How 145-Pound PGA Pro Became One of Golf's Longest Drivers

How Svelte PGA Pro Justin Thomas Averages 300-Plus Yards Per Drive

Justin Thomas watches his drive on the 18th hole during the final round of the Web.com Tour Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship at The Ohio State University Golf Club on September 14, 2014 in Columbus, Ohio. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Twenty-three-year-old PGA golfer Justin Thomas might as well be a Goliath at the tee: He averages over 300 yards per drive and has won three tournaments already this year.

And you’d think that sort of yardage would come with a chiseled frame. But in fact, he’s sort of a physical anomaly—more of a David than Goliath. At just 5-feet-10, 145 pounds, it’s incredible that he’s able to get the lift that he does.

The Wall Street Journal has taken notice and done the math, noting that his average drives “[equate] to just over 2.1 yards of distance per pound of body weight, which would be the highest such ratio for a single season at least since 2012, according to the Tour, and likely ever, given the rise in driving distance across the sport,” per the newspaper.

So what is his trick? “You don’t need to be strong,” Thomas tells the Journal. “You need to be efficient.”

Watch just how efficient: See a Justin Thomas drive at regular speed, then slow motion, below.