DUBLIN, Ohio – Justin Thomas needs time.
The world No. 3 was seeking his third PGA Tour title of the season and had a three-shot lead with three holes to play in Sunday’s final round of the Workday Charity Open at Muirfield Village Golf Club.
But Thomas, who got off to a listless start to squandered his two-shot overnight lead, staggered home with two bogeys in the final three holes and then lost in a playoff to Collin Morikawa despite making a 50-footer for birdie on the first extra hole.
Thomas also missed from 9 feet to win outright on the 72nd hole and from 10 feet to end the playoff on the second extra hole.
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“Everything was a positive. I shot 19 under par on a pretty tough golf course. But the fact of the matter is I just completely gave it up, so that’s just going to hurt for a while,” said Thomas, who was seeking his 13th Tour title. He said he had no idea how long it would take to get over the painful loss. “I hope about three or four days because I’ve got to start another tournament on Thursday. I’m playing great. I have a great chance to win another golf tournament next week at a course that I obviously enjoy and I’m playing well.
“I just can’t beat myself up, although it’s going to be pretty hard not to, at least the rest of this afternoon. But there’s a whole lot of nothing I can do about it right now. I just need to execute better when I get in that situation in the future.”
The yo-yo day got off to a rare start when tee times were pushed up to beat potential afternoon storms and the leaders went off at 9 a.m. local time. It seemed Thomas needed more time to wake up as he bogeyed the second and third holes with wedges in his hands for the approach shots. In a matter of four holes, his two-shot lead fell to a three-shot deficit.
Finally, his internal alarm clock rang loud on the eighth hole when he hit 8-iron to two feet to set up his first birdie. He followed with birdies from three feet on nine, 10 feet on 10 and 2 feet on 11. He scored again from five feet on 14 and then hit two mighty shots to reach the green in two at the 555-yard 15th. From 23 feet, he canned the putt – his 10th consecutive one-putt green – and led by three.
But he missed the green on 16 and bogeyed, then missed the fairway on 18 and made another bogey.
After making his 50-footer on the first playoff hole, Morikawa made his 25-footer to force a second extra hole. Thomas burned the edge from 10 feet from the win on the second extra hole and then drove his tee shot on the third extra hole behind a tree and made bogey.
“It was quite the bizarre day,” Thomas said. “It would have been a fun day to have some fans just in terms of the ups and downs and the shot making. A lot of fun, great shots, but I got off to a bad start and I really, really fought hard and grinded hard and hit a lot of great shots there in the middle and near the end of the round.
“Just it’s completely unacceptable to give up a three-shot lead with three to go. I’m upset, I’m disappointed in myself, but at the end of the day it’s over with now, and I just need to take some time this afternoon and tonight to build on it and figure out what I can do better going into next week.”
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