The Titanic meme suddenly springs to mind! It has been 1064 days. That was the time span between Justin Thomas‘s fifteenth victory and his sixteenth victory on the PGA Tour. To say, it was a long time coming is a bit of an understatement. The RBC Heritage Open proved to be a topsy-turvy affair with a very interesting climax. JT and Andrew Novak were engaged in a tight playoff contest, which the former clinched with a 21ft putt that was exemplary.

Speaking to Amanda Balionis, after a nerve-wracking playoff victory, Justin Thomas was very emotional. It has been nearly three years since his last victory on the tour, and it will be something that has been a long time coming for the University of Alabama grad. “Winning’s hard. It’s really, really hard.” Thomas explained to the CBS Reporter.

Accompanying Thomas during the all-important event were his wife, Jillian Wisniewski, and his six-month-old daughter, Molly Grace Thomas, who was born in November 2024. When she was born, JT knew that it is going to be a wonderful chapter in his life.

“I know my wife’s going to be an unbelievable mom. And I’m excited for the opportunity to raise a little girl. It’s going to be great.” Thomas had stated then. It was a huge step for the 31-year-old and a different kind of test than he was used to.  “All I know is I’ll be as ready as I possibly can and we’re going to make the most out of every situation we can. I can’t tell you honestly if I’m ready because I’ve never done it before. I’ll let you know in a couple months. It will be a challenge in different ways, but one that we’re excited for.” Thomas had explained. Well, he seems to cherish having his daughter by his side during the RBC Heritage event, especially aster she turned out to be his good luck charm.

“I worked my butt off and stayed patient, stayed positive. Got a great wife. Got a great team. And have a great daughter.” Thomas stated.

Before the playoff started, Thomas did something that likely proved to be a good luck charm. He rubbed his daughter Molly Grace’s foot before heading to the all-important face-off with Andrew Novak. He then proceeded to drain a spectacular long putt that proved to be the clincher for the two-time Major winner.

“I didn’t realize how much I missed winning. Just battling out there today was so much fun.” The 16-time PGA Tour winner added. Thomas’s four days at the Harbor Town Golf Links had been a battle in itself.

Justin Thomas’s hard-fought victory at the RBC Heritage Open

Thomas started the RBC Heritage Open with a score of 61 on day one. This was the course record at the South Carolina Golf Course and the 31-year-old raced to a three stroke lead at the end of day 1 with a scorecard that read 10 under par. The first day set a strong base from which he would go on and win the title. Second day proved to be a much more average affair as he just scored two under par.

He still maintained the lead though, but this time with just one stroke. The third day saw his lead slip up and after another round of 2 under par, Justin Thomas was T2 and one stroke behind the Korean golfer Si Woo Kim. Day 3 also saw him in certain difficult situations after his ball was half submerged on a muddy creek on the 11th hole. His subsequent shot, while removing the ball from the muddy creek, led a lot of mud to be flung on himself, leading to his caddie, Joe Grenier, calling him a ‘wet dog’. He had also previously received a penalty on the second hole for disturbing the lay of the ball.

Despite all that, Thomas prevailed. Day 4 proved to be the clincher for Thomas as he carded a bogey free round, registering three birdies, as he tied for the first place with fellow American Golfer Andrew Novak. Then, he ousted Novak in the playoff to claim his first ever title at the RBC Heritage event.

Do you think Thomas can use this victory as a momentum booster and clinch his third major title this year and make the automatic qualification spot for the 2025 Ryder Cup?