Justin Thomas claimed a first PGA Tour victory since 2022 at the RBC Heritage and the American admitted he felt a similar level of relief as Rory McIlroy did after winning the Masters
Justin Thomas captured his first PGA Tour victory in three years at the RBC Heritage
Justin Thomas has opened up about the immense relief he felt after clinching the RBC Heritage, his first PGA Tour victory in three years, drawing parallels to Rory McIlroy‘s long-awaited Masters win. The 31-year-old American golfer secured his first Tour win since 2022 on Sunday by edging out Andrew Novak in a tense one-hole playoff in South Carolina.
Despite bagging a second PGA Championship in 2022, Thomas hadn’t managed to capitalise on that triumph until now, finally adding to his trophy cabinet and pocketing a cool £2.7million ($3.6m) prize fund. Speaking of the burden lifted with his latest win, Thomas compared his emotions to those McIlroy must have felt at Augusta.
“It’s obviously incredibly different from Rory’s situation, but there is a little bit of relief there. This was just the me of old. I was just really patient today,” Thomas expressed, according to Jason Sobel of SiriusXM. “It’s so hard to force the issue on a course like this. It’s so fast and so much fun to play. I’m really proud of myself.”
Even faced with the high stakes of a playoff, Thomas confessed he had missed the thrill of victory, yet he aimed to enjoy every moment on the green. “I’ve never made a putt to win a tournament before, of length,” he shared.
“Been fortunate to have a lot of tap-ins but that was pretty cool. It wasn’t as fun as much as I thought it would be,” reports the Express. “Winning is hard, it’s really hard but I’ve worked my butt off and stayed patient and positive,” Thomas proclaimed, reflecting on his triumph.
McIlroy is all set to tee off at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with partner Shane Lowry to defend their title in his first tournament since winning the Masters.
The two-time major winner celebrated with his family after winning the RBC Heritage
In what has been a phenomenal beginning to the year, the 35-year-old golf sensation has received a bold prediction from Trevor Heaven, the men’s captain at Holywood Golf Club, who believes McIlroy could bag a further five majors.
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