Considering the manner in which Quail Hollow prevented any one player from going truly low to separate himself from the rest of the field, golf habitues could be forgiven for thinking the PGA Championship would need a playoff to determine the victor. As late as two-thirds into the final round, there were five hopefuls sporting identical scores at the top of the leader board, with two others likewise in prime position to wrap their arms around the Wanamaker Trophy. There was Kevin Kisner, who held the provisional lead after 54 holes. There was Hideki Matsuyama, who looked ready to parlay momentum off a win at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational last week into a first major title for a Japan-born ballstriker. There was Louis Oosthuizen, who aimed to bank on the experience of his 2010 British Open triumph to claim a second Grand Slam event. There were Patrick Reed and Francesco Molinari, who made separate charges to improve their chances from slim to so-so to super.
In the end, fate made a choice, and in Justin Thomas, it found a worthy successor to Jimmy Walker. As with the latter, he made the PGA Championship his first major win, albeit with less drama; by the time he reached the 18th hole, he had a three-shot cushion that all but ensured the outcome. Not that he wouldn’t have handled the pressure; if anything, it was precisely because he delivered in the clutch that he managed to forge ahead even as those around him struggled to keep pace. His chip-in for birdie on the par-three 13th, his knee-knocker for par on the 16th, and his birdie off an outstanding seven-iron approach on the 17th all helped set up a stress-free finish.
For casual observers, Thomas’ ascendancy was wholly unexpected. At the start of the week, their eyes were on Jordan Spieth, who sought to become the youngest practitioner of the sport to achieve a career Grand Slam, and on Rory McIlroy, who carried an outstanding record at Quail Hollow and appeared to be rounding into form at the right time. Instead of contending, however, both flirted with mediocrity and wound up on the outside looking in. The same held true for erstwhile World Number One and 2016 runner-up Jason Day, who was undone by a careless quadruple bogey on the last hole of the third round.
Significantly, Thomas’ story proved no less compelling. He finally one-upped Spieth, a close friend since they were in their teens, and made his coach and father Mike, a longtime PGA of America professional, proud. Up until his magnum opus at Quail Hollow, he was best known as the youngest ever to have posted a sub-60 round, as well as the holder of the United States Open record for lowest score in a given round. Now, he has “major winner” to his resume, and, given his family’s PGA roots, he couldn’t have added the distinction under better circumstances.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is the Senior Vice-President and General Manager of Basic Energy Corp.
