AFP, Miami :
Third-ranked Justin Thomas outdueled Lee Westwood down the stretch Sunday to capture the Players Championship, taking his 14th US PGA title by matching the best 36-hole comeback in tournament history.
The 27-year-old American overtook England’s Westwood on the back nine with a mid-round run of three birdies and an eagle and added a crucial birdie at the par-5 16th for a one-stroke victory and his first Players crown.
“I’m so happy to be a Players champion,” Thomas said. “Probably one of the best rounds of my life tee to green.”
Thomas, the 2017 PGA Championship winner, hit 17 of 18 greens in regulation firing a four-under par 68 to finish 72 holes on 14-under 274 at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
“I was able to play beautifully, make some good shots and some nice putts,” Thomas said. “I was fortunate to hit it well enough that a lot of my birdies were low stress.”
Westwood, 47, closed with a 15-foot birdie putt to finish second for the second consecutive week with US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau and fellow American Brian Harman sharing third on 276.
“I didn’t feel like my legs were working properly. Lethargic really. I paid the penalty for it,” Westwood said.
“What I was pleased with was how I battled it out with not much game that I had today. I kept myself in there and gave myself a chance. Justin just didn’t make any mistakes.”
