Sunday afternoon, the Players Championship came to a close after a hard-fought battle on the green. Justin Thomas, the No. 3 golfer in the world, mounted an impressive comeback during the final day of competition and edged out Lee Westwood. This win marked the first Players Championship of his career and his 14th PGA Tour event title.
According to Golf Digest, Thomas started the weekend seven strokes back of the lead. However, he made three birdies and an eagle over the next four holes, ultimately taking the lead at TPC Sawgrass. Thomas then erased a bogey on the 16th hole with another birdie. Thomas’ final hole of the day was the most impressive. The ball skirted the water but stayed true and set him up for a final par.
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Justin Thomas captures his first @THEPLAYERSChamp win 🏆 pic.twitter.com/DhxAFP8F9d
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) March 14, 2021
“It was probably one of the best rounds of my life tee-to-green,” Thomas said after his win. “I was just staying patient, staying patient. I’ve seen some pretty crazy things happen on TV on the back nine so I was glad to be on the right side of it this year.” He then got fought tears while talking about his late grandfather, who passed away in early February. “Yeah, I wish I could talk to him… I know he was watching,” Thomas said.
Thomas also delivered a message to Tiger Wood, who continues to recover at home after a single-car rollover crash. Thomas said that he was replaying a lot of messages that Woods gave him. He then joked about rubbing Woods’ face in his victory.
“He likes to give me a lot of grief, especially when he’s not here and like Bryson [DeChambeau] said, we’re all pulling for him and I’m so glad to hear everything’s been going well for him,” Thomas explained. “Part of me wishes he was here so I could rub his face in it a little bit more. I’m happy and I hope he’s happy and I always appreciate his help.”
With the win, the 27-year-old Thomas landed the biggest payday of his career. He walked away with $2.7 million after PGA Tour officials announced that the overall prize purse would increase to $15 million. This increase kept the Players Championship as the most lucrative tournament in professional golf. Westwood walked away with $1.635 million for his second-place performance.
For comparison, the Masters has a prize purse of $11.5 million, giving the winner $2.07 million. The PGA Championship has a purse of $11 million, $1.98 million for first place. Finally, the Open Championship has a purse of $10.75 million, $1.935 million for first.
