Birkdale Housemates Spieth & Thomas Celebrate Back-To-Back Major Victories

Quail Hollow, NC ..

Kentucky’s Justin Thomas is celebrating after becoming the second straight under- 25-year old to win a Major in capturing the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow.

Thomas, 24 came from two shots back in posting a last day 68 and winning by two shots with an eight-under victory tally.

The win is also Thomas’ fourth this 2016/17 PGA Tour season having tasted success late last year in Malaysia and then celebrating the New Year winning back-to-back in Hawaii that included shooting a 59 in the Hawaiian Open.

Thomas had shared a Royal Birkdale house with good friend and Open Champion, Jordan Spieth, and Spieth was among the first to congratulate golf’s newest Major winner.

Thomas began his round bogey, birdie and bogey but regrouped round holing a 36-footer for birdie at the ninth hole and then at the par three, 13th he had the Charlotte crowd roaring their delight when he chipped-in from 40-feet and just off the green also for birdie.

However, Thomas saved the best for near the last and delivering the largest roar of the championship in finding the ‘side door’ with a 14-foot birdie putt at the 71st hole to move then three clear of his rivals at nine-under before dropping a shot at the last.

Thomas was contesting only his third PGA Championship and just a 10th Major, and having finished a prior best of T9th in this year’s U.S. Open.

Thomas was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky and first stamped his potential at the 2009 Wyndham Championship in becoming the third youngest to make the cut in a PGA Tour event at 16 years, 3 months and 24 days.

And Thomas’ father, Mike Thomas, has been the head professional at the Harmony Landing Country Club in Goshen, Kentucky, since 1990

Italy’s Francesco Molinari (67) finished the leading European and securing his best finish in 33 Majors grabbing the clubhouse lead at six-under par before eventually settling for a share of second place on six-under par.

Also sharing the bridesmaid role was American Patrick Reed (67), South African Louis Oosthuizen (7o).

The final round turned into a nail-biting affair with as many as five golfers tied for the lead at seven-under mid-round in the year’s final Major.

Jordan Spieth’s quest to gazump Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy in joining the ‘Grand Slam’ is now on the back-burner to next year’s PGA Championship in St. Louis.

The three-time Major winner, who was aged 23 in winning last month’s Open Championship, was never a factor with scores of 72, 73, 71 and 70 for two-over tally and a finish just inside the top-30.

Spieth capped his last round with three birdies in a four-hole stretch from the 12th hole but sticking out like the proverbial dog’s hind leg on his scorecard was a double bogey ‘7’ on his seventh.

 



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