“I’m so much more consistent this year, which I really like,” Thomas said. “That’s what I’ve wanted to do this year. Get my bad golf better. No missed cuts. Have a chance to win more tournaments. Living around the top 10 is something Tiger did for a long time. He always had chances to win tournaments, and if he didn’t, he was always around, always on that first page of the leaderboard.”

That’s what led Thomas to believe he is playing better this year.

“I don’t have all the crazy things to go along with it,” he said.

Thomas had said he would seek advice from Woods and Jack Nicklaus, along with Jordan Spieth, on how to deal with living up to expectations after a big year. But it was a conversation he had with Nicklaus last summer before winning at Quail Hollow that had a more lasting effect.

“When I talked to Mr. Nicklaus last year, he said he adjusted his game plan according to how he was playing,” Thomas said. “I don’t know why I never thought about that, but it stuck with me. Because at the time, I wasn’t playing well. He said: ‘When you’re not playing well and you have a 6-iron, are you trying to make birdie? You probably won’t because you’re not playing well. Why wouldn’t you just hit the middle of the green?’

“I was like, ’Why am I playing courses the same when I’m playing my best versus when I’m not playing well?’” Thomas said. “That is a big part of why I’m having success this year.”

The conversation carried into the offseason with his father, Mike Thomas. The idea was to make ordinary weeks better instead of worse. To turn 40th place into 20th place.

Make the bad golf better.

“If he doesn’t have a chance to win ... things irritate him more. He fires at flags he shouldn’t fire at,” Mike Thomas said. “He’s good up front. He’s not in the middle. We all sat and talked about that. It’s not that you need 5 more (FedEx Cup) points or an extra $5,000. It’s just a frame of mind. Try to always improve.”

It appears to be working.

Better than last year? Along with five victories, Thomas shot a 59 at the Sony Open and a 63 at the U.S. Open. Seasons like that are hard to top.

“I feel I’m capable of doing it again,” he said. “But it’s not like I’m going to have those on my refrigerator and checking them off. There are many things I want to do and can do. And like many things, I’m hoping it can happen.”