Justin Thomas wins The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass
Justin Thomas seals one-shot victory over Lee Westwood at The Players Championship
Justin Thomas has landed his 14th PGA Tour title with victory at The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass.
Thomas, 27, turned a three-shot deficit at the start of the round into a one-shot victory over 54-hole leader Lee Westwood.
The American carded a final-round 68 to finish the week on 14-under par and seal a first victory in seven months on the PGA Tour.
EAGLE for @JustinThomas34.
He leads by 1 @THEPLAYERSChamp.#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/G9ouC8wPo4
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 14, 2021
Thomas bogeyed the 8th hole to fall back into the chasing pack, but it seemed to wake him up as he would play the next four holes in 5-under par, highlighted with a stunning eagle from 19 feet at the par-5 11th (watch above) and it would move him two shots clear at the top of the leaderboard.
He would hand a shot back when missing a tiny par putt at the 14th, and he was quickly level with Westwood when the Englishman made a birdie on the same hole just minutes later.
But Thomas would recover his two-shot advantage by the time he reached the final hole after making a birdie on the par-5 16th, and Westwood making bogey on the iconic par-3 17th.
Living on the edge.@JustinThomas34 flirts with the water on 18.#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/8bBMikd4wG
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 14, 2021
Thomas slightly got away with his tee shot down the 18th when his draw hung on to the left side of the fairway instead of rolling left into the water, and he would go on to make a par to seal the win.
"I am so happy to be a Players champion," said Thomas. "It was one of the best performances of my career from tee to green. I had total control of my ball."
With the victory, Thomas becomes only the fourth player to have won a major, WGC, FedEx Cup and The Players Championship.
Thomas fired a blistering 8-under 64 on Saturday to vault into contention for the title heading into Sunday.
"I wish I could talk to him, but I know he's watching."@JustinThomas34 gets emotional when asked about his late grandfather after winning @THEPLAYERSChamp. pic.twitter.com/FoHTtOh2QU
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 14, 2021
The win is extra sweet for Thomas, who recently lost his grandfather, who he held a very close relationship with both on and off the golf course.
"I wish I could talk to him, I know he was watching," said an emotional Thomas.
At the start of the week, Thomas revealed he was struggling on the course as a result of losing his apparel deal with Ralph Lauren following the use of a homophobic slur at the Tournament of Champions in Hawaii in January.
For Westwood, it marks back-to-back runner-up finishes for the 47-year-old on the PGA Tour.
Bryson DeChambeau and Brian Harman finished two shots off the pace on 12-under par.
