Justin Thomas Survives Scare to Win SBS Tournament of Champions

Golf seems to have another rising star in the making after Justin Thomas won the SBS Tournament of Champions over the weekend. By winning the tournament, it is Thomas’ third win on the PGA TOUR, his other two victories coming in CIMB Classic in Malaysia. While Thomas celebrates his victory, it was certainly a nail biter for the new No. 12 golfer in the world.

Your 2017 SBS Tournament of Champions winner: Justin Thomas! pic.twitter.com/1KPKgwKPbM

— PGATOUR_TOC (@PGATOUR_TOC) January 9, 2017

Thomas entered the final round in Kapalua with a two-shot lead over the field but that quickly grew to a five-shot lead with only five holes remaining. That is where things started to become tighter for Thomas. At the 14th hole, his playing partner, Hideki Matsuyama, holed out for eagle and Thomas, feeling some pressure, double bogeyed on the 15th.  After Matsuyama missed a close birdie putt to tie Thomas on the 16th hole, Thomas hit a beautiful approach shot that netted him a birdie on the 17th hole while Matsuyama bogeyed. After one more birdie, Thomas won with a three-shot victory, -22 overall.

Matsuyama has to be disappointed after having a chance to make a big comeback but he has plenty to be proud of. In the last three months, Matsuyama has played in six tournaments internationally, winning four of them and finishing as the runner-up in the other two. The only person to beat him in both tournaments happens to be Justin Thomas.

A photo posted by Justin Thomas (@justinthomas34) on Jan 8, 2017 at 7:16pm PST

After narrowly surviving a scare from Matsuyama, Thomas was able to remain positive and in good spirits. He stated after the tournament that, “”I stumbled more than I would have liked to do…But it shows where my game is at right now. I had some woes there, but I stuck it out to still get it done.” He was even able to joke a bit, posting a picture with the championship trophy poking fun at his double chin.

This looks to be the beginning of a strong season and promising potential for Thomas. The 5-foot-8 145 pound Thomas has a big swing that makes him one of the youngest big hitters in the golf. That combined with the clutch awareness that Thomas presented in the SBS Tournament of Champions and he could be a star in the making.

Even Jordan Spieth, Thomas’ best friend since they were teenagers, took notice of Thomas’ potential this weekend saying, ”I think it’s potentially floodgates opening…The guy hits it forever. He’s got a really, really nifty short game. He manages the course well. He’s playing the golf course the way it should be played, and honestly, he’s taking advantage of the easier holes.”

Starting off as hot as he has, it will certainly be interesting to follow Thomas the rest of the year and see if he continues to climb in the World Golf Rankings.

Cover Photo via Instagram