Justin Thomas’ win at Bridgestone Invitational a family affair

Justin Thomas goes into his PGA Championship defense next week with momentum after a four-shot win Sunday at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

Justin Thomas made sure the anticipated duel with Rory McIlroy on Sunday was more like a rout.

Playing steady and smart golf all day, Thomas shot a one-under 69 to win the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational by four shots for his ninth career PGA title.

Thomas began the final round with a three-shot lead over McIlroy and Ian Poulter, and his goal was to minimize his mistakes while forcing the other players to catch him. None did. Thomas had a birdie and bogey on his front-nine while continuing to make par through his first 12 holes.

McIlroy, meanwhile, birdied the second but then made bogey on five of the next 13 holes. He fell all the way into a tie for sixth at eight-under, seven shots behind Thomas.

While McIlroy faltered, it was Kyle Stanley and Jason Day who made the biggest challenge to Thomas. Stanley birdied the 10th and 12th to get within two, but costly bogeys on 13 and 14 dropped him from contention. Day was also two shots behind after three straight birdies on holes 10-12. He then played his last six holes in five-over, including a double bogey at the par-five 17th after his third shot went into the water guarding the green. He finished in 10th.

The ability of Thomas to save par was the difference today. At the 11th, his drive went well left into thick woods. He then hit his approach over the trees and onto the green, where he two-putted for par. He finally put the tournament away with a 10-foot birdie putt at the 13th. That gave him a five-shot lead, and pars on the closing holes allowed him to finish four ahead of Stanley.

Despite having such a big lead, Thomas admits he still had nerves coming into the round. That made his steady play all the more meaningful for him.

“I take a lot of pride in how I played today,” he said after the round. “I was very nervous going into today. I told (caddie Jimmie Johnson) that on the chipping green. I said, I don’t know why, or its really been that long or what, but I’m nervous today. You kind of get that two, three, four shot lead, it’s, I don’t know, it’s different than one.”

“With a three-shot lead, obviously I knew I needed to play well but you kind of have a little bit of wiggle room and you feel like you play maybe a little too conservative.”

The win is the third for Thomas in the 2018 season, but his first since the Honda Classic in February. What made this one special was not only the time that had gone by since his last win, but who was waiting for him behind the 18th green.

Thomas’ grandparents witnessed him win a PGA Tour event in person for the first time on Sunday. When he saw them as he prepared to putt on the 18th, Thomas admits his emotions got the better of him.

“It was pretty special. I can’t really put it into words, honestly,” he said. “When I had my putt, I kind of marked it and turned around, and I just happened to see my parents, saw my grandma and grandpa, and I just got a huge knot in my throat. I just had to put my head down. I’ve never gotten like that on the golf course before.”

The Thomas family already has a history at Firestone Country Club. His grandfather, Paul, played in the PGA Championship here in 1960.

Dustin Johnson and Thorbjorn Olesen made the biggest moves up the leaderboard Sunday. Johnson, even-par through the first two rounds, birdied seven of his first 10 holes in the final round on his way to a six-under 64. Olesen matched Johnson’s 64 as they both tied for third.

Thomas will go down as the last winner of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. Next season the FedEx St. Jude Classic will take its place as a World Golf Championship event.

For Thomas, the win serves as valuable momentum as he heads to Bellerive Country Club next week. There he will try to defend the PGA Championship he won last year at Quail Hollow.

He said earlier this week that it “feels like I haven’t won in forever.” He can’t say that anymore.