Mark Wagner
Special to ICT
Thirteen proved to be a lucky number for Aidan Thomas.
The Laguna Pueblo golfer and recent graduate of New Mexico State University carded a 13-under to win this year’s New Mexico Open at Turtleback Mountain Golf & Resort in his first-ever appearance in a professional golf tournament.
His win came on Sept. 17, amid the largest field ever for the New Mexico Open, with 155 golfers playing the 36-hole, three-day event. Tournament sponsors upgraded the tournament purse to $100,000, with qualifying players drawn from among Professional Golf Association members, touring professionals, and amateur golfers from the region.
Thomas pocketed $20,000 for the win.
“A couple of weeks prior,” Aidan told ICT, “I got in a practice round [at Turtleback]. Got my lines down. Got confident . . . And I did a good job getting out of the rough. Short irons and wedges in. I’m a good wedge player.”
And while wedge play might explain some things, Thomas’ advantages include his parents, Arlene and Marshall, who were among the spectators, and the fact that his brother, Tyrone, a PGA Associate at Oakcreek Country Club in Sedona, was on his bag every step of the way.
Thomas’ win also caught the attention of the golf world, though not completely by surprise.
“We are all very hopeful for Aidan’s journey in professional golf,” said Jason Montoya, Santa Ana Pueblo, a PGA teaching professional who has served as a mentor and coach for Thomas in junior golf programs.
“It’s a new beginning and what a prestigious start,” said Montoya, who spoke to ICT as he was returning from the Cay Uma Wa Tournament at Wildhorse Golf Course in Pendleton, Oregon, where he placed 8th. “We are all looking forward to many more accomplishments.”
Jay Garcia, chairman of the Santa Ana Golf Corporation and co-founder of the Native American Open, watched as Thomas won the NB3 Collegiate Match Challenge as well as the Native American Open in 2024.
He believes Thomas is among the first tour-caliber Native players since Notah Begay III, a renowned Navajo/San Felipe and Isleta pueblo golfer who started the NB3 Foundation.
“The Open is the most prestigious event in New Mexico golf,” Garcia said. “Notah won it. Lee Trevino won it. Professionals like Gene Torres and Matt Every won it as well.”
He notes that Begay, like Thomas, also carded the low score at the New Mexico Open as his first professional win in 1998. Begay would go on to win four times on the PGA tour.
“It’s just the start for Aidan, but this is monumental on several levels and we wish him the best and give him our support,” Garcia said. “We also hope he and Tyrone return for the Native American Open this year after receiving such a nice reward.”
A three-day pressure cooker
Thomas opened his run at the New Mexico Open with a four-under-par round of 68. An exceptional second-day round of 64 put him two strokes up. But on the last day, he found himself tied at the top with another player.
“When he caught me, the other player was 2 under and I was even. He tied me on 8,” Thomas told ICT.
With 10 holes to play, the New Mexico Open, hosted by Sun Country Golf House, was all square. How does a golfer at this level handle the pressure?
“There’s a feeling, like, I need to do something, to respond,” Thomas said. “You can’t be just doing the things you were doing with elite golfers. They’re not going to give it to you. So, I know I’ve got to start making some birdies, making putts. Get a good lie, so I can be more aggressive. If I have a wedge in my hand, I’m good.”
In this case, “good” translated into the first-place finish over Jhared Hack, who finished just one stroke behind Thomas.
Building on success
In the world of Native American golf, Thomas is no stranger to success.
At the collegiate level, the accolades included numerous All-Western Athletic Conference First Team honors, and he was a Srixon/Cleveland All-America Scholar.
One of his favorite memories is when the team won the 2020 Western Athletic Conference Championship at Boulder Creek Golf Course. They advanced to the NCAA Albuquerque Regionals and played at the University of New Mexico Championship Golf Course in front of many friends and family.
He also relies heavily on his brother, Tyrone, who is his caddie. The two brothers acknowledge the verbal element to their shared success.
“He knows me and he knows what I intend to do,” Thomas said. “I’m always talking to him. I need to verbalize it. I need to describe what I am feeling .. How to play a shot, especially on the greens. I do a better job when verbalizing to my brother, to get out of my head.”
Tyrone agrees.
“If he says what I am thinking, I know we are clicking,” he told ICT.
Thomas credits a string of supporters for his success, including his brother, Montoya, PGA professional Grant Dalpes, the NB3 Foundation, and John Mercer, of the Mercer Golf Academy, who coached the Thomas Brothers in junior golf.
Slim margins
As in all professional sports, the margins at elite levels are famously slim. ICT asked Tyrone what separates the average golfer from an elite golfer, and he related the story of a recent trip to the Northeast.
“Even at sea level [where a golf ball does not carry as far] Aidan was carrying his drives 280 to 290 yards,” he said.
Those are tour-level distances. Add to that Aidan’s ability as a wedge and putter and it adds up to a professional victory.
“I don’t worry about his putting at all,” Tyrone added.
Aidan and Tyrone spoke to ICT as they traveled to Dallas for the first leg of Qualifying School. Over the next three months, Thomas will play multiple stages in an effort to win his PGA Tour Card. Qualifying will begin the second week of October at the sectional/regional level. November will take golfers through a second stage, all to make a final field of 75.
Those finalists will compete at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. TPC Sawgrass is owned and operated by the PGA Tour and is the permanent home of The Players Championship.
Of the 75 finalists at TPC Sawgrass, the top 20 will be awarded a PGA Tour Card to compete on the various professional tours, where the purses – and the pressure – increase.
Feeling the pressure?
In the car on their way to the regional qualifiers in Dallas, the two brothers seemed to be relaxed and confident. Tongue-in-cheek, ICT asked Tyrone if there is a family agreement about profit-sharing. He laughed and said, “He’s not going to Kuchar me.”
His comment refers to a moment in golf history when Matt Kuchar famously underpaid a caddie after winning The Genesis Open. While Kuchar later increased his caddie’s payout and issued an apology, the situation became a running joke in the golf world.
To wit, Tyrone said he could not divulge the family arrangements about profit-sharing between champion and caddie, but the laughter coming over the phone seemed to indicate this family’s partnership is not only about the money.
“The thing I love most about golf,” Aidan told ICT, “are the connections I have made along the way. This game has introduced me to many great, inspirational people like Notah, who have an aura about them which inspires me to keep working hard.”