At the PGA TOUR's season finale, Titleist Brand Ambassador Justin Thomas (Pro V1x) made a valiant sprint down the stretch, firing a final-round 4-under-par 66 at East Lake GC. His 11-under-par 269 total secured a runner-up finish at the Tour Championship.
Though he came a stroke shy of winning his sixth tournament of the season, Thomas won the larger race, earning the title of 2017 FedExCup champion.
"Got to 3-under on the back-nine and thought I have a great chance to win this thing," Thomas said. "Let’s just take care of it ourselves, not even worry what anybody else is doing. I was excited to birdie 16 and 17 and had a great chance to birdie 18, but it just wasn’t meant to be, wasn’t my week this week in terms of winning the golf tournament."
"But," added Thomas with a smile, "it definitely came with a nice consolation prize."
It was an amazing year for the 24-year-old young gun, who began the season as impressively as he ended it. He earned three victories in his first five starts, successfully defending his CIMB Classic title and then capturing an Aloha Sweep, winning back-to-back victories at the Sentry Tournament of Champions and the Sony Open in Hawaii.
Thomas’ 59 in the opening round of the Sony Open made him the youngest of seven players to record a sub-60 round (accomplished eight times) on the PGA Tour at the age of 23 years, 8 months, 14 days. His four-day total of 253 at the Sony also set a new PGA Tour record.
Thomas finished T9 at the U.S. Open at Erin Hills (his first top-10 result in a major championship in his eighth major start), equaling the U.S Open record for low round with his third-round 63.
One month later, Thomas won his first major championship title at the 99th PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club, coming from two strokes behind to eventually win by two shots. The win marked his fifth PGA Tour victory in his 90th start.
Thomas entered the FedExCup Playoffs second in the standings. He retained his position in the top five with T6 finish at The Northern Trust and followed that up with a three-stroke victory over fellow Titleist Brand Ambassador Jordan Spieth at the Dell Technologies Championship.
In all, Thomas captured five victories in the 2016-2017 PGA Tour campaign and earned more than $9 million in official winnings this year, plus the $10 million bonus for winning the FedExCup Playoffs.
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Throughout the entire season, Justin Thomas relied on a Pro V1x golf ball and a full bag of Titleist golf club equipment. Let’s take a closer look at the Titleist equipment that Justin trusted from tee-to-green to win the 2017 FedExCup.
Golf Ball: Pro V1x
Driver: 917D2 (8.5º)
Fairways: 917F2 (15º), 915Fd (18º)
Irons: 716 CB 4-iron, New 718 MB (5-9)
Wedges: Vokey Design SM6 pitching (46.08 F-grind), Vokey Design SM5 gap (52.12 F-grind) and sand (56.14 F-grind) wedges, and Vokey Design SM6 lob (60.12 K-grind) wedge
Putter: Scotty Cameron Prototype Futura X5.5
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BY THE NUMBERS:
- Thomas' runner-up finish at the TOUR Championship was his 12th top-10 finish of the season, tying him for No. 1 on Tour with his good friend Jordan Spieth, who finished second in this year's FedExCup race.
- Thomas finished 3rd in scoring average this season (69.359). Spieth topped the list with an average of 68.846, followed by Titleist Pro V1 golf ball loyalist Rickie Fowler (69.083).
- Trusting his 917D2 driver, Thomas ranked T8 in driving distance, with a 309.7-yard average.
- Thomas demonstrated phenomenal ball-striking throughout the year, as evidenced by his No. 6 ranking in the Strokes Gained - Tee-To Green statistic.
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SOCIAL BUZZ:
Some highlights from Justin Thomas' amazing year, through the lens of social media.
In January, Justin Thomas (Pro V1x) went low in Hawaii, becoming the eighth player in history to record a sub-60 round on the PGA Tour.
The U.S. Open was played on the par-72, 7,741-yard layout at Erin Hills GC. on Saturday, Thomas fired a third round, 9-under-par 63, which set the record for lowest score in relation to par at a U.S. Open. He will be remembered for three fairway metal shots he hit with his 15° 917F2 on the back nine. He drove the 288-yard, par-4 15th hole to six feet, then hit the same club twice to carry his Pro V1x golf ball high and soft onto the green of the 667-yard, par-5 18th, setting up the historic 8-foot eagle putt which he converted. Thomas’ 63 was the fifth in U.S. Open history, but was the first on a par-72 course. He hit 14 greens in regulation while averaging 322.7 yards off the tee.
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Sometimes you need a little luck to break through for your first major, and fortune smiled on Justin on this memorable putt.
Hopefully the first of many majors.
Throughout the year, Justin made time for young golf fans. Just one example:
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After his FedExCup victory, Justin shared his lofty pre-season goals - nearly all of which he achieved.
A final look back at a year to remember.
Congratulations, Justin, from all of #TeamTitleist!