Justin Thomas fell short at the Truist Championship, but he loved the ‘buzz’ of playing in Philly
"I just wish we played more tournaments up here," said Thomas, who raved about the old-school track all week and playing near Philadelphia.
Justin Thomas stood over a birdie putt after a masterful bunker shot left him just three feet and nine inches from the hole.
If he had made it, he would have finally caught leaders Sepp Straka and Shane Lowry in the final round of the Truist Championship, with three of the more difficult holes at Philadelphia Cricket Club’s Wissahickon Course remaining.
It was a the type of putt Thomas has made countless times over his career, one he could have dropped with his eyes closed.
And he missed it. On the CBS Sports broadcast, announcer Jim Nantz called it “Shocking.” Thomas didn’t disagree with the assessment.
“It was a bad putt,” he said. “It wasn’t one that I obviously thought I would miss or planned on missing, but I’m choosing to focus on all the other ones I made today than that one.”
Thomas made a lot of putts, and hit many great shots this week. He finished in tie a for second place with Lowry at 14-under, behind eventual winner Straka (16-under). But a would-be birdie on No. 15 and a subsequent bogey on the par-3 No. 16 were two strokes that could have had him in a playoff with Straka.
Afterward, it seemed like Thomas was more miffed about his tee shot on the 222-yard 16th. He went pin hunting and overdrew his iron into the left rough above a tricky hole location and eventually made bogey.
» READ MORE: Sepp Straka, honorary Eagles fan, outlasts Shane Lowry to win Truist Championship
“I definitely was more aggressive because of that,” Thomas said of the missed birdie at 15. “Like I said, I wish I wasn’t, but it‘s easy to say that looking back. It doesn’t matter too much. I ended up finishing two behind.
“Just need those two to go differently. Hopefully they’ll just go my way next week.”
Next week is the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, N.C. Thomas has won the tournament twice, the first time at this year’s site. That alone makes him one of the marquee names entering the second major of the year. But even though he fell short in Flourtown, Thomas has been consistently one of the better players on the tour this season.
He won the RBC Heritage last month in South Carolina and remains in third place in FedEx standings behind Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler. McIlroy finished in a tie for seventh with a steady 10-under score. Scheffler chose to take the week off after winning the Byron Nelson in Texas last week.
The top two players in the world will enter next week as the favorites. McIlory has won four times at Quail Hollow. But Thomas can‘t be counted out, especially if he improves his accuracy off the tee and gets the blade going. He finished in a tie for fourth in greens in regulation, but was 27th overall in putting.
Thomas started the day three back of Straka and Lowry. He was even through four holes, but a two-putt birdie on the par-5 fifth kick started his round. He birdied the par-4 No. 7 and hit maybe one of the best shots into the 253-yard par-3 No. 8.
Thomas sank the 14-foot birdie putt with the leaders on the tee and it was game on. With Thomas already a popular draw, the crowds grew as he made his way toward the turn. But he just couldn’t get that next birdie putt to drop.
» READ MORE: Philadelphia fans and Cricket Club shine as Sepp Straka wins the Truist Championship
He had makable opportunities at No. 12 (13 feet) and No. 14 (17 feet), but he low sided his putts. The 554-yard 15th offered him his best chance to get back strokes in the final four hole stretch. But he hammered his putt and wasn’t close.
“It was a good day. Obviously, I gave myself a chance,” Thomas said. “Starting three back to have a putt on 15 to tie for the lead, I definitely would have taken that at the start of the day. I’m a little disappointed in myself on 16 for pushing it too much and trying to attack there.
“I had two really, really good players that were playing really well behind us to where I felt like I needed to.”
Thomas was one of six golfers to birdie the par-4 No. 17 on Sunday. So he still had a chance on 18 if he made birdie and Straka faltered behind him. But his approach went left into the rough and he settled for an up-and-down par and a final round 3-under 67.
He went 66-67-66-67 at a Wissahickon Course that held up against the best with some help from rainy and windy weather over the last three days. Thomas raved about the old-school track all week and playing near Philadelphia. He even had an Angelo‘s cheesesteak after his second round and posted a picture of him eating it on Instagram.
“I just wish we played more tournaments up here,” Thomas said. “The golf courses are great. You get an energy in the crowd and just feels [like] you have a lot of buzz.”
He’ll only have to wait one more year. Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square will host the PGA Championship next year.
“Even as locals here know, being a week later, I think it will be even better for the golf course,” Thomas said. “Hopefully it‘s a little better than the weather was a little bit this week. It‘s going to be great.
“The crowds will be nuts. They’ll be very loud and boisterous, and maybe I can do something else between now and then so people can stop yelling cheesesteak at me.”