Justin Thomas won five times last season on his way to becoming the PGA Tour’s Player of the Year and shows no signs of slowing down.
The 24-year-old Thomas, who will rise to No. 3 in the world this week, sank a four-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to turn back Luke List and win the Honda Classic on the Champion Course at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
“It feels awesome to come out on top,” said Thomas, who has claimed seven of his eight PGA Tour victories in his last 31 starts, two in the 2017-18 season. “I’m so proud of the way I played all week, especially the last three days. I stayed patient and calm all day today.
“It was another level of difficulty with all the players I was trying to beat, but it was great to win on this golf course. Luke played great on the back nine and was tough to beat.”
Thomas, who closed with a 3-under-par 67, and List, who shot 68, made birdies on the final hole of regulation to finish at 8-under 272.
List, 33, drove right into the trees on the extra hole, hit his second shot against the grandstand near the green, wedged his ball 30 feet past the hole after taking a drop and eventually made a five-foot par putt before Thomas sank the winner.
“I played really well and I’m going to take a lot of positives out of this, but this is going to sting for a little while,” said List, whose only pro victory came in the 2012 South Georgia Classic on the Web.com Tour.
“I know I’m going to be in this position again. It’s just a matter of time.”
Alex Noren of Sweden, who has won eight times on the European Tour but has yet to win on the PGA Tour, missed a 19-foot birdie putt on the last hole that would have put him in the playoff and finished one stroke behind in third after a 67, followed another shot back by Tommy Fleetwood of England, who wound up at 69.
Webb Simpson, who won the 2012 U.S. Open at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, shot 72 and was four down in a tie for fifth with Byeong Hun An of South Korea, who posted a 65, while Jamie Lovemark of Rancho Santa Fe and USC was another stroke back in eighth following a 72.
Emiliano Grillo of Argentina carded a 66 to wind up six shots behind in a tie for ninth with 21-year-old Sam Burns, who totaled 68, and Kelly Kraft, who came in at 71.
Tiger Woods, in the third official event of his comeback from a fourth back surgery, tied for 12th after a 70, Adam Scott of Australia, who won the Honda Classic in 2016, shot 69 and tied for 16th, and 10-ranked Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, who won the 2012 Honda, shot 72 to tie for 63rd.
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