Justin Thomas aces the test to win the Players Championship

Justin Thomas has been challenged the past few months. But Sunday at TPC Sawgrass, he overcame them to win his first Players Championship

PGA Tour players aren’t perfect. With cameras and microphones picking up their every move on the course, they’re bound to slip up eventually or have a less-than-flattering moment.

For Justin Thomas, a player with an otherwise sparkling reputation, that moment came back in January at the Sentry Tournament of Champions. After missing a putt in the third round, he was caught uttering a homophobic slur. He was mercilessly criticized. Sponsors dropped him. For as many times as he apologized and confessed that he would learn something from the moment, the scandal wouldn’t go away.

Even two months later, as Thomas came to TPC Sawgrass to compete in the Players Championship, he was still in a funk. He hadn’t finished in the top-10 in a tournament since, including missed cuts at the Genesis Invitational and in Abu Dhabi. Through the first 33 holes this week, he was right on the cutline and well out of contention.

But then something changed. Thomas was a different player on the weekend, and it culminated Sunday evening when he holed out for par on the 18th green to win the Players Championship by one shot over Lee Westwood. Thomas played his final 36 holes in 12-under, tying the tournament record set by Fred Couples and Rocco Mediate in 1996.

Thomas, who had already won 13 times in his career including a major and FedEx Cup before this week, saw what adversity was like the past few months. The scandal affected him, not just personally but professionally. “It’s a good opportunity for me to try to grow and learn and get stronger because of it,” he said earlier this week. “Yeah, I think it’s kind of put a lot of things into perspective, and unfortunately for my golf, it’s taken a toll on that a little bit, and I haven’t been and I’m not playing as well as I’d like.”

The start to 2021 was a hard time for Thomas, and it didn’t end with the slur in Hawaii. In February, he was in contention at the Waste Management Phoenix Open; following his third round, he learned that his grandfather Paul, a long-time PGA professional, had passed away. A shaken Thomas shot one-over in the final round and dropped out of the top-10.

Three weeks ago, his Ryder Cup partner and close friend Tiger Woods was seriously injured in a car accident in Los Angeles. Thomas had to do a press conference just 15 minutes after hearing the news and could barely choke back the tears as he spoke to the media.

That he’s now the Players champion just a few short weeks later is a testament to his tenacity and courage. He showed it on Sunday. After playing holes 9-12 in five-under, including an eagle on the 11th, he missed a three-foot par putt on 14, the shortest putt he’s missed all season. He came back to hit a hooking right-to-left tee shot on the par-five 16th and two-putted for birdie to get clear of Westwood. He maintained the advantage with a par save on the infamous Island Green, and the tournament was is.

Thomas shared an emotional hug with his father Mike behind the 18th green following his win. It’s been a difficult time for the entire family, but Thomas feels like he had a little bit of help from his grandfather. “Yeah, I wish I could talk to him. I don’t know, it’s a sign that he was watching,” he said.

Paul would be proud of his soon-to-be 28-year-old grandson. Thomas has been tested to his limit this year; on Sunday, he passed it.