Cup-hanger falls for major win
American Justin Thomas claimed his first major yesterday, losing several heartbeats waiting on a putt that refused to fall, then chipping in three holes later to get his heart racing again and take a grip on the PGA Championship.
Thomas, 24, claimed his first major after four PGA Tour wins, with a threeunder back nine taking him clear. But it was no run-of-the-mill back nine. He went into a share of the lead on the par 5 10th with a three metre birdie putt that stopped on the edge of the hole, staring into the abyss but refusing to enter it.
Thomas got to watch in disbelief when the ball refused to fall. He smiled, walked away from the hole, turning his back and waiting for a change in fortune.
At first his ball ignored him too. And then ... reluctantly ... after 12 seconds of indecision ... it collapsed into the hole.
Thomas, 24, acknowledged the crowd with a bow, but who needs that kind of stress with a major title on the line?
Talk about grateful for gravity and just three holes later Kentucky native Thomas was alone at the top of the leaderboard.
Social media fired up over whether Thomas was within the rules to claim the birdie, given under the rules a putt has 10 seconds to drop.
While the Thomas putt took 12 seconds, generally the player is allowed a little ‘reaction time’ to the putt not dropping and the time needed to get to the hole before the 10 seconds starts.
His chip-in on the par three 13th was just as spectacular, rolling into the heart of the hole from 13 metres to give him a two-stroke lead.
Kiwi Ryan Fox had a tumultuous final round 78, to slip from tied 12 to tied 54th. He had an eagle, a birdie, eight bogeys and two double bogeys.
Thomas, who in January became the seventh player to break 60 on the PGA Tour, was shaky through the last holes, with a routine birdie on the par three 17th giving him a two-shot lead coming down the last.
He needed that buffer, finding a fairway bunker off the tee on the difficult closing hole, then narrowly missing his par putt to end the tournament at 8-under.
All that remained was to see whether compatriot Kevin Kisner could birdie the final two holes to force a playoff.
When Kisner managed only a par on 17, he needed to eagle 18 to tie Thomas. His second shot found the creek flanking the 18th fairway, and that was that.
Going into the Quail Hollow tournament Thomas has as many top 10s as any player on tour - tied with his friend Rickie Fowler and Open winner Jordan Spieth.
One of the longest drivers on tour, that proved a big advantage when rain softened the course.
Italian Francesco Molinari, American Patrick Reed - who both shot four under in the last round - and South African Louis Oosthuizen finished tied for second on six-under.