Golf: Thomas outduels Westwood to capture Players Championship

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."

After the week's low round with a 64 on Saturday, Thomas equaled the lowest 36-hole close in Players history, rallying from seven strokes down at the midway mark to match the best two-round victory fightback in event history.

"This win was huge," Thomas said. "I'm really proud of how well I played."

Thomas joined Tiger Woods, Johnny Miller and Jack Nicklaus as the only players with 14 PGA wins before age 28 and was excited to do it before a limited number of spectators.

"It's hard to put into words. It has been just crazy, everything we've been through since the Players last year," Thomas said. "To do it in front of fans was incredible.

"This was a day I'll never forget."

Thomas battled controversy earlier this year, apologizing for using a homophobic slur that TV microphones picked up at January's Tournament of Champions, one that cost him a Ralph Lauren sponsorship. But he praised his team of friends and family for helping him navigate tough times.

"When you're in a tough place mentally or don't feel as great, to have a support system like that is huge," he said.

Thomas said he had gotten some advice from 15-time major winner Tiger Woods, still recovering from injuries received in a car crash, saying, "I was replaying a lot of what he told me in my head."

- 'I know he's watching' -

Thomas was in tears when recalling his grandfather Paul, who died last month at age 89, saying, "I wish I could talk to him. I know he's watching."

After seven opening pars and a bogey at the eighth, Thomas had a tap-in birdie at nine, a six-foot birdie putt at 10 and rolled in an eagle putt from just inside 20 feet at the par-5 11th to seize the lead.

Thomas drove over the 12th green and pitched back inches from the cup for a tap-in birdie to stretch his margin.

But Thomas had his shortest missed putt of the season from just inside three feet to bogey the par-4 14th and Westwood sank an eight-foot birdie putt at the 13th to share the lead.

Thomas responded by sinking a birdie putt from just inside three feet at the par-5 16th to regain the lead. After both hit tense five-foot par putts, Westwood missed a seven-foot par attempt on the famed island green at the par-3 17th to fall two back, his closing birdie too little too late.

"It proves I can still contend with these young lads out here," Westwood said. "I can still give myself a chance come a Sunday."

Westwood, ranked 31st, has 44 wins worldwide but has not won a US PGA event since the 2010 St. Jude Classic.

Sixth-ranked Bryson DeChambeau fired a 71 but dropped back early with a double bogey at the fourth.

Agence France-Presse

Golf: Thomas eyes FedEx Cup jackpot at Tour Championship

LOS ANGELES -- Justin Thomas will start with a two-shot cushion as he aims to crown his season with victory at the Tour Championship and a $15 million FedEx Cup payday on Thursday.

Under a revamped "staggered start" format to the PGA Tour's lucrative season finale, Thomas will automatically tee off on 10 under at East Lake Golf Club outside Atlanta.

The "Starting Strokes" format introduced this week is designed to eliminate the confusion of past FedEx playoffs, when the winner of the final tournament was often different from the series champion.

Instead, the 30-man field at East Lake have been given starting totals which reflect their performances this season. 

Put simply, the player who finishes on top of the leaderboard this week will also pocket the $15 million prize on offer to the FedEx Cup champion.

Thomas, who captured his 10th career title with a win at the BMW Championship on Sunday, is now in pole position at the top of the leaderboard.

Patrick Cantlay will start in second on eight under, while Brooks Koepka will tee off in third place on seven under. 

Patrick Reed starts on six under with Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy fifth on five under.

Despite the unusual position of starting the tournament with a lead, Thomas insists he will not be thinking about defending his advantage at the top of the leaderboard when this week's event gets under way.

"It's going to be tough," said Thomas, who could join Tiger Woods as the only man to win two FedEx Cup Championships after his victory in 2017. "I'm just going to have to try to play another golf tournament and act like everyone's staring at zero and try to shoot the lowest 72 holes," added Thomas.

McIlroy, the 2016 FedEx champion, who will start five shots off the lead this week, believes Thomas can take a conservative approach into the tournament on the 7,346-yard par 70 layout.

- Woods, Lowry missing -

"If I was in JT's position, it would be, 'OK, I'm going to go out and shoot 67 every day. No one should beat me if I do that,'" McIlroy said. "I think you have to just control what you can."

Thomas meanwhile admits he will be grappling with the unknown. 

"There isn't a person on the planet that's experienced this before, for the stakes it's for," Thomas said. "I'm just going to try to deal with it the best I can."

The format for the FedEx Cup finale has not been universally popular, with many critics taking aim at a qualifying system that has no mechanism for allowing the inclusion of 2019 Masters champion Tiger Woods and British Open winner Shane Lowry, two high-profile absentees this week.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan defended the format, emphasising that the final 30-man field was designed to reward consistency over a whole season.

"We are in the Playoffs, and Playoffs inherently bring forward a lot of volatility,"Monahan said. 

"I think what it says is that, one, it's really hard to get to Atlanta and the Tour Championship. You've got to play exceedingly well over the course of an entire season, and with volatility, there's risk. 

"And if you don't play well over the course of the season or you don't get off to the start that you envision at the start of the playoffs, you take the risk that you're not going to be here.

"I want to emphasize the fact that what Tiger and Shane did this year, those are two of the greatest stories of the year. So would you want them here? 1,000%. 

"But you look at every other sport and their playoff format, and you'll have top teams that fall out early. You'll have some things that you may not have predicted, particularly at the moment when they won those two big events."

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Golf: Relieved Thomas wins BMW Championship by three strokes

Justin Thomas faltered in the final round at the BMW Championship on Sunday but held on for an ultimately comfortable three-stroke victory at Medinah in suburban Chicago.

He carded a closing four-under 68 to finish on a 25-under-par total of 263, while fellow American Patrick Cantlay shot a 65 for second place on 22-under.

Thomas started the day with a six-shot advantage but when he bogeyed the 10th hole, after almost hitting his second out of bounds, the lead over Cantlay was down to two.

But Thomas steadied with clutch play over the next three holes, twice holing putts of around 12 feet to re-establish his authority.

"Patrick made that very interesting," a relieved Thomas said.

"I hit the ball so bad to start the day. I made it hard on myself because usually I'm pretty good at hitting fairways and greens and I couldn't hit a fairway ... but I stayed patient and that birdie on 11 was huge.

"I was really nervous today. It's hard to play with the lead. I was enjoying it, though."

The victory was the 10th of his PGA Tour career but the first this year in what has been an injury-interrupted season. Thomas hurt his wrist in March and took six weeks off to rest.

"I'd forgotten how hard it was to win," said the 26-year-old former world number one.

"This game is so hard, you don't know how often things like this are going to happen.

"It's not like I've been playing bad. I would argue I've played just as well this year as any other year. It's a very humbling and tough game and I learned to respect it and be patient."

The result means Thomas is the number one seed at next week's season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta.

The top 30 players on the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup points list qualified for the event, where the winner at East Lake will collect $15 million.

For the first time the tournament will use a staggered start based on players' position in the points race, with Thomas starting at 10-under-par.

The qualifiers ranked 26th to 30th will begin at even par.

Three players who started the BMW Championship outside the top 30 in the standings snuck into the Tour Championship -- Japan's Hideki Matsuyama and Americans Lucas Glover and Jason Kokrak.

Matsuyama has never missed a Tour Championship since joining the tour in 2014.

Missing out was Ireland's British Open champion Shane Lowry, along with Americans Andrew Putnam and Harold Varner III.

There will be no defending champion at East Lake, as Tiger Woods did not qualify after finishing equal 37th on Sunday. 

(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; editing by Tony Lawrence/Peter Rutherford)

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Golf: Thomas shoots course-record 61 for six-shot lead at BMW

Justin Thomas enjoyed "one of those freaky days in the zone" as he carded a course-record 11-under-par 61 to vault to a six-stroke lead in the third round at the BMW Championship in suburban Chicago on Saturday.

An eagle with an eight-iron from 180 yards at the par-four 16th was just one highlight of an eventful day for the American, who broke by two strokes the previous best score at Medinah, set just 24 hours previously by Hideki Matsuyama.

Thomas posted a 21-under 195 total in the penultimate event of the PGA Tour season, while compatriots Tony Finau and Patrick Cantlay fired 68s for a share of second place on 15-under.

Halfway leader Matsuyama plunged 10 strokes behind with a 73.

"I hit the ball pretty unbelievable," Thomas told broadcaster NBC after his fourth career round of 61 or better.

"It's not like I made any long putts. I hit it close to the hole, and took advantage of some opportunities.

"I got a couple of good breaks and that's stuff that happens when you shoot 11 under."

Thomas started his round with five successive birdies, and later recorded a tap-in eagle at the par-five 10th after a precise five-wood approach shot.

The highlight reel continued when he chipped in from 20 feet from lush rough to birdie the 14th hole.

He then drove his tee shot into a pond at the 15th and took a penalty stroke, but still saved par, setting the stage for his most unlikely eagle at the par-four 16th, where his ball landed a couple of yards in front of the cup and trickled in.

"It looked good in the air," said the 26-year-old. "That's a little bit of a bonus."

Thomas finished with two eagles, eight birdies and one bogey, and vowed to continue attacking the rain-softened course in the final round.

"I'm trying to win by as many as I possibly can. If I just keep playing how I've been playing I feel like I can shoot another good round."

The performance was a reminder of the talent possessed by Thomas, who clinched his first major title two years ago at the PGA Championship and has been ranked number one in the world.

But his 2019 campaign suffered a setback when he injured a wrist in March and he eventually took six weeks off to let it heal, missing the PGA Championship before failing to make the cut at the U.S. Open.

If Thomas wins, he will start next week's season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta as the top seed, with a two-stroke headstart over the second seed in the 30-man field, which may not include last year's winner Tiger Woods.

Woods shot 67 on Saturday to improve to equal 31st, but is projected to need a top-six finish to advance to East Lake, where he ended a five-year victory drought last year after returning from major back surgery.

"This was nice to at least give myself a chance to make it to next week," the 15-times major champion said of his round.

"It has been in the back of my mind to get there (to East Lake)." 

(Reporting by Andrew Both; Editing by Greg Stutchbury)

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Thomas opens three-shot lead over McIlroy at Bridgestone

Justin Thomas turned on the jets midway through the third round and opened a three-stroke lead at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio on Saturday.

A week before defending his title at the PGA Championship, Thomas carded three-under 67 after starting the day tied for the lead with Englishmen Ian Poulter and Tommy Fleetwood.

The American gathered five birdies in nine holes from the sixth en route to a 14-under 196 total with one round left at Firestone Country Club.

Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy also had a 67 to jump into second place with Poulter (70) at 11-under.

Tiger Woods plunged 11 shots behind after a poor 73.

Thomas and McIlroy are paired for the final round, potentially setting up a duel between the south Florida neighbours.

"The hard part about this course is you can get off track pretty quick if you're not playing well," Thomas told CBS television.

"I just need to continue to play well tomorrow because I have a lot of really good players chasing me."

Australian Jason Day (69) moved into fourth place, four shots behind. Nobody has come from further back in the final round to win the championship.

World number three Thomas has won eight times on the PGA Tour, but is still after his first World Golf Championships title.

He lost to Phil Mickelson in a playoff at the WGC-Mexico Championship in March.

McIlroy was satisfied with a bogey-free round, particularly the quality of his driving, as he smashed his tee shots more than 300 yards with monotonous regularity.

"I like to hit driver as much as possible and this course allows me to do that," he said.

"It allows you to be aggressive off the tee. (Hitting) nine out of 14 fairways today is a good number if I can do that tomorrow hopefully I'll have a chance."

As McIlroy crept up the leaderboard, Fleetwood regressed. He got an unlucky break at the first hole when his approach shot hit the flagstick and clattered off the green, which set the tone for a 74 that left him seven shots back.

Woods, an eight-times champion at Firestone, dismissed speculation that his surgically-repaired back had bothered him.

"I'm fine," he said. "I just played like crap."

Asked to specify, he said: "Everything. I didn't warm up very well, didn't hit the ball crisp or clean.

"Very similar to the first day. Difference is I made everything the first day. Today I didn't make anything."

(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina, editing by Pritha Sarkar / Ian Ransom)

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Thomas wins Honda Classic in playoff for eighth PGA Tour title

Justin Thomas improved to third in the world rankings and enhanced his reputation as clutch performer when he won the Honda Classic in a playoff against Luke List in Florida on Sunday.

Thomas birdied the first extra hole, sinking a three-foot putt at the par-five 18th at PGA National to edge Thomas as darkness descended rapidly over Palm Beach Gardens.

Earlier, Thomas (68) and fellow American List (69) finished regulation at eight-under 272, one stroke ahead of Swede Alex Noren (67).

Tiger Woods (70) was eight strokes behind in 12th place.

Thomas, 24, was pleased with the patience and course management he displayed to collect his eighth PGA Tour victory, and his second this season.

"It was another level of difficultly, not only the amount of people I was trying to beat, but this golf course in itself," he said of a tournament that was played mostly in testing winds.

"I just stayed patient. I thought I stayed very calm all day. I know what this back nine holds and I know how tough it can be. It feels awesome to come out on top."

Thomas, who won his first major last August at the PGA Championship, looks increasingly likely to be one of the favourites at the year's first major, the U.S. Masters at Augusta National in April.

With Sunday's victory, he improved from fourth to third in the world, swapping places with Jordan Spieth.

Dustin Johnson and Jon Rahm remain first and second.

Thomas won on Sunday after a poor drive at the 72nd hole prompted him to lay up, from where he stuck a precise wedge shot to two feet to match List's tap-in birdie.

Noren, meanwhile, missed an 18-foot birdie putt at the last to slip out of the playoff.

Thomas was flawless in the playoff, reaching the back fringe in two shots and then lagging his eagle putt down to three feet.

List has yet to win on the PGA Tour but felt coming so close had energised him for the season.

"This one's going to sting a little bit but I know I've found a restored passion for what I'm doing out here," the 33-year-old said.

"I was proud of the way I fought back after not a great front nine ... I know I'll be back in this position again."

(Reporting by Andrew Both in Adelaide, South Australia; editing by Ken Ferris/Greg Stutchbury)

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Thomas tips Woods to have strong 2018 Masters

Justin Thomas reckons a healthy Tiger Woods will have a good chance of challenging at April's Masters, while at the same time reserving judgment over the 14-times major champion's comeback.

Pointing out that several veterans have superb records at Augusta National, Thomas said on Monday that Woods could follow the example set by the likes of Bernhard Langer and Fred Couples.

“If he’s healthy, there’s no reason he wouldn’t (play well),” Thomas said in a teleconference call.

“There’s a reason Freddie played so well there for so long (and) Langer... because it’s such an advantage knowing the course and the more you play, the world of difference it makes.”

Woods, who turns 42 on Dec. 30, has won the Masters four times, most recently in 2005.

   
Couples, the 1992 champion, now aged 58, has continued to perform well at Augusta into his 50s, finishing in the top 20 on six of his past seven appearances.

Germany's twice Masters champion Langer, meanwhile, was in contention at the age of 57 going into the final round in 2014, before finishing equal eighth.

Woods is attempting a comeback after multiple back surgeries. He has hardly played over the past two years and while few expect him to recapture his previous greatness, the jury is still out.

“If he plays healthy, I think he’ll have a great year,” said Thomas, who played with Woods in the final round of the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas two weeks ago.

“It’s hard to not hype it up or talk about this or that but in reality we need to see what happens because no one knows.

“He was just so happy (at the World Challenge), which was cool to see. I’ve spent some time with him the last couple of years and I’ve never seen him so happy ... having so much fun and grinding it out and playing well.”

World number three Thomas is coming off a brilliant year highlighted by his major breakthrough victory at the PGA Championship in August.

He won four other events in 2017 and has set new goals for 2018, though he is not sharing them publicly.

Thomas has enjoyed some time off recently recharging his batteries for the new season, which he will kick off in two weeks' time by defending his title at the season opening Tournament of Champions at Kapalua in Hawaii.

The 24-year-old said he had done little during his break and outlined a typical day that consists of lounging on the couch at his south Florida home, punctuated by trips to the gym and a dip in the swimming pool.

“When you do win, it takes so much out of you,” he said. “It was such a crazy end of the year. It caught up to me.”

(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; Editing by Ken Ferris)

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Thomas named PGA Tour Player of the Year

Justin Thomas was named PGA Tour Player of the Year on Wednesday after a season that included five victories and the FedExCup title.

The award was voted on by his fellow players on the PGA Tour, which does not release the vote totals.


Thomas joined an elite group including Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth to have posted five wins in a season before the age of 25.

The 24-year-old's victories included his first major title at the PGA Championship in August.

He also won the season-long points race, the FedExCup, and set an all-time tour record low score of 253 strokes at the Sony Open in Hawaii in January.

Thomas nominated his tee shot at the par-three 17th at Quail Hollow in the final round of the PGA Championship as the most special in a remarkable season.

"That shot was probably the best shot I've ever hit in my life under those circumstances," he said of the seven-iron from 200 yards that cleared the water hazard, found the heart of the green, and set up a 15-foot birdie that all but clinched the championship.

Thomas also played a role in helping the United States win last week's Presidents Cup by posting a 3-1-1 record against the International team.

Xander Schauffele was named PGA Tour Rookie of the Year. He won twice, including the season-ending Tour Championship.

(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; Editing by Toby Davis)

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Thomas wins $10 million bonus as FedExCup champion

American Justin Thomas lost the battle but won the war, earning the $10 million bonus as FedExCup champion on Sunday despite falling short of the tournament victory at the season-ending Tour Championship.

Finishing second behind surprise winner Xander Schauffele at East Lake in Atlanta, 24-year-old Thomas overtook countryman Jordan Spieth to top the standings for the PGA Tour's season-long points race.

Thomas, who won five times this season and claimed his first major at the PGA Championship, carded a closing 66 to lose by a stroke to rookie Schauffele, who birdied the final hole for a 68 and finished at 12-under-par 268.

"It’s a really weird day, getting asked what it’s like to win the FedExCup because as a competitor you’re mad you didn’t win the tournament," Thomas said in a greenside presentation.

"What an unbelievable honour this is, the fact that you can win something over the course of an entire year.

"I played really well all season and it was nice to play well in some playoff events finally and have it all pay off.

"It was a gruelling day for sure and nerve-racking. Xander is a deserving champion (of the Tour Championship) and I’m glad to walk away with this (FedExCup)."

Thomas started the 2016-17 season last October with a victory on the other side of the world in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, before adding two wins in Hawaii, the PGA Championship in North Carolina and the Dell Technologies Championship in Massachusetts.

He credited his hot form to an improved short game, the result, he said, of hard work.

Thomas also won the PGA of America Player of the Year, which is based on a points system for tournament wins, official prize-money and scoring averages.

Spieth, the 2015 FedExCup champion, had a chance to lift the trophy for the second time in three years, but a tie for seventh at East Lake was not enough to stave off Thomas.

He finished second in the standings, collecting a $3 million consolation prize, while Schauffele jumped to third and picked up a $2 million bonus on top of his Tour Championship prize money of $1,575,000.

"This was my worst putting week of the year, unfortunately, but what a great season it was," said Spieth, who won three times including his third major title at the British Open.

"J.T. (Thomas) obviously is very well deserved to win the FedExCup this year. It is rightfully so given his season.

"The progression that he has made this year into becoming such a tremendous closer has been phenomenal to watch.”

Thomas and Spieth will team up on the United States team against an underdog International side at the Presidents Cup in New York starting on Thursday.

"I’m very pleased with the way 2017 has gone and we have a chance to cap it off next week in New York,” Spieth said.

(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; Editing by Toby Davis/Ian Ransom)

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Top-ranked Spieth primed for $10 million bonus at East Lake

Jordan Spieth feels good about the quality of his game heading into the season-ending Tour Championship starting in Atlanta on Thursday, even if he is not holing as many long putts as when he won the event in 2015.

Spieth will tee off at East Lake in top spot in the PGA Tour ranking, his sights set on staying there and finishing FedExCup champion to collect the $10 million bonus awarded to the winner of the season-long points race.


A final round 65 at the BMW Championship on Sunday came too late to challenge for victory at that event outside Chicago, but it was a welcome tonic.

“I was pumped to have the round I had on Sunday, to maintain the number one spot,” British Open champion Spieth told reporters at East Lake.

“I was a little off to start the week in my striking. I feel now close to the way I was hitting it the first two playoff events. If it was a major I’d feel very pleased with where things are.”

The top five players in the standings -- Spieth, Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, Marc Leishman and Jon Rahm -- control their own destiny, meaning that if they win the tournament they also win the FedExCup.

The other 25 in the elite field all have a mathematical chance of being crowned champion, but it would take a freak confluence of circumstances for those outside the top 15 to do so.

Spieth struggled with his swing when he won in 2015, but his short game was sublime.

“It was one of my worst ball-striking rounds of the year,” he recalled. “I just chipped and putted so well I was able to win.

"I don’t want to emulate that at all. That’s a lot more stressful and I haven’t been making putts from outside 10 feet like I did that year consistently, so I can’t rely on that.”

Fellow American Rickie Fowler, sixth in the standings, is also playing well, coming off a tie for second behind Australian Leishman last Sunday.

Fowler thinks a score of 14 or 15 under par might be needed to win at East Lake, his prediction made with the proviso that rain or strong wind could alter his thoughts.

“You can’t fake it at East Lake,” Fowler told Reuters in a telephone interview on the tournament's eve. “There’s some rough there but the course is playable.”

Rory McIlroy shot 12-under before winning in a playoff last year, while Spieth won with nine-under in 2015.

McIlroy has endured a lean season, and this week offers him a final chance to taste victory on the PGA Tour in 2017.

(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; Editing by Toby Davis)

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Thomas beats Spieth by three shots at TPC Boston

Justin Thomas rode a couple of lucky breaks to become the first five-time champion on the PGA Tour this season when he won the Dell Technologies Championship in Massachusetts on Monday.

Thomas emerged from a three-way tussle to beat fellow American Jordan Spieth by three strokes at TPC Boston in Norton, with Australian Marc Leishman another shot back in third place.

Thomas carded 66 to finish at 17-under-par 267, while Spieth bogeyed the par-five 18th to shoot 67.

Leishman, who led by two shots with nine holes left, faded with a 70, going out in 30 and coming home in 40.

Leishman bogeyed the last, which allowed Spieth to take the lead in the FedExCup standings, narrowly ahead of Thomas with two tournaments left in the four-event playoff series.

Thomas said it was the first time he had won without having his "best stuff" and downplayed any notion that his victory would reverberate around the tour.

"I wasn’t trying to send a statement," he told Golf Channel. "I was just trying to win a golf tournament."

Thomas, 24, clinched his first major title at the PGA Championship last month, coming from behind over the final nine holes.

He followed a similar route to victory on Monday, this time with some help.

Thomas struck a tree with his tee shot at the par-four 10th hole but had an unobstructed view of the green with his second shot and made an easy par.

Later, after a poor tee shot at the par-three 16th, he received a free drop from a poor lie in heavy rough, because a sprinkler head interfered with his stance.

He was able to place his ball in a much better lie and got up-and-down to save par. That proved to be his last nervous moment.

British Open champion Spieth, meanwhile, licked his wounds after a second consecutive runner-up finish.

He lost to Dustin Johnson last week at the Northern Trust in the first playoff event.

Spieth, three months younger than Thomas, observed that his good friend and rival had taken a couple of years longer to start fulfilling his talent.

"Jealous isn't the word but he probably had some feelings of anxiousness," Spieth, who won two majors in 2015, told reporters.

"I feel like we're very similar calibre of player and I just got a headstart. Obviously he's become a tremendous closer.

"It's tough when you've got somebody that's that good and hot and starts the day two shots in front of you."

After a one-week break in the schedule, the top 70 players in the standings will contest the penultimate event of the season, the BMW Championship, outside Chicago.

(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; Editing by Gene Cherry)

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