Hat-trick in Justin’s sights

– Only weeks after capping his brilliant season with the $10 million bonus as FedExCup champion, Justin Thomas (above) heads back to his happy hunting ground at this week’s CIMB Classic, seeking a “threepeat” of titles in Malaysia.

Much has changed for 24-yearold Thomas since his last trip to TPC Kuala Lumpur, when he was still an unproven, if highly regarded, talent coming off his rookie season.

A three-stroke win to succesfully defend his championship underlined his pedigree, however, and was the springboard for a stellar campaign featuring five wins, a maiden Major title and last month’s FedExCup triumph.

Once known as “Jordan Spieth’s friend”, the Louisville, Kentucky-born golfer returns to Southeast Asia as the PGA Tour’s Player-of-the-Year.

“It’s going to be a little bit different this year, just in terms of everything that’s happened and kind of the lack of preparation I’ll probably get as opposed to years prior,” Thomas said.

He will also be up against a quality field at the PGA Tour’s second event in the 2017/18 calendar, including Japan’s world No 3 Hideki Matsuyama.

Apart from Thomas, eight other Major winners are in the restricted field of 78 at the $7 million tournament, including Americans Keegan Bradley, Stewart Cink and Jason Dufner, and a trio of South Africans in Ernie Els, Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel.