The 16th victory may be one of the sweetest for Justin Thomas, who returned to the winner's circle Sunday for the first time in nearly three years by claiming the 2025 RBC Heritage in a one-hole playoff. The two-time major champion signed for a bogey-free final-round 68 to reach 17 under for the tournament and force extra holes; he skirted past Andrew Novak with a birdie when they repaid the 18th in a sudden-death playoff at Harbour Town Golf Links.
"Winning is hard. It's really, really hard," Thomas said. "I've worked my butt off and stayed patient, stayed positive. I've got a great wife, a great team, a great daughter … just take it for granted sometimes when you get on those runs. I didn't realize how much I missed winning and battling out there today was so much fun."
Thomas is now the seventh player since 1960 to win 16 or more times on the PGA Tour, including multiple majors, before the age of 32, according to Justin Ray. Thomas' 16th victory not only snaps his drought that stretches back to the 2022 PGA Championship, it also represents his first win as a father and husband.
After shooting out of the gates on Thursday with a course record-tying 61, Thomas hit some turbulence over his next 54 holes. The sharpness which engulfed his game was nowhere to be seen, but instead of backtracking as he had many times during his trophy-less run, he held tough and let the tournament come to him.
Rounds of 61-69-69 positioned Thomas just off the 54-hole pace set by Si Woo Kim, but it wasn't long until he found his name atop the leaderboard Sunday. A barrage of pars -- including a nifty save on the par-3 4th from the bulkhead lining the penalty area -- kicked off his final round. Thomas then took advantage of the par-5 5th and roped a hook around the bend on the par-4 8th for his second birdie of the opening nine. Although he did not take care of the short par-4 9th, Thomas held a one-stroke lead entering the final nine holes of the golf tournament with competitors lining up behind him.
Daniel Berger made his move, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler did the same, and Texas Open winner Brian Harman crept his way into contention. They all ultimately subsided. Instead, it was Novak who emerged as Thomas' greatest threat. The South Carolina native received some fortuitous bounces off trees on his back nine, but he continued to saunter on.
Thomas regained his one-stroke lead with a birdie from 21 feet on the par-5 15th, but it did not last long. Novak came marching back on the next hole and rolled in his first birdie of the back nine from 16 feet to draw all square. With Thomas in the clubhouse at 17 under thanks to a par-par finish, Novak faced an 8-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to claim his first PGA Tour victory.
It never sniffed the hole, and instead, set up extra holes with Thomas. Replaying the 18th in the first playoff hole, Thomas hit a much better drive than in regulation and gave himself a much easier birdie look. He connected from just outside 20 feet -- a putt that landed him an additional $1.44 million out for his $3.6 million winner's share -- and let out a ferocious celebration because he knew he finally earned his long-awaited return to the winner's circle.
"I'm really proud of myself today with how patient I was," Thomas said. "I just plodded my way around, and I said to Joe [Griener] coming up No. 18 that I've never made a putt to win a tournament before … and that was pretty cool. That was as fun as I thought it would be." Grade: A+
WHAT A WAY TO WIN IT! 🤯
— Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) April 20, 2025
Justin Thomas with the putt to claim victory at the @RBC_Heritage 🔥🏆 pic.twitter.com/JSaofLwsur
Here are the grades for the rest of the notable names on the leaderboard at the 2025 RBC Heritage
2. Andrew Novak (-17): Another week and another close call for Novak, who is playing some of the best golf on the PGA Tour. Playing in the final pairing for the third time this season, the South Carolina native acquitted himself nicely by shooting a final-round 68 that included a bogey-free back nine. He had his chances down the stretch -- namely the 8-foot birdie bid on the last -- but he will instead settled for a runner-up result and another nice move up the FedEx Cup standings.
"I'm not as frustrated as I thought I would be," Novak said. "I feel like I did a lot of good things. I'm pretty proud of putting myself in that position when I really felt like I wasn't swinging it that great this week, the fact that I was able to scrap out almost a win with not really swinging my best. ... I thought I was a little more comfortable down the stretch than maybe I have been in the past. Justin just went out and won it. There's nothing you can really do about it." Grade: A
T3. Daniel Berger (-14): He was the name up ahead on the golf course who had the look of posting an early clubhouse lead. Berger jumped onto the first page of the leaderboard thanks to five birdies in his opening nine holes but was unable to maintain the momentum on the more difficult second half. The putter proved to be the culprit as he continued to thrive from tee to green and gave himself ample opportunities, which he was unable to convert. Still, one season after narrowly securing his full-time status, Berger finds himself inside the top 20 of the FedEx Cup standings after another quality outing. A win appears imminent.
"I think throughout my career I've proven that I'm a pretty consistent golfer, and when I get hot on a week here or week there, then I'll have a chance to win," Berger said. "Obviously, getting into some of these elevated events, not that it's taken pressure off, but it's allowed me to play golf courses that better suit my game, a little tougher golf courses, and I think that's been the biggest difference is coming out to some places that I've played 8-10 times in my career and knowing how to play those golf courses." Grade: A
T8. Scottie Scheffler (-12): He is slightly off right now, but it won't take much for him to get over the hump. It just didn't happen this week. Scheffler signed for an opening 64 thanks to the best iron performance of the season; he strolled into Sunday a handful off the pace. Stellar approach play led to three birdies in a five-hole stretch in the middle of his round to get within a couple, but a fatal mistake on the par-5 15th proved to be his undoing. While the win count has not matched the 2024 output, Scheffler is not far from producing trophies and will need to clean up some strategic mistakes that have creeped into his rounds.
"I think I'm really close," Scheffler said. "I feel like I did a lot of things well this week, just a few of the important shots I just didn't pull off. Outside of that it was a pretty solid week." Grade: B+
"Look out! 👀
— Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) April 20, 2025
Three birdies in the last five for Scottie Scheffler! 💪 pic.twitter.com/zfTssjmy8J
T18. Jordan Spieth (-9): The 2022 tournament champion has now gone three full years without a win, but this week was another nice step in the right direction. Spieth carded four under-par rounds and leaned primarily on his long game rather than his short-game magic like he did at Augusta National. While he was unable to muster a weekend charge due to some shortcomings with the putter, Spieth should take solace in where his iron play is trending towards. He now has three straight top-20 finishes. Grade: B
T54. Collin Morikawa (-3): What a disappointing weekend from the two-time major champion. Entering the latter part of this tournament within arm's reach of the lead, Morikawa moved in the wrong direction Saturday in large part due to an untimely quadruple bogey and a back-nine 41. By then, the damage was done and his chances were completely sunken. The new putter had its moments early in the tournament, but it misbehaved along with his short game across the final 36 holes. Grade: D
The drought is over! Justin Thomas rolls in a 21-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to defeat Andrew Novak and claim his 16th career victory on the PGA Tour. The win marks Thomas' first since his 2022 PGA Championship title and is the culmination of a number of close calls with the winner's circle.
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