WiretoWire: Justin Thomas returns to winner's circle with triumph at RBC Heritage

Justin Thomas had been close in recent weeks. So close. The glimmers of greatness were there – like in a second-round 62 at THE PLAYERS Championship, matching the tournament record, and at the following week’s Valspar Championship, which he led with three holes remaining before Viktor Hovland ripped away the title. This week at the RBC Heritage, Thomas wiped away three years of angst and returned to the winner’s circle for the first time since the 2022 PGA Championship, and he did so in style.

Thomas drained a 21-foot birdie on the first playoff hole, the iconic 18th hole at Harbour Town Golf Links, to defeat Andrew Novak after the duo matched 17-under 267 at Pete Dye’s gem coastal track on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Novak had 34 feet for birdie on the first playoff hole but left it short, setting the stage for Thomas to convert and secure his 16th PGA TOUR title.

Thomas started fast at Harbour Town with a course record-tying 61 in Thursday’s first round, then trailed by one into Sunday after middle rounds of 69-69, including a one-stroke penalty on the second hole Saturday after his ball moved while he was removing a loose impediment from a waste area. Competing in Sunday’s penultimate pairing, Thomas played bogey-free Sunday, including a 24-foot birdie at the par-5 15th that proved even more crucial as Novak made birdie at No. 16 from the final pairing. Novak had 8 feet for birdie in regulation to win outright, but he couldn’t convert, and Thomas seized the opportunity to snap his winless drought in style.

“Winning’s hard,” Thomas said afterward, his voice breaking a touch. “It’s really, really hard.” That’s why it’s so sweet.

Time to team up at Zurich Classic

The PGA TOUR sets its sights on the Big Easy for the only team event on the schedule, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Eighty teams of two head to TPC Louisiana to face off in one of the most entertaining stops of the season, including newly minted Masters champion Rory McIlroy and close friend Shane Lowry, who return to defend their 2024 title. Two rounds of Foursomes (alternate shot) and two rounds of Four-ball (best ball) will decide the champion, with 400 FedExCup points on the line for both victors. Notable teams include Collin Morikawa and Kurt Kitayama, Billy Horschel and Tom Hoge, Robert MacIntyre and Thomas Detry, Will Zalatoris and Nick Dunlap and two pairs of brothers – Danish twins Nicolai and Rasmus Højgaard along with Brits Matt and Alex Fitzpatrick.

Video of the week

Tune in to "PGA TOUR Originals: Tiger 2000 presented by Genesis": Take an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at one of the most iconic seasons in golf during this special airing on PGA TOUR YouTube channel and FAST Network. Tiger Woods changed the golf landscape in 2000, securing nine victories including three major championships and breaking several PGA TOUR records. Twenty-five years later, "TIGER 2000" revisits that legendary season with a fresh perspective, featuring new interviews with Woods, his inner circle, rivals and peers.

Mic check

“I think I'm in a little bit of shock, honestly. It's not how you win a golf tournament, I'll tell you that. I don't deserve to win it. You know, bogeying the last three is inexcusable. … I mean I'm obviously nervous, but unfortunately I'm prone to that at times. You can call it lapse in concentration. It's not like a yippy thing, it's not like one of those things, but a bad time to do it.” –Joel Dahmen, who led through three rounds at the Corales Puntacana Championship but bogeyed the last three holes to lose by one stroke.

By the numbers

2 –Garrick Higgo, the 25-year-old left-hander from South Africa, emerged from a crowded leaderboard Sunday at the Corales Puntacana Championship to secure his second career PGA TOUR title. The former UNLV player, who also won the 2021 Palmetto Championship at Congaree, took advantage of Joel Dahmen's late meltdown to win, earning a two-year exemption with the victory (but not a spot in the Masters).

1 –Neal Shipley earned his first Korn Ferry Tour win Saturday at the LECOM Suncoast Classic. Shipley defeated Seungtaek Lee with a birdie on the fifth hole of a playoff to become the second rookie winner and sixth first-time winner of the 2025 season.

80 –Eighty teams of two head to TPC Louisiana for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, where newly crowned Masters champion Rory McIlroy will tee it up in a title defense. McIlroy and longtime friend Shane Lowry look to run it back at the 2025 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, the PGA TOUR’s only official team event.