Justin Thomas Climbed into the Top 10 in the World with Back-to-Back Wins in Hawaii

Justin Thomas is no longer just Jordan Spieth’s friend. After winning in back-to-back weeks at the Tournament of Champions and Sony Open, where he became the seventh player to break 60 and set a new 72-hole scoring record, he has climbed to eighth in the world rankings.

Thomas, who is 23 and turned professional in 2013, has rapidly climbed the rankings since the PGA Championship last season when he finished the tournament ranked 41st. In the time since the PGA Championship, Thomas has carded three wins, and five top 10 finishes.

After finishing his final round at the Sony Open, Jordan Spieth was asked a couple of questions that Thomas is usually asked about Spieth.

Thomas’s quick ascent is similar to that of his buddy Spieth’s. Between 2013 when he collected his first PGA Tour win and 2014 season Spieth jumped from 59th to ninth in the world rankings and by the end of the 2015 season he was ranked first thanks to his win at the Masters and U.S. Open.

As Spieth said after the Sony Open, when the wins come they seem to come in bunches and that is exactly what Thomas is experiencing at the moment. He’s now ranked first in FedExCup points, which is moot because it is way too early to start talking about them, and has four wins in the last two seasons.

Entering this week at the start of the California swing, here’s what the top 10 looks like.