Skip to main content
Wednesday, November 11, 2026Nov 11
Subscribe
All Sections
Search
More

Golf roundup: Justin Thomas rallies to win The Players Championship

AP photo by Justin Raoux / Justin Thomas celebrates after a making a putt on the 17th hole of the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass during the final round of The Players Championship on Sunday in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Thomas closed with a 68 and won by edging Lee Westwood, who came within a stroke of victory for the second straight week.
AP photo by Justin Raoux / Justin Thomas celebrates after a making a putt on the 17th hole of the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass during the final round of The Players Championship on Sunday in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Thomas closed with a 68 and won by edging Lee Westwood, who came within a stroke of victory for the second straight week. AP photo by Justin Raoux / Justin Thomas celebrates after a making a putt on the 17th hole of the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass during the final round of The Players Championship on Sunday in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Thomas closed with a 68 and won by edging Lee Westwood, who came within a stroke of victory for the second straight week.

By The Associated Press 4 min read

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The resilience it takes to get through a nerve-jangling Sunday at TPC Sawgrass was nothing compared with what Justin Thomas had been through already this year.

An otherwise impeccable start to his PGA Tour career on and off the course came under scrutiny in January when he muttered an antigay slur under his breath, which cost him one sponsor and led another to publicly reprimand him. Tougher still was the death last month of his grandfather Paul, part of the legacy of golf pros in the Thomas family.

He found the right time to deliver a gem.

Thomas took on every shot in The Players Championship, right down to the 5-wood that rode the edge of the lake down the left side of the 18th fairway on the Stadium Course, and closed with a 4-under-par 68 for a one-stroke victory over Lee Westwood (72).

The 27-year-old American and former University of Alabama standout finished at 14-under 274 and won a tournament for the seventh straight year. His 14th career title on the PGA Tour makes him only the fourth player to win a major, The Players Championship, the FedEx Cup season title and a World Golf Championship.