Justin Thomas notches 10th Tour victory with win at BMW Championship

Justin Thomas held a big lead heading into Sunday’s final round, and Hideki Matsuyama, Jon Rahm, and Patrick Cantlay were among the chasers after 54 holes of the second leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Here’s what you missed on Sunday at the BMW Championship at Medinah, just outside of Chicago, Ill.

Who won: Justin Thomas (four-under-par 68 on Sunday, 25 under overall)

How it happened: Thomas surged into the tournament lead with a sizzling round of 61 on Saturday — a new course record by two shots. Incredibly, the previous record of 63 was set by Hideki Matsuyama — on Friday! Thomas’ performance gave him a cushy, six-shot lead lead heading into the final round, all but assuring his victory. His competitors still made it somewhat interesting, with Matsuyama carding eight birdies in his first 14 holes to climb within four shots of Thomas, and Cantlay, five under through 13, getting to within three shots, but the deficit proved to be too great, as Thomas kept his foot on the gas on the back nine, birdieing four of his final eight holes to finish at four under par on the day and 25 under par overall, for a three-shot victory over Cantlay.

Why it matters: With this win, Thomas notches his tenth career Tour victory, and at just the right time. He also vaults into the No. 1 position in the FedEx Cup standings heading into this week’s grand finale, the Tour Championship. Given the new Tour Championship scoring advantage given to the top players in the standings, Thomas will be the best-positioned player in the field to make a run at the lucrative FedEx Cup title.

Presidents Cup look-ahead: As the No. 3 player in the standings, Thomas was already a lock for the team, but this week’s win bumps him to No. 2, just behind Brooks Koepka. Patrick Cantlay stands to gain the most from his performance this week, moving from No. 8 all the way to No. 4.

Best this-is-my-tournament-back-off statement: Thomas’ laser on the par-3 13th (and ensuing birdie) quelled any doubts that he might let this one slip away.

What a statement.@JustinThomas34 moves to 23-under.

He’s up three with five to play.#LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/H55kxg7AIE

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 18, 2019

Up next: The top 30 in the FedEx Cup standings head to the season’s grand finale, the Tour Championship, which begins on Thursday at East Lake in Atlanta, Ga.

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