Thomas hoists the trophy
Justin Thomas poses with the Wanamaker Trophy after winning the PGA Championship on Sunday for his first major title. Thomas shot a 3-under-par 68 while the third-round leaders struggled.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Justin Thomas remembers hearing the roar before he saw the shot.
He had access to the clubhouse at Valhalla in 2000 as the 7-year-old son of a PGA professional, and the thunder from the gallery reached his ears before the TV showed Tiger Woods making the most important putt of his career at that PGA Championship.
Thomas was barely big enough to dream of playing against the best that day. Now his name is on the same Wanamaker Trophy.
Thomas closed with a 3-under-par 68 on Sunday at Quail Hollow to pick up his first major title that belonged as much to the two generations of PGA professional came before him as to him.
“As a kid growing up, you want to win all the majors. You want to win any major,” Thomas said after his two-shot victory. “For me, the PGA definitely had a special place in my heart, and maybe a special drive. It’s just a great win for the family, and it’s a moment we’ll never forget — all of us.”
On this day, the cheers were for him.
They gave him chills when his 8-foot birdie putt teetered on the edge of the 10th hole for 12 seconds before it finally dropped, when he chipped in from 40 feet on the 13th hole to seize control Sunday, and when he fired a 7-iron from 221 yards over the water to a peninsula green that all but sealed the victory.
Even more special than the trophy was seeing his father, Mike Thomas, walk toward with arms wide to wrap his only son in his arms. Thomas is the longtime pro at Harmony Landing outside Louisville, Ky., and a former board member of the PGA of America. His father, Paul Thomas, is a 60-year PGA pro and the first person Justin, 24, called.
With five players still in the mix on the back nine, Thomas surged ahead by chipping in for birdie and holding his nerve down the stretch as his challengers eventually faded, one after another.
Hideki Matsuyama, bidding to become the first player from Japan to win a major, recovered from back-to-back bogeys with birdies on the 14th and 15th holes to trail Thomas by a stroke. The championship then turned on the 16th hole.
Thomas faced a 6-foot par putt to stay at 8-under. Matsuyama caught a good lie over the green and chipped to 5 feet. Thomas drilled his putt. Matsuyama missed and was two shots behind.
“The last major of the year, and I was in contention,” said Matsuyama, a runner-up at the U.S. Open. “All I can do is try harder next time.”
Thomas sealed it with that 7-iron on the 17th that was so pure that he let the club twirl through his hands as he watched it clear the water and roll out to 15 feet. The birdie putt curled in and his lead was up to three going to the 18th. A final bogey affected only the score.
Thomas finished at 8-under 276 for his fourth victory of the year.
“I can’t put it into words,” Thomas said about his PGA of America heritage. “I wish my grandpa could be here for it. It’s so special to get it done. I’m glad we have a trophy now.”
Kevin Kisner was the last one with a chance, but he three-putted from 100 feet on the 16th for bogey, couldn’t birdie the 17th from long range and hit his second shot on No. 18 into the water and finished with a double bogey. Kisner, the 54-hole leader, played the final three holes in 6-over on the weekend. He closed with a 74.
“That’s not going to be fun to look at,” he said of his weekend finish over the brutal closing stretch. “I thought I had to get to 10 (under) starting the day to win, and that was about right. I had every opportunity.”
Matsuyama also hit into the water on No. 18 and made bogey for a 72.
Louis Oosthuizen (70), Patrick Reed (67) and Francesco Molinari (67) tied for second, though none had a chance to win playing the 18th. Oosthuizen holed a 50-foot birdie putt on the 18th that made him a runner-up in all four majors.