Jon Rahm’s reign as World No 1 lasted a fortnight as Justin Thomas regained the crown more than two years after his own brief maiden stint at the summit.
Thomas put on a short game masterclass at the WGC-FedEx St Jude Invitational for his 13th PGA Tour win and second WGC title. He becomes the third youngest player to reach 13 PGA Tour wins. (I don’t need to tell you the other two.)
Thomas didn’t need reminding he was three up with three to play at last month’s Workday Charity Open only for Collin Morikawa to catch him and ultimately beat him in an incredible play-off. “I’m going to be mad about that for the rest of my life,” he said after his win in Memphis, before admitting it was ultimately what spurred him on.
And it was exquisite touches like this that saw him over the line at TPC Southwind…
- See the full leaderboard on the PGA Tour website
Brooks Koepka pushed Thomas all the way but ultimately two sixes in the final three holes meant he fell back into a tie for 2nd with Phil Mickelson, Daniel Berger, and England’s Tom Lewis – who was 14 shots off the lead through 36 holes.
Despite the finish, this will feel like a win for defending champion Brooks Koepka. And no, not because of that brilliant jab at Bryson DeChambeau during the second round.
This is a player who has been woefully out of form, remember – his record in 2020 reads MC-WD-T43-MC-T47-T32-7-MC-T62-MC – and, despite the slumped shoulders as he found the water at 18, he will be pumped as he bids for a third successive PGA Championship next weekend.
Let’s not forget his own coach wrote him off for the three-peat at Harding Park. “If I was a racehorse trainer, I’d say he had absolutely no chance!” joked Pete Cowen.
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