Although technically not an important championship, The Players Championship provided a great theater on Sunday, when Justin Thomas chased Lee Westwood and Bryson DeChambeau and then held on to victory at TPC Sawgrass. Here’s everything you need to know:
Among the best: Justin Thomas (-14), Lee Westwood (-13), Brian Harman (-12), Bryson DeChambeau (-12), Talor Gooch (-11), Paul Casey (-11)
How did this happen: Earlier in the day, it looked like Westwood, the leader for two, and DeChambeau, looking for consecutive trophies, would fight again for the second week in a row – and even more so when Westwood birded on the first hole. But none of them had their best things on Sunday. In fact, the fourth hole was absolutely terrible – DeChambeau headed and hit the kicks, Westwood cut one and they agreed to go through 3 in the short par 4.
Although both players still had a chance to win by entering the last few holes, they also allowed Thomas to take over. Thomas failed to buy a starting shot and did not make a birdie until the ninth hole, but that was when he caught fire, birdieing No. 10, eager No. 11 to take the lead in a shot and increase his lead with a birdie at No. 12. Westwood drew with Thomas with an 8 foot birdie make at No. 14, but he landed two bad shots at par-5 16º hole and then three strokes n ° 17 to end his offer. DeChambeau played us. 12-16 in 3 under with an eagle at No. 16, but his first fights put him in a very deep hole. Thomas’ 68 finish culminated in a 14-under-performance on the Stadium Course, where Thomas was off the line at 27 holes.
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What it means: It was not an easy start to the year for Thomas. Some of them were self-inflicted, as Thomas uttered a homophobic slander at the opening of the year in Hawaii and was later dismissed by his clothing sponsor. But he also lost his grandfather, PGA pro Paul Thomas, in February, and Thomas’s game on the field had suffered from two missed cuts and no top-10 in four games since Kapalua. “I definitely had my fair share of casualties this season,” he said after hitting 64 on Saturday, a low round that marked Sunday’s heroism. Now, Thomas is back in the winner’s circle for the first time since the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational in Memphis last summer, and he won a Tour event for the seventh consecutive year.
Rounds of the day: Several players made a nice climb on the board on the last day, including Corey Conners, Charles Howell III and Sungjae Im, who fired 66s to increase the size of their checks. Conners went up to seventh solo, while Howell also posted a backdoor result in the top 10.
Photo of the day: Thomas’ eagle at No. 11 came from just 6 meters, but we think the celebration was even better.
Not to be forgotten, however, was his heart-stopping trip on the 18th par 4.
Biggest disappointment: The final pairing. Westwood and DeChambeau combined to make 1 under, and neither had a chance to win on the 18th green. This is incredibly disappointing. Westwood was constantly trying to save parity and ended up failing on the 17th. DeChambeau never seemed to get on the right track after the No. 4 disaster.
Quote of the day: “I fought so hard today, I kept my patience. Probably one of the best rounds of my life, from the tee to the green.” – Thomas