Justin Thomas, PGA golfer and Louisville native, wins 2022 ESPY award

Brooks Holton, Louisville Courier Journal
·2 min read
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Louisville native Justin Thomas has another trophy to add to his collection.

Thomas, a St. Xavier High School grad, won the 2022 ESPY for Best Athlete, Men’s Golf during ESPN's annual award show Wednesday night at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Nelly Korda won the ESPY for Best Athlete, Women’s Golf.

Thomas's ESPY win is the latest achievement in what has been a successful 2021-22 season for the 29-year-old, who as of July 17 was the No. 7 golfer in the world.

Thomas has nine top-10 finishes in the 18 events he's played so far this season and claimed his second career major win in May at the PGA Championship after a playoff with Will Zalatoris. He has also surpassed $50 million in career earnings.

Justin Thomas holds the Wanamaker Trophy after winning the PGA Championship golf tournament in a playoff against Will Zalatoris at Southern Hills Country Club, Sunday, May 22, 2022, in Tulsa, Okla. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Justin Thomas holds the Wanamaker Trophy after winning the PGA Championship golf tournament in a playoff against Will Zalatoris at Southern Hills Country Club, Sunday, May 22, 2022, in Tulsa, Okla. (AP Photo/Matt York)

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Thomas became the third-youngest golfer to make the cut in a PGA Tour event as a 16-year-old student at St. X. Before graduating in 2011, he played in and won the 2010 Terra Cotta Invitational.

After leaving St. X, Thomas enrolled at the University of Alabama and helped lead the Crimson Tide to a national championship in 2013. He turned pro later that year, and his first professional win came in 2014 at the Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship.

Thomas won his first major, the PGA Championship, in 2017. Later that year, he became just the fourth golfer since 1960 to win five times, including a major, during a PGA Tour season before turning 25, joining the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth.

Future MLB Hall of Famer Albert Pujols was given the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award during the 2022 ESPYs.

Reach recruiting and trending sports reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @brooksHolton.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: ESPY awards: Louisville native Justin Thomas wins Best Men's Golfer