Justin Thomas took a multi-stroke lead to the final hole for the second straight day and this time he didn’t give it up.
The fifth-ranked Thomas carded a five-under-par 67 and pulled away from Danny Lee of New Zealand on the last five holes to win the CJ Cup at Nine Bridges for the second time by two strokes at Nine Bridges Golf Club www.ninebridges.co.kr/eng/ in Jeju Island, South Korea.
A day earlier, Thomas had a three-stroke lead before closing with a bogey and Lee, playing in the same threesome, caught him with a 50-foot eagle putt.
“I feel this course has a lot of opportunities for two-shot swings, so I just tried to hit fairways and greens, and give myself birdie changes,” said Thomas, who claimed his 11th PGA Tour victory. “Sometimes it’s hard to keep your composure when you have a good chance to win.
“It’s always great to call back on past experiences and it’s always nice to win at a place where you’ve won before. It’s pretty awesome to win here again and I’ve only done that once before (winning the CIMB Classic twice). CJ does such a great job here and I’m honored to be a two-time champion.
“My Dad (Mike, also his coach) turned 60 last week so maybe this is a nice, little gift for him.”
The 26-yeatr-old Thomas, who won the inaugural CJ Cup two years ago in a playoff, broke a tie for the lead by sinking a 10-foot birdie putt on the 14th hole and got some more breathing room when Lee made bogeys on the next two holes.
Thomas also birdied the last hole, where he hit his approach shot into the water a day earlier, to post a 72-hole total of 20-under 268.
Lee, whose only PGA Tour victory came in the 2015 Greenbrier Classic, also birdied the last hole to record a 69.
Cameron Smith of Australia finished birdie-birdie-eagle to shoot 69 and finish five shots back in a tie for third with Hideki Matsuyama of Japan, who birdied three of the last four holes to close with a 65, and reigning U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland, who had four birdies on the back nine in a 66.
Byeong Hun An of South Korea, who led after the first round with a 64, parred the last nine holes to total 69 and finished seven back in a tie for sixth with Tyrrell Hatton of England, who had a bogey-free 68.
Ryan Moore made three birdies on the last five holes to wind up at 68 and was another shot down in a tie for eighth with Jordan Spieth, who birdied the last hole for a 71, Kiradech Aphibarnrat of Thailand, who recorded a fourth straight 69, and Wyndham Clark, who also birdied No. 18 for a 71.
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