - 61 (third round)
- 2020 US Open, Winged Foot - 65 (first round)
- 2022 Sentry Tournament of Champions, Plantation Course at Kapalua - 61 (third round)
- 2024 The American Express, PGA West’s Pete Dye Stadium Course - 61 (third round)
- 2025 The Players Championship, TPC Sawgrass - 62 (second round)
- 2025 RBC Heritage, Harbour Town - 61 (first round)
