Justin Thomas ended his nearly three-year victory drought on Sunday with a dramatic playoff win at the RBC Heritage.
Thomas sank a 20-foot putt to defeat Andrew Novak in the playoff at Harbour Town Golf Links.
The victory marks Thomas's first win since the PGA Championship at Southern Hills in May 2022.
"I didn't realise how much I missed winning," Thomas said after his triumph.
Justin Thomas was over the moon to claim his first win in three years
Reuters
The dramatic winning putt was a moment of pure joy for Thomas, who dropped his putter before the ball disappeared into the cup.
"That was pretty cool," he said. "That was as fun as I thought it would be."
Thomas celebrated with his wife Jill and 5-month-old daughter Molly behind the 18th green at Harbour Town.
"I think it was the last thing missing, if you will," Thomas added.
Thomas played a bogey-free final round in challenging conditions, closing with a 3-under 68.
Novak matched Thomas's score to finish at 17-under 267, forcing the playoff.
The pair pulled away from a tight leaderboard that included 54-hole leader Si Woo Kim and Maverick McNealy.
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Novak remained positive despite the loss, saying: "I'm not as frustrated as I thought I would be."
Thomas's game had slipped significantly since his 2022 PGA Championship victory, missing the FedEx Cup playoffs for the first time in 2023 and also being left off the Presidents Cup team a year ago.
His form had been returning recently, cracking the top 10 again, but the victory was the final confirmation his game was back among the elite.
A key factor in Thomas's resurgence was advice from world No. 3 Xander Schauffele, who helped fix his putting woes.
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Justin Thomas managed a 20-yard putt to win the playoff
Reuters
"A huge help was when I called Xander at the end of last year," Thomas revealed.
Thomas had been struggling with his putter, ranking No. 174 in Strokes Gained: Putting in 2024 and No. 135 in 2023.
Schauffele's guidance proved invaluable for the tournament winner.
Thomas explained that Schauffele helped him realise he had abandoned his successful putting techniques from 2017-18.
"The more I was talking, I'm like, I don't do any of the things that I used to do in my best putting years," Thomas said.
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Xander Schauffele had played a major part in Justin Thomas' revival
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Schauffele pointed out that Thomas lacked a "home base" and consistency in his putting routine.
Thomas also discovered he had become too mechanical rather than natural.
Thomas ranked third in Strokes Gained: Putting at the RBC Heritage, gaining 5.512 shots on the field.
His putting has improved dramatically, rising from 40th to 24th in the season rankings after the tournament.
The victory, his 16th on the PGA Tour, moved Thomas to No. 6 in the world rankings.
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