Justin Thomas achieved something truly special at Quail Hollow on Sunday- here is an in-depth review of the 99th PGA Championship.
Entering the final round of the 2017 major season, there were a bunch of exciting storylines on the cards. Would Kevin Kisner cap his lifetime affiliation with Charlotte by capturing a maiden major title in his 11th major start?
Was Hideki Matsuyama destined to deliver on his promise as one of the brightest stars in the game? Chris Stroud, meanwhile had the opportunity to complete a fairytale two weeks by following a first win in his 289th Tour start with an unlikely major triumph. Amid all of this though, the son of a PGA professional and the best friend of Jordan Spieth lurked just two shots adrift of Kevin Kisner on five-under par.
Not for the first time this year, Thomas found himself in the mix heading into the final round of a major. A third round 63 at the US Open had put Thomas in position to claim his first major title with 18 holes to play at Erin Hills. A final round 75 derailed his challenge though and he finished T-9. As the saying goes, however, “One learns more from failures than from success”. In all likelihood, the Erin Hills disappointment would have taught the youngster a lesson in patience.
Thomas’ start to the round was less than ideal, making a bogey five on the first hole after thinning a bunker shot. After draining a putt of more than 10′ to save his bogey, the 24-year-old carried that momentum to the second hole where he showed great bounce-back ability to record a birdie which evened up his round.
The youngster showed tremendous patience for the remainder of the front nine, trusting that momentum would swing in his favour. A birdie on the ninth was followed by arguably the most memorable moment of Thomas’ closing 68.
After pulling his drive on the 10th, Thomas benefitted from a fortuitous bounce when he hit his tee shot way left, only for the ball to ricochet off a tree to land safely in the fairway! He took full advantage of the break and gave himself a realistic look at birdie. The putt, a double-breaker, hung on the lip for what seemed like an age. In sheer disbelief that it hadn’t dropped, Thomas looked at his caddy as if to say ‘How hasn’t it fallen in?’ during which time the ball did eventually drop for a birdie four. It was at this moment that many people, including myself started to believe that it may just be Thomas’ day.
The 24-year-old came up with the goods at every time of asking on a back-nine that saw five players share the lead at one point. After missing the green left with his tee shot on the 13th, Thomas played a delightful chip which tracked the hole before falling for a birdie two.
Down the stretch, Thomas handled the pressure of trying to win his first major with distinction. The world No 14 put any doubts over his ability to keep his nerves in check by making a terrific sand-save for par on the par-four 16th, the start of Quail Hollow’s ‘Green Mile’.
The best was yet to come for the Kentucky native however. A superb 7-iron under the most intense pressure to 15′ on the treacherous par-3 17th helped Thomas notch a sixth birdie of the round that probably set the engraver to work.
On 18, leading by two, Thomas pulled driver, To the armchair critic this may be a questionable decision for someone holding a two-shot lead on the 72nd hole of a major championship. Thomas explained the decision after the round, saying that his miss with a 3-wood when trying to hit a draw is left, where there is water on Quail Hollow’s closing hole. His miss with the driver, however, is right, which put him in a fairway bunker about 200 yards from the green.
Though he closed with a bogey, Kisner’s failure to play the last two holes two-under meant the man affectionately known as ‘JT’ put his name on the Wanamaker Trophy alongside greats of the game such as Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus.
From a South African point of view, Louis Oosthuizen finished T-2 after a closing 70. With the runner-up finish, Oosthuizen has now finished second in each of the four majors at some point in his career.
Thomas’ Win: By the Numbers
- Thomas averaged 328 yards off the tee this week.
- Thomas also got it done on the greens, picking up 1.818 strokes on the field in strokes gained putting after 72 holes
- Thomas was clutch with the flat-stick on Sunday, picking up 2.397 strokes on the field on Sunday in Strokes Gained Putting, far surpassing his Sunday season average of 0.224.
WITH THE WIN
- Thomas becomes the sixth son of a PGA Professional to win the PGA Championship.
- Thomas climbs to No 6 on the latest Official World Golf Rankings
- Thomas joins Jordan Spieth, Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Rory McIlroy as the only players to win four times in a season including a major.
- Thomas moves to second on the FedexCup standings, behind Hideki Matsuyama.
Photo: Getty Images
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