Justin Thomas (32) of the U.S., a slugger with a long shot, ended his three-year winning streak and has secured 16 wins. Kim Si-woo, who was the lone lead in the third round, lost three pars and fell to a tie for eighth.
At the final round of the RBC Heritage (20 million dollars in total prize money) held at Harbour Town Golf Links (par 71) in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina on the 21st (Korea time), Thomas recorded a 17-under 267 overall to extend his career with Andrew Novak of the U.S. In the first playoff at Hole 18 (par 4), Thomas succeeded in a 6-meter birdie and won the title, beating No-Bag who missed a 9-meter birdie putt earlier.
Thomas and Novak started the fourth round tied for second place, one stroke behind Kim Si-woo, and shot the same 3-under 68 to overtime.
Thomas won the PGA Championship for the first time in three years since winning the PGA Championship in May 2022 and received $3.6 million (about 5.12 billion won) in prize money. Thomas voluntarily reported that the ball moved finely in the third round of the tournament and received one penalty. "I thought I could win every week since I was young," Thomas said. "I realized how difficult it is to win the championship for the past three years. It was difficult, but I worked hard to be back here." Father, wife, and daughter Molly shared their joy. Thomas, who is also an ordinary physique measuring 178 centimeters tall and weighs 72 kilograms, has earned the nickname "a slugger" due to his dynamic swing that rises up to the ground by lifting his heels at the moment of impact.
Born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina, not far from Hilton Head Island, where the tournament took place, Novak missed his first chance to win in his 99th appearance.
Novak, who debuted in 2022, was on the rise this year, ranking third at the Farmers Insurance Open and the Valero Texas Open. Novak, who finished second, his best performance since his debut on the PGA Tour, received $2.16 million in prize money.
Kim Si-woo, who tried to win the PGA Tour for the first time in two years since the Sony Open in 2023, has lost overall accuracy in shots such as tee shots, iron shots, and putting. After failing to cut even a single stroke in the first half, Kim was eliminated from the competition by double bogey at the 14th hole (par 3) following bogey at the 10th hole (par 4) and the 12th hole (par 4) in the second half. With 12-under 272 overall, Kim tied for eighth. Kim, whose season record was 12th at AT&T Pebble Beach in February was the season's best, made the top 10 for the first time this season at signature events (special competition) with lots of prize money and FedEx Cup points, heralding a rebound. Kim failed to make the cut at two consecutive competitions in recent months. 메이저놀이터
Daniel Berger, Brian Harman, Maverick McNealy (U.S.) and Mackenzie Hughes (copyright) tied for third (14 under par).
Scottie Scheffler of the U.S., the world's No. 1 player who tried to win the tournament for the second time in a row, finished tied for 8th (12-under).
Lim Sung-jae cut four shots with two eagle shots on the day, raising his ranking to 11th place (11 under par).
In the second hole (par 5), he connected a 36m chip shot with an eagle, and in the ninth hole (par 4), his second shot with 77m left from the bunker went into the hole and scored an eagle without a putter twice.
Im Sung-jae immediately returned to Korea and will participate in the Korea Professional Golfers Association (KPGA) Woori Finance Championship, which will take place at Seowon Valley Golf Club in Paju, Gyeonggi Province from May 24, to challenge for the third consecutive time at the championship. Ahn tied for 38th (6 under par).