Justin Thomas set the leaderboard on fire—and Tiger Woods couldn’t get it going. That’s the story of the second FedExCup event in Chicago, where Thomas followed a third-round 61 with a final round 68 to win the tournament at Medinah by two.
Thomas’ standout round was the third, where he started with five-consecutive birdies, followed by two eagles on the back nine to threaten 59, and ended up 11-under par for the round.
“I’ve been playing well,” Thomas said heading into the final round. “I’ve been hitting great golf shots. I’ve been making great strides with my putting. I feel better over it and seeing my line better.”
Thomas said his recent play was a big improvement over the previous few months.
“This game, it’s just so brutal and it’s so humbling that over the course of a career you’ll have so many highs and lows and I’m just trying to take it all in, if you will, and understand that,” he said.
Corey Conners’ incredible season will continue right into the Tour Championship. Conners, from Listowel, Ont., needed a strong second tournament to advance, and played well all week, finishing in a tie for seventh. That finish moved him into 23rd spot in the FedExCup. Adam Hadwin was the only other Canadian in the field, but after a strong second round moved him into contention, Hadwin, from Abbotsford, BC, tumbled over the weekend, finishing in a tie for 43rd. That left Hadwin at 52 on the FedExCup standings, outside the Top 30 needed to get him into the final week.
A year after starting his remarkable comeback with a win at the Tour Championship, Tiger Woods won’t be returning to Atlanta. Woods, seemingly healthy after withdrawing during the first week of the FedExCup, played well, tying for 37. But an even-par final round dropped him four spots on the FedExCup standings, meaning he’s outside of the Top 30 that get into the season-ending event.
Woods said he was surprised at just how easy Medinah, which has held major championships, was for the players.
“What’s more amazing is how many guys are under par on this golf course,” he said. “Who would have guessed that going into this week? We all thought this was one of the more tough. There’s normally a few guys that are struggling. The entire field is playing well is something that we’re all pretty surprised at.”
Woods will likely make his next appearance at his own event in the Caribbean in at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas in late November.
Thomas’ win vaulted him 14 spots on the FedExCup standings to No. 1, followed by Patrick Cantlay, who also an exceptional second week. The Top 5 is rounded out by Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed and Rory McIlroy. The Tour Championship takes place August 22-25 at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.
Justin Thomas: What’s In The Bag
DRIVER: Titleist TS3 (9.5 degrees)
FAIRWAY WOODS: Titleist TS3 (15 degrees), Titleist 915Fd (18 degrees)
IRONS: Titleist T100 (4-iron), Titleist 718 MB (5-9)
WEDGES: Titleist Vokey Design SM7 (46, 52, 56); Titleist Vokey Design SM6 (60)
PUTTER: Scotty Cameron X5 Flow Neck Prototype
BALL: Titleist Pro V1x
As well as Cory Conner played the sports networks covering the event never showed him once over the last two days.
Showed Hadwin once but even on Sunday there was no coverage of Cory and he was placing well.
Seems most strange why they would not key on a Canadian player.