Justin Thomas conquers one of the TOUR’s toughest tests

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Justin Thomas hopes his winner’s check doesn’t take too big of a hit, but he just couldn’t help himself. Thomas used an expletive to emphasize his excitement after winning The Honda Classic on the first playoff hole. He admitted afterward that he’d hoped the cameras missed his celebratory remarks “Let’s go. (Expletive) yeah, baby,� he said after holing his 3-footer for the win. He just got caught up in the moment after a hard-fought victory on one of the PGA TOUR’s toughest tests. “Please don’t fine me very much, PGA TOUR,� he sheepishly pleaded in his post-tournament press conference. “That’s not something I wanted to get on TV. It just was an emotional win and I was happy to get it done.� Thomas continued his incredible play with his second win of the season. The reigning FedExCup champion now leads this season’s standings. He’s won seven of his past 31 PGA TOUR starts (23 percent). Increased consistency was his goal after last season’s five-win campaign. He seems to be on the right track, finishing no worse than T22 in seven starts this season. He believes he’s playing even better than in his FedExCup-winning campaign, which also included six missed cuts and nearly as many top-10s (12) as finishes outside the top 25 (11). “I feel very confident in pretty much every part of my game right now,� he said. It showed as Thomas parred PGA National’s penal finishing holes, then stiffed a wedge shot on the final hole of regulation to tie Luke List atop a tightly-packed leaderboard. On the first playoff hole, Thomas flew a 5-wood over water and two-putted for victory. His victory at last year’s PGA Championship also came on a tough track with a finishing stretch notorious enough to earn its own nickname, but the margins were much slimmer this time. At Quail Hollow, Thomas had some shots to work with after his chip-in at the 13th hole. The final-round leaderboard at The Honda Classic saw as many as four players share the lead on the back nine. “I just hit some really, really well-executed shots coming down the stretch. I haven’t done that on this difficult of holes before,� Thomas said. “One swing equals a double on those holes. It just was a big confidence booster, really.� It’s surprising Thomas would need one, considering his success over the past year, but each win is unique. He spoke on the eve of the final round about the satisfaction he’d get from winning on a course with such a penal reputation. The scoring average on the par-70 Champion Course at PGA National was more than two strokes over par. Thomas and List tied for the lead at 8-under 272; only 11 players broke par this week. Thomas’ five bogeys were second-fewest in the field (he also made one double-bogey). “When you get out of position, you have to get back in and try to salvage a par. That’s what I did so well,� he said. Three years ago, he estimates that he took nine penalty drops in 36 holes en route to a missed cut. He finished third here in 2016, but missed the cut again last year. He returned to PGA National to congratulate Rickie Fowler on his win, and Fowler returned the favor this year. “It’s definitely very satisfying when you can get the job done on a course that tests all parts of your game,� Fowler said as he watched Thomas accept the trophy. Thomas was bogey-free on the back-nine, making birdies on 13 and 18 and executing several clutch up-and-downs. He drove in the rough on the final hole before stuffing a 117-yard wedge shot to make birdie and match List.   “This was a hard win, it was,� Thomas said. “I was very calm and comfortable kind of those first 14 holes, and that’s the first time I’ve had to play the Bear Trap in that much pressure, and it was pretty nerve-wracking.� Mike Thomas was impressed with his son’s ability to go 72 holes without a penalty shot on a course lined by so many water hazards. “He’s ultra-aggressive, and he’s good enough to be aggressive,� Mike Thomas said. “I think he’s learned that he doesn’t have to attack every flag. … He just didn’t make any mistakes.� And so he walked away with yet another trophy.

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