HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Justin Thomas ended practically three years and not using a victory Sunday by making a birdie putt from simply outdoors 20 toes in a playoff at Harbour City to beat Andrew Novak within the RBC Heritage.
Thomas performed bogey-free in dry, quick circumstances for a 3-under 68, making a 25-foot birdie putt on the sixteenth that regarded prefer it could be the winner till Novak, who grew up in South Carolina, matched him with an enormous birdie of his personal for a 68.
Novak, who has had three good probabilities to win in his previous 14 tournaments, had an 8-foot birdie putt on the 18th gap in regulation that was left all the best way.
Within the playoff, Novak missed from simply inside 35 toes, setting the stage for Thomas. The putt was so pure that Thomas dropped his putter earlier than the ball dropped, stooping over and clutching each arms to have fun a win that felt lengthy overdue.
His earlier win was the PGA Championship at Southern Hills in Might of 2022. His recreation slipped and he missed the FedEx Cup playoffs for the primary time in 2023, and he was left off the Presidents Cup staff a yr in the past.
His recreation is again so as — he cracked the highest 10 once more — and he wanted solely a victory to verify his recreation was again among the many elite.
“I did not notice how a lot I missed profitable,” Thomas stated on the 18th inexperienced as he stood subsequent to his spouse, Jill, and 5-month-old daughter, Molly.
Thomas and Novak completed at 17-under 267, three photographs away from anybody else.
Novak was a runner-up in Bermuda final fall. He was proper there at Torrey Pines within the Farmers Insurance coverage Open. He was within the combine on the Valero Texas Open. And this regarded prefer it could be his second to interrupt via till Thomas refused to be denied.
“Profitable is difficult. It is actually, actually exhausting,” Thomas stated with a tinge of emotion in his voice. “I’ve labored my butt off and stayed affected person, stayed constructive.”
He gained for the sixteenth time on the PGA Tour, and to his recollection, he has by no means needed to make a putt of size on the 18th gap to win by a shot.
“That was as enjoyable as I believed it will be,” Thomas stated.
He and Novak pulled away in the midst of the spherical from a decent leaderboard — a four-way tie at one level as they have been joined by 54-hole chief Si Woo Kim and Maverick McNealy.
Daniel Berger closed with a 65 to tie for third with McNealy (70), Mackenzie Hughes (67) and Brian Harman (69).
Defending champion Scottie Scheffler even acquired in on the act, simply briefly. He began 4 photographs behind and was even for the spherical via eight holes. However he ran off three birdies in a four-hole stretch across the flip to tug inside two.
Scheffler was working out of holes when he took on a high-risk shot needing eagle to have a reliable likelihood. That discovered the water, resulting in double bogey. He nonetheless shot 70 and tied for eighth, his third straight top-10 whereas contending into the ultimate hour.
“I feel I am actually shut,” Scheffler stated. “I really feel like I did plenty of issues properly this week, just some of the necessary photographs I simply did not pull off. Outdoors of that it was a reasonably strong week.”
Thomas gained the match with a birdie in a playoff. He saved his probabilities towards the top of the entrance 9 when he made 4 straight putts beginning on the fifth gap — 7 toes for birdie, 7 toes for par, 8 toes for par and simply inside 15 toes for birdie on No. 8, the place he took on the timber with a 7-iron to offer himself an opportunity.
Novak had tree hassle and battled away, getting a couple of good bounces and a exceptional par save from a sandy lie amidst a forest on No. 11.
He strikes excessive sufficient on the earth rating — inside the highest 35 — that he must be a lock for the U.S. Open and now wants to remain within the prime 50 the subsequent month for The Open.
“I am not as pissed off as I believed I might be,” Novak stated. “I really feel like I did plenty of good issues. I am fairly happy with placing myself in that place after I actually felt like I wasn’t swinging it that nice this week.
“I believed I used to be just a little extra comfy down the stretch than perhaps I’ve been prior to now. Justin simply went out and gained it. There’s nothing you possibly can actually do about it.”
