Justin Thomas

During the pro-am at the Genesis Invitational earlier this year at Riviera Country Club, Jim “Bones” Mackay overheard a conversation between his player ...

“It kind of goes back to what I said on Thursday of just not trying to play golf swing, not trying to play the field, not trying to play to a certain person really. Thomas and good friend Jordan Spieth came to Southern Hills on the Monday prior to the AT&T Byron Nelson two weeks ago, and on the fifth tee, Thomas turned to Bones and said, “Man, I love this course.” Mackay said that “is music to a caddie’s ears when we hear something like that”. And he can win in a number of ways. Just trying to execute each shot as well as I could, and then wherever it ended up, just give my club to Bones and let’s move on and try to do the best we can on the next one.” Immersed in the game practically his whole life, the Kentuckian has talent, yes, but also owns a versatile skill set that he is intent on refining constantly. But when he missed a 14-foot birdie putt on 18, he left the green scratching his head and looking sorely disappointed, realising it might not be enough. I think I’ll let the trophy and the week speak for itself.” “And then we just need help from the front runner. Thomas, among the most driven players in professional golf, collected another one today at Southern Hills Country Club, his first in more than a year, when he completed an unlikely rally from seven strokes behind to capture the 104th PGA Championship by defeating Will Zalatoris in a three-hole playoff. “This is a good moment where the trophy can speak for itself,” said Thomas, gesturing towards the Wanamaker Trophy that he won while equalling the largest final-round comeback in PGA history. He goes, ‘Man, I just want to win tournaments.’” What are you into?’ And Justin thought about it for a second.

Justin Thomas used spot-on iron play and superior putting to win his second PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club.

Thomas first put the irons in play at the CJ Cup in October but has been partial to muscle-backs for some time. Although it is similar in shape to the putter he put in the bag at last year’s Open Championship in appearance, there are differences. “With the sound, he felt the new one was a bit hollow,” said Titleist’s PGA Tour putter rep Drew Page. "In order to make the sound similar to what he was playing we added an aluminum plate across the back cavity. Thomas had the putter at his Florida home and practiced with it during his time off. Then on the second hole, JT unleashed a bomb with his 15-degrees Titleist TS3 3-wood that carried 288 yards and landed just in front of the green on the short, par-4 17th before bounding onto the green, leading to another birdie that thrust him into the lead. But the 2017 PGA champ kept chipping away, playing the final nine holes in 32 to give him a final-round 67, and eventually, a playoff with Will Zalatoris after Mito Pereira knocked his tee shot in the water on 18 and made double bogey.

Justin Thomas is a major champion when he least expected it. Thomas matched a PGA Championship record when...

"I was asked early in the week what lead is safe and I said, 'no lead,'" Thomas said. His sawed-off swing with the driver peeled to the right and into the creek down the right side of the 18th fairway. But he responded with a birdie from the bunker at the 17th and holed an 8-foot par putt on the 18th for a 71. It started with a 65-foot birdie putt from just short of the green to a back pin on the par-3 11th. He tapped in for par and stood erect with a smile, a mixture of joy and disbelief. Thomas seized control in the play-off with a 3-wood to 35 feet on the 301-yard 17th hole for a two-putt birdie.

Justin Thomas wins his second PGA Championship crown, producing an almost perfect playoff to beat fellow American Will Zalatoris.

It's avoided the creek, which I didn't think it would for a moment, but that one has missed miles to the right. A very classy chip that will leave him about eight feet for birdie. And that is exactly what he does! That was a VERY provocative line, and for a second he might have worried about a bad kick into the creek to the right of the fairway. That was a low, cutty little swing that very nearly came off brilliantly. A reminder, Justin Thomas currently has a one-shot lead in the playoff. And Justin Thomas has found the green! He has a pretty comfy one left for par. He had to come from a long way back today, but Justin Thomas was probably the stand-out performer over the first two days of this tournament. I've got to be honest, I thought this final round was fizzling away a couple of hours ago when none of the contenders looked interested in putting the hands out and really grabbing this tournament. By Dean Bilton Both players birdied the 13th hole, before Thomas drove the short par-4 17th for another birdie ahead of Zalatoris' par.

Veteran caddie Jim 'Bones' Mackay gave Justin Thomas a Saturday night pep talk on the driving range that helped change his attitude before their Sunday win.

It just means a tremendous amount to be out here with someone … you know, all the guys I've caddied for I'm grateful, but I've just had a great run out here as a caddie. “Because I really like him … and I think he's got more shots than anybody on the tour,” Mackay said. “You know, I've been so spoiled out here,” Mackay said. Mickelson, at age 50, captured his sixth major a year ago with a remarkable performance at the PGA at Kiawah Island. He wasn’t on hand at Southern Hills, choosing to not defend his title as he continues a leave from golf after his controversial comments about the PGA Tour and the rival upstart LIV Series tour. “The gist of it was simply that there is nothing out here that you need to fix,” Mackay said. I didn't need to bring my frustration and anger home with me. The reason was academic. That was the number on the card, but there was nothing to fix. And I wanted to be around it.” As luck would have it, they played the final round with Mickelson and his brother, Tim, who now works as his caddie. It was a really good message.” Standing nearby, Mike Thomas, Justin’s father and swing coach, knew he was hearing the right thing and it was coming from the right person.

TULSA, Okla. – Justin Thomas calculated the yardage for his approach shot on Southern Hills' par-4 seventh in Sunday's final round of the PGA Championship ...

A two-putt birdie was enough for Thomas to lead when Zalatoris failed to get up-and-down before the pair traded pars on the final hole. The three-hole aggregate playoff between Thomas and Zalatoris began with both making birdie on the opening par-5 before they returned to the drivable 17th. Needing par to win his first TOUR event, he sadly sliced his tee shot into the water, failed to reach the green after a penalty and couldn’t even muster bogey to join the playoff. But he refused to give in and birdied the drivable par-4 17th by getting close from a greenside bunker before setting up a 10-foot birdie try on the last after two great shots. Zalatoris was as deep as 8 under early in the round but bogeys on Nos. 6, 7, 12 and 16 seemed to have cruelled his hopes. “We were remarking at the time it was his best full swing of the week and he hit it to 10 feet from 197 yards.” “Anything can happen in golf and Justin is a resilient guy and when he needs to play offense. Thomas recovered from the embarrassment to string together five birdies in his closing 10 holes to shoot 3-under 67, good enough to get in a playoff with Will Zalatoris that Thomas won with birdies on the first two holes. “Bones said some things that I wanted to say but I know as a father if I had of said them, he’d have been like, “You’re stroking my ego,” but Bones said them and it hit home for him,” said Mike Thomas. “It was a really good message. Suddenly the eight-shot gap was halved to four. The talk was music to Mike Thomas’ ears. In the end, it was just one of countless amazing moments in a crazy final round.

Justin Thomas survived a cold shank, a play-off and more to emerge with the Wanamaker Trophy for the second time on Sunday at Southern Hills.

23 May 2022 19 May 2022 23 May 2022 23 May 2022 QUOTE: “Mechanically and as a whole, my putting, it won me this golf tournament this week in many ways, and you had to have a complete game. Thomas' wedges (seein the in the Instram post from Aaron Dill below) carry some interesting lofts, including half degree exact lofts on some.

Take a look at the Titleist setup Justin Thomas used to defeat Will Zalatoris in a playoff at the PGA Championship.

Justin Thomas came from seven shots back at Southern Hills to win a thrilling PGA Championship. So how did he do it?

It was hard to think of a more deserving winner, both given Thomas’ accomplishments over the last half-decade and given his efforts all week. Thomas’ win was the first with Bones on the bag. It was the same Tulsa sunset in which he’d found serenity the night before. That’s where he won the PGA once and for all, making birdie on two of the first three extra holes to cement his second career major championship. “I just think it’s just so hard to win,” he said. Pereira had held onto an unsteady lead all day, but still — he was on the brink of getting it in the house before a bad swing and an unfortunate bounce sent his ball to the bottom of the creek. He didn’t look at leaderboards and he didn’t make bogeys, logging four birdies in his final 10 holes to post a 72-hole total of five under par. His creativity was on full display in the wind and rain as he plotted his way around a formidable golf course with an impressive array of shotmaking. So jarring, in fact, that Thomas had no choice but to laugh it off, push past it and escape with bogey. Thomas knows how tough it was to win his lone major, and he knows well how tough it’s been to snag another. He has more options in the bag now than he did in 2017; he can work the ball both ways on command, flight it high and low, ride the wind or hold it off. The 100th-ranked golfer in the world, Mito Pereira, led by three heading to Sunday. The 2022 PGA was destined for an obscure winner.

Of course Tiger Woods had to give Justin Thomas a Twitter shout out after his big win at Southern Hills.

“I don't know, I'm sure he probably will give me a hard time for shanking it [off the tee on No. 6],” Thomas said. But I think just being there as a friend is most important as a mentor, but, yeah, kind of pushing each other along the way type thing." Woods has described Thomas as the little brother he never had.

Justin Thomas's chances of winning the 2022 PGA Championship as he teed off on the final day were just 1.2%, according to one projection.

And looking forward to those events, Thomas believes that simply playing each shot as it comes could hold the key to more silverware. "I understood that it was going be tough for those guys just as it was for me to try to win the tournament. I executed when I needed to and it was just enough."

Justin Thomas' win at the 2022 PGA Championship taught us something special about him — and gave us something to learn.

Capable of feats like we saw on Sunday at the PGA Championship: overcoming the difficult side of the draw early in the week and finishing with six birdies in his final 13 holes to overcome a seven-stroke deficit. “He listened to what I had to say, and he worked really hard. “I get pissed at him sometimes, and I think as a dad he doesn’t want to — he’s not going to go full Butch Harmon or Pete Cowan and tell me I suck or ‘that’s not very good’ or whatever it is, and sometimes I would love for him to say that just because I want to hear it,” Thomas said earlier in the week. JT seems to possess the rare quality of seeking out criticism he may not particularly enjoy hearing. And even in victory, JT seems to already know what’s to come. It was Friday of the 2020 Travelers Championship. Justin Thomas was on his way home after missing the cut in his second start of the restarted PGA Tour season. The reason you don’t putt well enough is because your skills aren’t good enough.’ I wanted to lay it all on the table.” “I helped educate him on what the best putters do, from green reading to distance control to start line, and here’s where you are,” he said. He had slipped on Saturday, but on Sunday, he was back to stalking his prey. He had navigated the windy side of the draw his first two rounds. Heat, cold, allergies (“I got my but kicked by allergies,” he said), and prevailed from it all. “I would like to think and hope that everything has just gotten a little better.

Watch Justin Thomas sink the final putt to clinch his historic comeback in the 2022 PGA Championship and celebrate with his family.

After a solid drive and approach, Thomas was safely on the 18th green in 2, with a Zalatoris birdie highly unlikely. He was the PGA champion once again. It took a huge effort from JT to get to that point.

After a disappointing four-over 74 Saturday in the third round of the PGA Championship, Justin Thomas retreated to the practice range at Southern Hills ...

It just means a tremendous amount to be out here with someone … you know, all the guys I’ve caddied for I’m grateful, but I’ve just had a great run out here as a caddie. “Because I really like him … and I think he’s got more shots than anybody on the tour,” Mackay said. “You know, I’ve been so spoiled out here,” Mackay said. “The gist of it was simply that there is nothing out here that you need to fix,” Mackay said. Mickelson, at age 50, captured his sixth Major a year ago with a remarkable performance at the PGA at Kiawah Island. He wasn’t on hand at Southern Hills, choosing to not defend his title as he continues a leave from golf after his controversial comments about the PGA Tour and the rival upstart LIV Series tour. I didn’t need to bring my frustration and anger home with me. That was the number on the card, but there was nothing to fix. The reason was academic. I didn’t need to leave the golf course in a negative frame of mind. As luck would have it, they played the final round with Mickelson and his brother, Tim, who now works as his caddie. It was a really good message.” Standing nearby, Mike Thomas, Justin’s father and swing coach, knew he was hearing the right thing and it was coming from the right person.

As Justin Thomas takes home a second Wanamaker Trophy, he continues to boast an illustrious career resume.

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The playoff winner at Southern Hills credits Phil Mickelson's former caddie for motivating him to fight back on day four.

“You want to win a golf tournament,” Thomas says. Only Tommy Fleetwood, who by his own admission did not believe he had a legitimate chance of winning the Wanamaker Trophy, matched it. “I left in an awesome frame of mind. It was almost kind of eerie how beautiful it was outside and there’s not very many times after shooting four over on a Saturday of a major I left in as good a frame of mind as I did.” “I didn’t need to bring my frustration and anger home with me. Relations between Mickelson and Jim “Bones” Mackay are understood to be non-existent despite 25 years of professional association.

The PGA Champion hit a hosel rocket on the 6th hole during the final round at Southern Hills.

The shank on six was one of the first things referenced by the 29-year-old following his victory, and luckily he was able to make a joke of it. He described it as the "best bogey I've ever made in my life" and went on to play the final 10 holes in four-under-par. It could have put an end to his hopes of winning the tournament but a 19ft putt saved a crucial bogey to keep his round alive.

And, all the wild scenes from the English Premier League's final matchday in today's SI:AM newsletter.

“One of the appealing aspects of this tainted final is the feeling it leaves of a changing of the guard. Swift’s story went to print before the Islanders finished off the sweep in Game 4, but he was still able to draw a smart conclusion from the first three games. “When informed of Sather’s remarks, Smith, who claimed to have hit Anderson in the arm, not the knee, and is never one to dampen a controversy, said, ‘Let’s face it. The Islanders clearly are nearing the end of their reign. Smith was the man in net for all four of the Islanders’ Stanley Cup victories in the early 1980s. The Oilers, who were 0 for 7 on the power play for the night, failed to convert, and the incident was forgotten. Before that year, the latest into a season that the first postponement had come was April 26.\ … The Lightning continued to dominate the Panthers to go up 3–0. … The Rangers got on the board with a Game 3 win over the Hurricanes. … Juwan Howard isn’t interested in the Lakers’ job, according to a report. Being the first place to have a rainout doesn’t help anybody’s reputation, though.” It set a record for the latest first rainout of the MLB season. The most physical player in tennis history wasn’t supposed to be around for this long.” He’s already in the neighborhood of Hall of Fame career stuff.

Justin Thomas asked Tiger Woods how he was feeling following his WD at the PGA Championship, but Woods had other things on his mind.

He made the cut, but he withdrew after his third-round 79 on Saturday. In his winner’s press conference on Sunday evening, Thomas said he talked to Woods a little on Saturday night. “He just said he was feeling terrible because my name kept dropping on the leaderboard,” said Thomas, before smirking. Woods took it and used it to jab Thomas. That’s kind of the relationship Woods and Thomas have. “So I guess it’s just a steppingstone.” New PGA champion Justin Thomas, along with his pal Tiger Woods, are now the answers to a trivia question.

TULSA — One by one, Southern Hills muddled their putting strokes, compromised their swings and stole their souls. The final round of a major championship is ...

I didn’t need to leave the golf course in a negative frame of mind. I’ve had a lot of chances to win tournaments, and it’s a hard golf course; it’s a major championship. Walking off the final green on Sunday, Bones carried not only the flag but the stick too. Indeed, during crunch time on Sunday, Thomas looked like the only player who was having fun. At a PGA that seemingly no one wanted to win, it was left to be decided by the only two players who didn’t shrink from the magnitude of the opportunity. Meanwhile, the veteran caddie’s unflappable cool is a nice complement to Thomas’s hot-blooded, emotive play, and Mackay’s best read of the tournament came following the third round. In overtime against Zalatoris, Thomas played with the seething intensity of a man who knew his reputation was at stake. But on Saturday, Thomas labored to a 74, the kind of mystifying slippage that has compromised him in so many recent major championships. The final round of a major championship is supposed to be a war of attrition, but Sunday at this PGA Championship turned into full-blown carnage. And then there was poor Mito Pereira. The young Chilean limped to the 72nd tee leading by one despite four bogeys in the preceding 11 holes, and then grew T. Rex arms on the most important tee shot of his life, slashing his ball into a creek. Will Zalatoris, already emerging as a big-game hunter at age 25, made a couple of miraculous up-and-downs in the middle of his round to stay in the fight, and then, with the most scrutinized putting stroke in golf, rattled in a couple of must-makes on the final two holes: a 7-foot birdie putt and then an 8-foot par attempt. Having spent all week crowing about his new power, Matt Fitzpatrick timidly laid up on the short par-4 17th and then chunked a wedge, leading to a fatal bogey, his third of the back nine.