Justin Thomas was the Boss today and wins The Players! I turned off the post-tournament interview the instant (((Steve Sands'))) second question to Justin was, "What do you think Tiger Woods saw out of you today?"
Lee Westwood didn't have anything close to his A-game tee to green but gutted it out by sinking many nerve-testing five to seven foot par putts and finished just a shot behind Thomas at the age of 47. Likely his last hurrah on the PGA Tour, where he's notably been one of those elite international players who came excruciatingly close at a number of majors and big events like this one but could never finish the job. Greg Norman and Colin Montgomery are two other great golfers who likewise had star-crossed careers in U.S. events. Surprisingly, an Englishman has never won The Players despite a half dozen of them currently being among the best in the world.
Justin Thomas becomes just the fourth golfer to win 14 PGA tournaments before the age of 28. Several years ago we were talking about a "big four" of Thomas, Spieth, McIlroy and Day dominating the tour for years to come, yet Thomas is the only one who's consistently been among the elite since. He, DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson and the oft-injured Brooks Koepka are the "big four" of American golfers now. Spieth has been very strong of late, would be great if he gets back in the hunt big-time.
Gotta also give props to Paul Azinger for his work as NBC's analyst. Wasn't a fan previously as he seemed to pick up on his predecessor Johnny Miller's mean streak and hyper-criticism, but he was great this week, striking just the right tone for the event and how big it is and hopefully it continues.