Justin Thomas wins €3.1 million in Rory McIlroy's absence as he ends PGA drought
The two-time major champ hadn't tasted victory since 2022, but he's now ended a drought of 1064 days.
The US golfer, whose last big win was at the PGA Championship in 2022, had been finding it tough to leave a mark until he clinched this latest title after a playoff.
Thomas' win at Harbour Town in Hilton Head, South Carolina, was nothing short of thrilling, with the golfer nailing a 21-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to grab the win.
That earned the 31-year-old a hefty €3.1 million. He was in good form throughout the event - beginning with a 61 on Thursday. That matched the Harbour Town course record. Thomas then posted back-to-back 69s to enter Sunday just a shot back going into the final round.
Thomas said on CBS: "Winning's hard. It's really, really hard. I've worked my butt off and stayed patient, stayed positive. I've got a great wife, great team, have a great daughter ... Just take it for granted sometimes when you get on those runs. I didn't realise how much I missed winning. Battling out there today was just so much fun."
He went on to add: "It's so hard to force the issue on a course like this. It's so fast and so much fun to play. I'm really proud of myself. I've never made a putt to win a tournament before, of length. Been fortunate to have a lot of tap-ins but that was pretty cool. It wasn't as fun as much as I thought it would be."
Thomas is a previous world No 1, topping the rankings in 2018, and alongside his two major successes has also won the prestigious Players Championship at Sawgrass.
Rory McIlroy, fresh from winning the Masters, chose to bypass the tournament and will return at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans next week. It means he will fulfil a promise to Shane Lowry that he'll be on the green to defend their title.
After completing the Grand Slam at Augusta the 35-year-old opted for some quality time with his family in Northern Ireland. He had already hinted last November that he might cut the event from his calendar, regardless of whether or not he emerged victorious at August.
Lowry didn't want to put any pressure on McIlroy after his epic triumph at the Masters but has revealed that McIlroy is raring to get back in the swing of things. "We'll be there," he confirmed to Golf Week. "I talked to him [on Wednesday] morning. We're good to go."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
3 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Drogheda United loanee Josh Thomas reveals he snubbed Bohemians before coming off bench to stun them with winner
JOSH THOMAS revealed how he turned down the chance to join Bohemians after sinking them with a late winner. In his first league appearance after a five-month lay-off with a leg injury, Thomas came off the bench at Dalymount Park to earn all 2 Josh Thomas of Drogheda United celebrates his winner against Bohemians on Friday 2 The Swansea City loan star turned down a move to Bohs earlier this year The striker's spell on loan from And he admitted a chat with Doherty helped to convince him to link up with Drogheda rather than Thomas said: 'It's just when I spoke to Kev. I think this style of play really suits me, the counter-attacking, so I think that's why I'm here. 'I'm buzzing. I've been out for a while now. It's a tough place to come so it was good to get the three points. The boys did most of the work, I just topped it off. READ ON FOOTBALL 'That's what a striker dreams of, just to get one chance in a game.' Thomas, 22, suffered a serious quad tear in February and had to abandon a planned comeback the following month. The Welshman said: 'I didn't think it was going to be as long as it was. And then I tried to come back against Cork away and it just completely went again. 'We took extra precaution, went home and did my rehab back at Swansea and we took extra care and, yeah, I'm back now.' Most read in Football Thomas got away from Rob Cornwall and Niall Morahan to finish after being played through by Conor Keeley. The match-winner said: 'I think I back myself against any defender, to be honest, especially when I'm in that position. It's what I've been doing since I was ten years old.' 'Who the hell do you think you are- - Ex-Premier League boss fumes at his own fans who threw CHAIR at opposition player He had already irked Cornwall with a couple of late challenges. And Thomas shrugged: 'That's just the way I go into the game. Everyone says about the first pass, mine's always just getting stuck in, straight away.' The ex-Wales Under-21 international - who has Football League experience from loan spells with Bromley and Port Vale - reckoned Drogs' training camp in Spain, organised after they were excluded from the Conference League, was a perfect tonic. He said: 'For morale it was very good. We trained really hard all week. 'I think it was harder than we all expected it to be. 'It wasn't a holiday like everyone was saying but we had a good night towards the end of the week and came back with all the morale really high. 'I think when something gets taken away from you that's not your fault, it gives you more momentum to show people why we were here in the first place. "We can go head-to-head with anyone in the league when we're on it.' And Doherty reckons having players such as Thomas to bring on underlines how Drogheda have progressed from previous years. BRIGHT FUTURE He said: 'I've been crying out for this for a long time, to have subs who can make an impact, not just subs you make when you're on the floor, which has been the case for most of the time. 'But having him and Warren Davis to come on is really good. The thing about Josh and him is that they're great finishers. 'For the goal, it's not just the pace, it's the timing of the run, it's using their body to get in the right position. Obviously it's the pass from Conor as well. 'We can run all day and we've seen in the first half, Dare Kareem and Thomas Oluwa worked Bohs. 'If they don't do that work in the first half, maybe that goal doesn't happen in the second half. 'That was part of the plan. It's great when it works.'
The Irish Sun
17 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Rory McIlroy to skip PGA Tour's FedEx Cup Playoffs opener in Memphis despite $20m prize pot
RORY McILROY will sit out the opening round of the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup Playoffs next week in Memphis. 2 Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy will skip the Fed Ex Cup opener at TPC Southwind 2 World number on Scottie Scheffler will return after bagging his fourth major at The Open McIlroy finished last year's St Jude Championship second last on nine-over-par. A year prior, McIlroy finished solo third-place after he shot a final-round 65. His absence means fans will have to wait to see the Northern Irishman in action again, with his last outing coming at The Open in Portrush where he tied for seventh. The Holywood hotshot is yet to give a reason for skipping the multi-million Dollar event. read more on golf The Northern Irishman will now miss out on picking up any of the FedEx St. Jude Championship is $20 million - the winner's share is $3.6 million. The top 70 in the FedEx Cup standings after the Wyndham Championship make it to Memphis - with only 50 progressing to the BMW Championship in Maryland on August 14. McIlroy is currently second in the points race behind Scheffler. Most read in Golf Meanwhile, The Offaly star will be hoping for a charge after a recent slide down the FedEx Cup ladder. Shocking moment drunk passenger, 29, steals airport golf cart and goes on bizarre rampaging joyride through terminal Clara native Lowry sit 19th on the table as the first playoff event approaches. Japan's Hideki Matsuyama is the defending champion of the first event of the playoffs. All the action is live on Sky Sports Golf from next Thursday.
Irish Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Rory McIlroy snubs €17m PGA Tour event after FedEx Cup rule changes
Rory McIlroy will skip the first of the three FedExCup Playoff events next weekend in Tennessee, opting out of a tournament featuring a €17.4 million prize pool. The reigning Masters champion currently sits second in the FedExCup standings behind Scottie Scheffler and remains on track to qualify for the Tour Championship at East Lake later this month. McIlroy is the first high-profile player to withdraw, with the possibility of more top names following suit. His absence is a notable blow to the PGA Tour, as one of its marquee players will miss a key part of the season's finale. However, under the tour's updated format, McIlroy risks only forfeiting a shot at the purse, not his place in the playoffs. In May, the PGA Tour announced that it would be doing away with starting strokes for this year's Tour Championship. Previously, the player leading the FedExCup points list would kick off the tournament at 10-under, followed by the second at 8-under, third at 7-under, fourth at 6-under and fifth at 5-under. The remaining 25 players would be divided into five groups based on their ranking and assigned a corresponding starting score. This year, however, all players will begin the tournament at level par. Last year, Scottie Scheffler began the tournament at 10-under and steamrolled through the field to claim victory at 30-under. Yet Collin Morikawa (-22) and Sahith Theegala (-21) actually posted superior scores to the World No.1 across the full 72 holes. Without such a scoring arrangement in place this year, it's irrelevant whether McIlroy secures second spot or 30th - as long as he remains within the top 30 by the conclusion of the second playoff tournament. The pair of playoff tournaments, featuring fields of 70 and 50 before trimming down to 30 for the Tour Championship, provide four times the points of any standard season event without any cuts. For McIlroy, who sits second and comfortably within the top 30, and has little to lose even if he slips a few positions, it means he can afford to relax next weekend. But if other leading players who could mathematically reach the Tour Championship adopt the same approach, it might become an issue for the PGA Tour. However, fans have not welcomed McIlroy's controversial decision from the event with such understanding, as many took to social media to hit out at the Northern Irishman. One said: "I like this guy less and less every week." Another added: "As far as I'm concerned he just stays home and never comes back." Not everyone was as troubled by the news though, as some admitted they don't blame McIlroy for making the decision to skip the tournament. One understanding fan noted: "Without the staggered start in the finale, there will be many skipping an event. Can't blame 'em." Scheffler, who previously benefited from the starting stroke advantage and holds the defending champion title, has welcomed the alteration to the rules. "At the end of the day you have to perform when it matters the most. I think now with the format we have, we have a great format of a 72-hole golf tournament," he said. "If I want to win the FedExCup, I have to play well at the last week of the season, and it's just simple as that. "I didn't love the previous format of starting strokes, and I really like the direction where we're going."
