Justin Thomas started the new season the same way he did his 2016-17 campaign, by winning his second start.
Thomas, who went on to win five times last season, made a two-putt birdie on the second playoff hole to turn back Marc Leishman of Australia and win the inaugural CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges in strong winds at Nine Bridges Golf Club in Jeju Island, South Korea.
At the end, Thomas said he had nothing left.
“I’m so excited to not do anything,” said Thomas, the reigning PGA Tour Player of the Year and FedExCup champion, who has played nine of the last 11 weeks. “I officially have nothing left in the tank at this moment.
“The wind is so strong and because of all the trees, it bounces around and swirls so much. Really the hardest thing, that people don’t understand, is putting. The gusts, when the wind picks up, when it dies, it literally makes a difference if you can make a putt or not.
“I’m so pumped (to win). I probably wasn’t very fun to be around those first two days. I was just glad I finally got back to myself being patient these last two days.”
Thomas closed with an even par 72 to finish tie Leishman, who shot 70, at 9-under 279 as each missed eagle putts on the final hole of regulation and settled for birdies.
After both players scrambled to make par following errant tee shots on the first extra hole, Leishman hit is approach shot into the water on the second playoff hole en route to a double-bogey 7, taking any stress off Thomas.
“Obviously, disappointing to finish off that way,” said Leishman, who claimed two of his three PGA Tour titles last season. “I probably got a little bit of a lifeline on the first play-off hole and I didn’t take advantage of it. You give one of the best players in the world a chance like that, he’s probably going to take it. Disappointed, but second is not all bad.
“It was a bit of a dodgy lie (on his shot into the water). I was certainly not going to lay up. I just chunked it a little bit and it goes in the water. If you go down, you want to go down like that. You don’t want to go down laying up and making par. I’d rather attack and try to take it. I would certainly sleep better at night just doing that.”
Cameron Smith of Australia could only par the final hole and shot 70 to finish one stroke back in third, followed by Whee Kim of South Korea, who totaled 72 and two more strokes behind in fourth the first PGA Tour regular-season event in his country.
Pat Perez, who won the CIMB Classic last week, posted a 68 to tie for fifth with Jamie Lovemark (71) of Rancho Santa Fe and USC, Brian Harman (71), Luke List (72), 54-hole co-leader Scott Brown (76) and Anirban Lahiri (74) of India.
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