Justin Thomas ends 3-year drought
with playoff victory in RBC Heritage
[April 21, 2025]
By DOUG FERGUSON
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — Justin Thomas had one more hurdle to
prove his game was back where he felt it belonged, and he cleared it
Sunday in the RBC Heritage with the longest putt he ever made to
win.
Walking up to the 18th green at Harbour Town in a playoff with
Andrew Novak, Thomas remarked to fill-in caddie Joe Greiner that he
had never made a putt of any length to win on the final hole. He had
just outside 20 feet.
The putt was so pure, Thomas dropped his putter before the ball
disappeared into the cup, setting off pure joy at ending nearly
three years without a win.
“That was pretty cool,” he said. “That was as fun as I thought it
would be.”
Thomas played bogey-free in dry, fast conditions on a course that
demanded precision, making a 25-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole
and closing with a 3-under 68.
Maybe the most nervous moment came in the scoring trailer as Thomas
watched Novak stand over an 8-foot putt for the win. The birdie putt
was left all the way, and Novak — who made a big birdie of his own
on the 16th — had a 68 to join him at 17-under 267.
In the playoff, Novak missed from just inside 35 feet, setting the
stage for Thomas. He felt pure joy as he looked around at the packed
grandstands on one side, the Calibogue Sound on another and his
family cheering him on behind the 18th green.
“I didn’t realize how much I missed winning,” Thomas said on the
18th green as he stood next to wife Jill and 5-month-old daughter
Molly.
His previous win was the PGA Championship at Southern Hills in May
of 2022. His game slipped and he missed the FedEx Cup playoffs for
the first time in 2023, and he was left off the Presidents Cup team
a year ago.
His game was back in order — he cracked the top 10 again — and
needed only a victory to confirm his game was back among the elite.
“I think it was the last thing missing, if you will,” Thomas said.
"It’s hard to say, because obviously careers are so long and there’s
so much up and down and lots going on that you never know what point
of your career you’re at until it’s over.
“At least for me, I felt like it was the last thing that I needed to
do for my own well-being.”
Novak was a runner-up in Bermuda last fall. He was right there at
Torrey Pines in the Farmers Insurance Open. He was in the mix at the
Valero Texas Open. And this looked like it might be his moment to
break through until Thomas refused to be denied.
“I’m not as frustrated as I thought I would be.” Novak said. “I feel
like I did a lot of good things. I’m pretty proud of putting myself
in that position when I really felt like I wasn’t swinging it that
great this week.
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Justin Thomas celebrates after winning the RBC Heritage golf
tournament, Sunday, April 20, 2025, in Hilton Head Island, S.C. (AP
Photo/Mike Stewart)
“I thought I was a little more comfortable down the
stretch than maybe I have been in the past. Justin just went out and
won it. There’s nothing you can really do about it.”
Thomas won for the 16th time on the PGA Tour and moved to No. 6 in
the world. He also moved into the top six in the Ryder Cup
standings.
Thomas and Novak pulled away in the middle of the round from a tight
leaderboard — a four-way tie at one point as they were joined by
54-hole leader Si Woo Kim and Maverick McNealy.
Daniel Berger closed with a 65 to tie for third with McNealy (70),
Mackenzie Hughes (67) and Brian Harman (69).
Defending champion Scottie Scheffler even got in on the act, just
briefly. He started four shots behind and was even for the round
through eight holes. But he ran off three birdies in a four-hole
stretch around the turn to pull within two.
Scheffler was running out of hole when he took on a high-risk shot
needing eagle to have a legitimate chance. That found the water,
leading to double bogey. He still shot 70 and tied for eighth, his
third straight top 10 while contending into the final hour.
“I think I’m really close,” Scheffler said. “I feel like I did a lot
of things well this week, just a few of the important shots I just
didn’t pull off. Outside of that it was a pretty solid week.”
Thomas won the tournament with a birdie in a playoff. He saved his
chances toward the end of the front nine when he made five straight
putts starting on the fourth hole — 8 feet for par, 7 feet for
birdie, 7 feet for par, 8 feet for par and just inside 15 feet for
birdie on No. 8, where he took on the trees with a 7-iron to give
himself a chance.
Novak had tree trouble and battled away, getting a few good bounces
and a remarkable par save from a sandy lie amidst a forest on No.
11.
He moves high enough in the world ranking — inside the top 35 — that
he should be a lock for the U.S. Open and now needs to stay in the
top 50 the next month for the British Open.
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