Two trips to Malaysia have now netted Justin Thomas two wins at the CIMB Classic.
Thomas started the day two shots behind 54-hole leader Anirban Lahiri but it was the momentum from Thomas’ Saturday finish that carried over to Sunday and set the table for a final round 64 that earned him a second straight victory at the TPC Kuala Lumpur.
“I felt like that was maybe the biggest five holes I’ve played in my life,” Thomas said of his finish on Saturday — five straight birdies that got him within two of Lahiri. “If I had been seven shots back, I wouldn’t have had a chance.”
Thomas started his final round with birdies on four of his first five holes and went blowing past Lahiri, who suffered a quadruple-bogey nine at the par five third hole. Even though Lahiri fought back and went birdie-eagle after that, the writing was on the wall with Thomas getting things in high gear.
“It’s very odd. I was extremely comfortable out there, I made some putts,” said Thomas, who struggled down the stretch last year but still managed to get his first win in 2015. “We stuck to our game plan. I’m just so excited I got to go back to Kapalua, I love it there,” Thomas said of his return to the Tournament of Champions.
After his dazzling front nine, Thomas birdied 10, 16 and 17 to shoot his 64 and finished at 23-under par, three short of last year’s winning score.
Hideki Matsuyama’s closing 66 earned him a solo second while Lahiri’s 72 put him in a tie for third with Derek Fathauer at 19-under par.
Keegan Bradley’s sixth place finish at 16-under was his best showing since finishing fifth at the Shell Houston Open last year.
