Justin Thomas breaks three-year victory drought by winning RBC Heritage with thrilling playoff putt
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C.— Justin Thomas had one more hurdle to prove his game was back where he felt it belonged, and he cleared it Sunday in the RBC Heritage with the longest putt he ever made to win.Walking up to the 18th green at Harbour Town in a playoff with Andrew Novak, Thomas remarked to fill-in caddie Joe Greiner that he had never made a putt of any length to win on the final hole.
He had just outside 20 feet.The putt was so pure, Thomas dropped his putter before the ball disappeared into the cup, setting off pure joy at ending nearly three years without a win.“That was pretty cool,” he said.“That was as fun as I thought it would be.”Thomas played bogey-free in dry, fast conditions on a course that demanded precision, making a 25-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole and closing with a 3-under 68.Maybe the most nervous moment came in the scoring trailer as Thomas watched Novak stand over an 8-foot putt for the win.
The birdie putt was left all the way, and Novak — who made a big birdie of his own on the 16th — had a 68 to join him at 17-under 267.In the playoff, Novak missed from just inside 35 feet, setting the stage for Thomas.He felt pure joy as he looked around at the packed grandstands on one side, the Calibogue Sound on another and his family cheering him on behind the 18th green.“I didn’t realize how much I missed winning,” Thomas said on the 18th green as he stood next to wife Jill and 5-month-old daughter Molly.His previous win was the PGA Championship at Southern Hills in May of 2022.
His game slipped and he missed the FedEx Cup playoffs for the first time in 2023, and he was left off the Presidents Cup team a year ago.His game was back in order — he cracked the top 10 again — and needed only a victory to confirm his game was back among the elite.“I think it was the last thing missing, if you will,” Thomas said.“It’s hard to say, because obviously careers are so long and there’s so much up and down and lots going ...