Justin Thomas won 15 times in his first 191 tournaments on the PGA Tour. But since winning the PGA Championship for the second time on May 22, 2022, the former Alabama All-American had played in 58 PGA Tour events without a victory.
The winless streak ended on Sunday when Thomas sank a 21-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to capture the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, South Carolina.
“I’ve never made a putt to win a tournament before – like, of length,” Thomas said. “I’ve been fortunate to have a lot of tap-ins, but I’ve never made a putt. And that was pretty cool. That was as fun as I thought it would be.”
Thomas and Andrew Novak ended the 72-hole tournament tied at 17-under-par 267.
Novak left a 33-foot birdie putt short on the playoff hole – the par-4 18th – before Thomas knocked in his putt for the victory.
“Winning’s hard,” Thomas said. “It’s really, really hard. But I’ve worked my butt off and stayed patient, stayed positive. …
“Just take for granted when you get on those runs sometimes, and I didn’t realize how much I missed winning. Battling out there today was so much fun.”
Thomas and Novak started the final round at 14 under and one shot behind leader Si Woo Kim. Thomas and Novak each recorded a 68 on Sunday while Kim shot a 3-over 74.
Thomas’ final round featured 15 pars and birdies on two of the three par-5 holes – the fifth and the 15th – and the par-4 eighth.
A long birdie putt on the 15th gave Thomas a one-stroke lead, but Novak pulled back into a tie with a birdie on the par-4 16th. Novak had five birdies, two bogeys and 11 pars on Sunday. He had a makeable putt to win the tournament on the 18th green but pushed the shot to the left.
Thomas might not have had to go to a playoff to win if not for the second hole in Saturday’s third round. Thomas was given a one-stroke penalty for causing his ball to move while removing a loose impediment.
Thomas’ tee shot had come to rest in a waste bunker, and the penalty was assessed after he alerted a PGA Tour rules official.
Thomas opened the tournament on Thursday by tying the course record with a 10-under 61. He had a 2-under 69 on Friday and another on Saturday.
Thomas’ first-place prize was $3.6 million.
