Justin Thomas continues hot streak with Honda Classic playoff victory

Justin Thomas remains on top of the golf world, winning The Honda Classic in a playoff over Luke List. It was his sixth win in the last 13 months, and eighth overall.

Justin Thomas wins again. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before.

At The Honda Classic on Sunday, Thomas outlasted a hard-driving Luke List in a playoff, bringing home the prestigious title from PGA National. It was a nearly perfect weekend of golf for the 24-year-old, but 72 holes weren’t quite enough.

Thomas found himself one off the lead held by List after three rounds, but at 6-under for the week, he knew he was in a strong position. Considering just 11 players in the field broke par this week, the tightly-packed top of the leaderboard may have been a bit misleading.

With PGA National known as one of the toughest tests on the PGA TOUR schedule, both List and Thomas put on an absolute clinic in the spotlight.

List got off to a rockier start than Thomas, opening the door with two early bogeys on the third and fourth holes. Thomas made his first birdie of the day on No. 3, and that two-shot swing put him in the driver’s seat early on.

List, a 33-year-old out of Vanderbilt, was flawless from that point on. Birdies on Nos. 10 and 13 got him back to -7 for the tournament, but by that point he found himself in a three-way tie with both Thomas and a charging Alex Noren.

It all came down to 18, and that’s where Thomas really put a stamp on the event. Stiffing his approach shot to about two feet for birdie, he forced List to match for a playoff. By then, though, it was clear that List would have to do something special to truly overcome the defending FedEx Cup champ.

Justin Thomas: Confidence, execution make him tough to beat

This should come as a shock to precisely nobody, but Justin Thomas is probably the most confident golfer on the face of the planet today. It’s for good reason, too, as he’s accomplished essentially every goal he’s set for himself over the last 18 months.

We all saw the year-long list on his iPhone after he won the FedEx Cup, but what about this week?

PGA National is a course that will test every facet of a player’s game – not unlike most major venues. And when that test came and went, Thomas passed with flying colors.

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His five bogeys were the second-fewest in the field this week (List led with just four, but a first-round triple bogey on No. 16 hurt). Thomas led the field in driving distance, which wasn’t a surprise at all. However, he also led in scrambling, strokes gained on approach, strokes gained tee-to-green, and he was inside the top-30 in strokes gained putting.

When you get that kind of combination going, I don’t care what course you’re playing, it’s almost impossible to beat.

"“I just hit some really, really well-executed shots coming down the stretch. I haven’t done that on this difficult of holes before,” Thomas said regarding his white-hot close. “One swing equals a double on those holes. It just was a big confidence booster, really.”"

Next: WGC-Mexico Championship Power Rankings

That’s a scary thought, isn’t it? Justin Thomas, an eight-time PGA TOUR winner and major champion, with six titles since January of 2017, getting a confidence boost?

In case you’re wondering, the Masters is just six weeks away. If I’m one of Thomas’s competitors, I’m more than a little nervous to see just what else he has in store.

Of course, I’m not one of his competitors, and I love what I’m seeing. Buckle in, everybody, because he might be ready to top his ridiculous 2017 campaign this year.

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