Justin Thomas can rest easy as PGA Tour star beats Rory McIlroy to $1.3M prize
PGA
Tour title.
Earlier this month, Thomas managed to beat Novak in a tense playoff at the RBC Heritage, securing his first win since the 2022 USPGA Championship. But in doing so, Thomas couldn't help but worry that his victory might come back to haunt him in the same way
Jordan Spieth's
had years ago.
The story goes back to 2015, when Spieth edged out then 46-year-old Tom Gillis at the John Deere Classic, thwarting the veteran's chance to become the oldest first-time PGA Tour winner in 20 years.
Thomas reminisced about the incident during an appearance on the
Pardon My Take podcast.
He said: "For the whole year [PGA star] Jason Duffner was grilling Jordan like, 'man, you just ruined Tom Gillis' career, he would've had a two-year exemption, he would've been in Maui, he could've taken his family there, he could've been swimming with the dolphins with the tournament champions, but you had to beat him in a play-off and ruin his life'."
However, Thomas remained optimistic about Novak's prospects. He added: "Gilly was a little closer to the end of his career, and Andrew's playing well, but I hadn't thought of that after telling the story, and so I definitely hope it pans out now [for Novak]."
Novak came up just short against Thomas in the RBC Heritage
(Image: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
That confidence was justified as Novak, in tandem with Ben Griffin, won the Zurich Classic in New Orleans on Sunday, banking $1.3 million between them. The US pair edged out the Danish duo Nicolai and Rasmus Hojgaard by one shot while defending champions
Rory McIlroy
and Shane Lowry had to settle for a tie for 12th after a closing 72.
Novak said retaining a positive attitude was key to finally landing PGA Tour silverware. He said: "I've done a pretty good job not getting overly frustrated with the close shaves.
"I've been trying to take as many positives from each as I can. There was a lot of confidence coming into this week for sure."
Ben Griffin (left) and Novak after winning the Zurich Classic in New Orleans
(Image:)
Novak, 30, grew up in South Carolina while Griffin, 28, is from North Carolina. They became close in their early years as pros after playing in the same tournaments as teenagers.
Griffin said: "We've done just about everything in our career together. It's just a full-circle moment. I feel like we've had similar tracks to where we are today."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
13-06-2025
- Reuters
Walking on egg shells pays off for US Open leader Spaun
OAKMONT, Pennsylvania, June 12 (Reuters) - J.J. Spaun could not escape the talk about how punishing a setup Oakmont Country Club is, and while that left him plenty nervous, the unheralded American felt the threat of danger at every turn helped power him to the first-round U.S. Open lead on Thursday. Spaun, three years removed from his lone win on the PGA Tour, did not just outplay the game's biggest stars in the opening round of the year's third major but carded only the eighth bogey-free round in a U.S. Open at Oakmont. After signing off for a four-under-par 68 that left him with a one-shot lead over South African Thriston Lawrence, Spaun admitted to feeling uneasy going into only his second U.S. Open. "I was actually pretty nervous. But I actually tried to harness that, the nerves, the anxiety, because it kind of heightens my focus, makes me swing better," said Spaun. "I kind of get more in the zone, whereas if I don't have any worry or if I'm not in it mentally, it's kind of just a lazy round or whatever out there." Despite being nervous, Spaun was a picture of calm as he made his way around a course that has a reputation for being kick-your-teeth-in tough given the dense rough that lines the skinny fairways which lead to super-slick greens. Spaun, who began his day on the back nine, left his approach at the par-four 10th in thick rough beside the green but calmly chipped in from 20 feet away and never looked back. "It was a nice little wake-up call at 7:10 in the morning or whatever it was," said Spaun, who added three more birdies before the turn and then parred each hole on his inward nine. "It was a nice way to start the day, and I obviously kind of rode that momentum throughout the day." Spaun, who missed the cut at the 2021 U.S. Open and earned a career-best major finish at the 2022 Masters where he earned a share of 23rd place, is hoping his near-misses on the PGA Tour this year have made him a more confident player. The 34-year-old American finished runner-up to world number two Rory McIlroy at The Players Championship in March two weeks after earning a share of second place at PGA National Resort. "To go head-to-head with Rory on Sunday, and then the playoff was great for my confidence," said Spaun. "Unfortunately, I didn't win, but it was great for me to kind of lean back on that experience and know that I can perform on the biggest of stages and handle it with the pressure. "There's going to be a lot of pressure this week, too, and hopefully I can rely on those experiences."
The Herald Scotland
12-06-2025
- The Herald Scotland
Thomas Frank appointed Tottenham boss on three-year deal
Following negotiations with Brentford during the past week over Frank's release clause and backroom staff, the 51-year-old has been announced as Tottenham head coach and will bring with him Justin Cochrane, who will return to the club where he started his coaching journey more than a decade ago. We are delighted to announce the appointment of Thomas Frank as our new Head Coach on a contract that runs until 2028. Welcome, Thomas! 🤍 — Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) June 12, 2025 A club statement read: 'We are delighted to announce the appointment of Thomas Frank as our new head coach on a contract that runs until 2028. 'In Thomas we are appointing one of the most progressive and innovative head coaches within the game. He has a proven track record in player and squad development and we look forward to him leading the team as we prepare for the season ahead.' Frank is the 14th permanent head coach of Daniel Levy's 24-year tenure as Spurs chairman and will take over a club which won the Europa League last month but finished 17th in the Premier League. Tottenham's first trophy since 2008 did not prevent Postecoglou losing his job, with a statement last Friday citing it as 'one of the toughest decisions' the board has made. A club record in the Premier League of 22 defeats ultimately cost Postecoglou, even though he faced a winter injury crisis and prioritised Europa League success over league fixtures during the latter months of the season. Ange Postecoglou, left, embraces Thomas Frank before February's Premier League clash between Tottenham and Brentford (John Walton/PA) Postecoglou's dismissal sparked a flurry of tributes from Spurs players and Frank's initial task in north London will be to stabilise a shocked dressing room. However, the Danish coach has gained a reputation for excellent man-management skills during his impressive seven-year spell in charge of Brentford, where he won 136 of his 317 matches as head coach. 'It has been a pleasure working alongside Thomas,' Brentford director of football Phil Giles said. 'There have been so many special moments with Thomas and nobody will ever forget the day at Wembley for the play-off final or that emotional first Premier League game against Arsenal. 'We will never forget Thomas, but now it is time to thank him and take the next steps in our journey with a new leader who we believe can be just as successful and influential.' Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna is the bookmakers' favourite to replace Frank at Brentford. After a rocky start, Frank turned Brentford into one of the most entertaining teams in the Championship and clinched play-off success at Wembley in 2021 – despite the departures of Ollie Watkins and Said Benrahma. Ex-Brondby boss Frank showed his supreme adaptability once in the top flight as his previously free-scoring side switched to a disciplined and organised unit, which frequently changed between a 4-3-3 and a 3-5-2 system. It enabled Frank to establish Brentford as a Premier League regular despite a modest budget and even the loss of Ivan Toney last summer failed to halt their momentum. During the 2024-25 campaign, Brentford recorded their best tally of top-flight wins (16) and goals (66) to secure a 10th-placed finish which further caught the attention of Tottenham. Justin Cochrane, left, is among the coaches moving from Brentford along with Frank (Andrew Matthews/PA) An official approach from Spurs was made on Monday before negotiations concluded on Thursday after an agreement had been reached over Frank's release clause – reported to be in the region of £10m – and his backroom staff. Frank has brought Cochrane with him to Tottenham along with Chris Haslam, previously Brentford's head of athletic performance, and first-team analyst Joe Newton. This move will also reunite Frank with Andreas Georgson, who spent a year at Brentford as a set-piece coach and now moves from Manchester United to Spurs, and technical director Johan Lange, who worked with Frank at Lyngby in their native Denmark and tried to bring him to Aston Villa in 2022. Even though Frank has failed to win any major silverware, he can change that when he manages Spurs for the first time competitively on August 13 in the UEFA Super Cup against Champions League winners Paris St Germain. Later on Thursday night, Tottenham centre-back Cristian Romero sent out a cryptic post on Instagram, saying: 'Ange, thank you for these two incredible seasons. 'From day one you paved the way despite the many obstacles that always existed and always will exist. 'Beyond everything, we won a trophy and went down in the history of this beautiful club, which is the only thing that matters. I wish you the best because you deserve the best, and thank you for everything.'
Irish Daily Star
29-04-2025
- Irish Daily Star
Justin Thomas can rest easy as PGA Tour star beats Rory McIlroy to $1.3M prize
Justin Thomas breathed a sigh of relief as Andrew Novak finally broke through to secure his first-ever PGA Tour title. Earlier this month, Thomas managed to beat Novak in a tense playoff at the RBC Heritage, securing his first win since the 2022 USPGA Championship. But in doing so, Thomas couldn't help but worry that his victory might come back to haunt him in the same way Jordan Spieth's had years ago. The story goes back to 2015, when Spieth edged out then 46-year-old Tom Gillis at the John Deere Classic, thwarting the veteran's chance to become the oldest first-time PGA Tour winner in 20 years. Thomas reminisced about the incident during an appearance on the Pardon My Take podcast. He said: "For the whole year [PGA star] Jason Duffner was grilling Jordan like, 'man, you just ruined Tom Gillis' career, he would've had a two-year exemption, he would've been in Maui, he could've taken his family there, he could've been swimming with the dolphins with the tournament champions, but you had to beat him in a play-off and ruin his life'." However, Thomas remained optimistic about Novak's prospects. He added: "Gilly was a little closer to the end of his career, and Andrew's playing well, but I hadn't thought of that after telling the story, and so I definitely hope it pans out now [for Novak]." Novak came up just short against Thomas in the RBC Heritage (Image: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) That confidence was justified as Novak, in tandem with Ben Griffin, won the Zurich Classic in New Orleans on Sunday, banking $1.3 million between them. The US pair edged out the Danish duo Nicolai and Rasmus Hojgaard by one shot while defending champions Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry had to settle for a tie for 12th after a closing 72. Novak said retaining a positive attitude was key to finally landing PGA Tour silverware. He said: "I've done a pretty good job not getting overly frustrated with the close shaves. "I've been trying to take as many positives from each as I can. There was a lot of confidence coming into this week for sure." Ben Griffin (left) and Novak after winning the Zurich Classic in New Orleans (Image:) Novak, 30, grew up in South Carolina while Griffin, 28, is from North Carolina. They became close in their early years as pros after playing in the same tournaments as teenagers. Griffin said: "We've done just about everything in our career together. It's just a full-circle moment. I feel like we've had similar tracks to where we are today."
