Justin Thomas secures first PGA Tour win 1-shot victory at CIMB Classic
Once again, a player under the age of 25 has won on the PGA Tour.
Justin Thomas, 23, won the CIMB Classic on Sunday for his breakthrough Tour win in just his 39th start. His tournament-record, 26-under-262 total was good enough for a one-shot win over Adam Scott.
Thomas, who shot 6-under 66 to finish at Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club, didn’t make it easy on himself down the stretch. After a birdie at the par-4 13th, Thomas established a one-shot lead. However, on the next hole, Thomas found a water hazard with his approach to the par 4, ultimately leading to what could be considered a good double bogey that left him a shot back of the pace. The Alabama product responded with three consecutive birdies that gave him a one-shot edge heading into the par-5 finishing hole.
“I just kept telling myself I controlled the tournament before that shot, so I just need to get back in it,” Thomas said. “I had four more holes to try to make some more birdies and was fortunate enough to do it.”
After running his winning birdie putt some 6 feet beyond the hole, Thomas left himself a nervous par putt for the victory. Thomas sank it to avoid a playoff with Scott and pick up his first PGA Tour victory.
Brendan Steele and Kevin Na finished in a tie for third place at 24-under par.
So far on this new PGA Tour season, players under the age of 25 have won all three events: Emiliano Grillo at the Frys.com Open, Smylie Kaufman at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas and now Thomas.
For his part, Na has finished in the top three in all three of those events, including a pair of runner-up finishes.
In his rookie campaign last season, Thomas showed signs a victory was coming, but he often flailed on Sunday’s, owning the 79th best final-round scoring average on Tour. However, Thomas said on Sunday that he told himself that it would eventually be his time.
“I understand that we’re in a sport where your winning percentage isn’t in your favor,” he said, “and I put myself there a bunch, and I just need to keep doing so and when moments like this can happen.”
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
