At 2017's PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, Justin Thomas won his first major title at just 24 years old as he was able to close the deal on Sunday in the final round.
It wasn't an easy road to the top, mind you. Thomas started the weekend in a rough way on Thursday, shooting 73 on the par-71 course. He was outside the top 10 after Round 1, with Kevin Kisner starting out with an impressive 4-under 67. Kisner repeated the feat to go a terrific 8-under 134 through two rounds, while a 7-under 64 from Hideki Matsuyama brought him even with Kisner heading into Saturday. Thomas, meanwhile, began his climb back by shooting a 5-under 66 to bring himself into a tie for seventh, five strokes off the lead heading into the weekend.
In the third round, Kisner remained on top after shooting a 72 on Saturday. Matsuyama, meanwhile, dropped to a tie for second after shooting 73. Thomas continued his climb up the leaderboard, shooting 2-under 69 to position himself tied for fourth. He was just two strokes off the lead heading into Sunday.
It was on Sunday when Kisner finally slipped. Kisner shot 3-over 74 to finish the tournament at 4-under 280. Thomas, meanwhile, shot 4-under 68 that included six birdies to earn the title. He held off impressive days from Patrick Reed, who stormed back during the weekend, and Francesco Molinari.
Thomas is back in contention this year, looking to add another major to his trophy case. It's a field that's every bit as tough as last season's, but now 25, Thomas has shown that he has the grit to come back and win a major.
