Justin Thomas defeated Andrew Novak on the first playoff hole at RBC Heritage to earn his 16th PGA Tour title. With this win, he moved to second in the FedExCup points list behind Rory McIlroy.
Thomas has been searching for his first win since his second PGA Championship in 2022. This was his 59th start since that victory, and after multiple second place finishes this season, he finally broke through.
Thomas came out hot on Thursday, tying the course record by shooting a 10-under-61. He followed it up with a 2-under-69 to take a two-shot lead heading into the weekend. This was Thomas’ 14th time holding a 36-hole lead/co-lead in his career, and now, with this win, he is 7-for-14 in converting them to victories.
Heading into the final round, Si Woo Kim held a one-shot lead over Andrew Novak and Thomas. Thomas had lost his 36-hole lead after shooting a 69 on Saturday.
The momentum began to shift on the 18th hole of the third round on Saturday. On the 18th tee, Kim had a three-shot lead over Thomas but ended the hole with only a one-shot lead. Kim missed his par putt from just over five feet while Thomas buried a 15-foot birdie putt. “It’s nice to finish off like that and ride that momentum into tomorrow,” Thomas said after his third round.
Thomas and Novak each shot 3-under rounds of 68 to go to a playoff. Both players hit their drives in the fairway – Thomas had 170 yards in and hit his second shot to 21 feet. Novak was 10 yards closer than Thomas and hit his approach to 33 feet. Novak left his birdie putt short, giving Thomas an opportunity to win. Just like the putt he holed for birdie on the 15th hole, he rolled it with the perfect pace right into the center of the hole for his first win in 1,064 days.
“Winning is hard. It’s really, really hard. I’ve worked my butt off and stayed patient, stayed positive,” Thomas said standing on the 18th green with his wife and daughter standing next to him.
The PGA Tour is off to New Orleans for the Zurich Classic next week. This is the only team competition tournament during the PGA Tour season. Last year’s champions, Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, will look to defend their title.
