Justin Thomas Wins 2022 PGA Championship, Playing Against Will Zalatoris

The PGA Championship, also known as the US PGA Championships or the USPGA, is one of the world’s four major golf tournaments along with the US Open, the British Open and the Master Tournament. It is run by the Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PGA of America) and is a major media event played on a different American course each year and routinely features the best players in the world.

The championship was formerly played in mid-August on the third weekend before Labor Day and serves as the fourth and final men’s major tournament for the golf season. However, now the tournament is conducted in May on the weekend before Memorial Day and is played as the second major championship following the Masters Tournament in April. 

Kindel Media/ Pexels | The PGA champion receives the Wanamaker Trophy, the largest trophy of the four men’s majors

Winning the PGA helps golfers gain privileges that can improve their overall career security and automatically turns the winners eligible for the other three major tournaments and the Players Championship for the next five years. 

About Justin Thomas

Justin turned into a professional player in 2013 and earned his tour card by qualifying through his school tournaments. His first professional victory was at the 2014 Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship. Thomas finished fifth in the 2014 Web.com Tour regular season, and third after the Web.com Tour Finals, and earned his PGA Tour card for the 2015 season. In 2015, Thomas collected seven top-10s and 15 top-25s, with fourth-place finishes at the Quicken Loans National and Sanderson Farms Championship as his best results. 

Mick Haupt/ Pexels | The PGA Championship is the only Major tournament that does not invite amateur players

He earned his first PGA Tour by winning the CIMB Classic in Kuala Lumpur, which is still known as one of his best victories. He defended his title at the CIMB Classic in 2016 and won the SBS Tournament of Champions, followed by the 2017 PGA Championship and became the FedEx Cup Champion by 2017. 

PGA Championship 2022 

Thomas matched a PGA Championship record Sunday when he rallied from a seven-shot deficit at Southern Hills and then saved his most exquisite shot-making for a three-hole playoff to defeat Will Zalatoris. The 29-year-old finished his round a shot behind then-leader Mito Pereira. but after the Chilean hit his drive on the 18th hole into the water and finished with a double bogey, the major went to a playoff between the two compatriots.

Martin Magnemyr/ Pexels | Only two players have won the PGA Championship a record five times, Walter Hagen and Jack Nicklaus

And after three holes, Thomas ended with his second major victory as he lifted the famous Wanamaker Trophy for the second time, having previously won it in 2017. With his dad, Mike standing by and as the two shared an embrace on the 18th green, the emotions of the moment finally caught up to Thomas, now a two-time major winner. 

He becomes just the sixth player since World War II with 15 PGA Tour wins including two majors, before turning 30, along with Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Tom Watson and Johnny Miller. Thomas’ huge comeback to claim victory matches the largest comeback in the history of the PGA Championship of seven shots set by John Mahaffey in 1978.