Monday 6 January 2020 12:56, UK
Justin Thomas made a winning start to 2020 by claiming a dramatic play-off victory at the Sentry Tournament of Champions.
Thomas held a two-shot lead with three holes to play but carded two late bogeys to close out a four-under 69 on the Plantation Course in Kapalua, leaving him tied on 14 under alongside Xander Schauffele and Patrick Reed.
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Schauffele was eliminated with a par on the opening extra hole, with Thomas matching Reed's birdie at the first and his par at the second before claiming victory with a three-foot birdie at the third play-off hole.
Victory is Thomas' second at the no-cut event, only open to players who have won on the PGA Tour during the previous calendar year, with the win also is 12th PGA Tour title.
Starting the day a shot off the lead, Thomas cancelled out a two-putt birdie at the par-five fifth by failing to get up and down to save par from just off the seventh green.
Thomas bounced back by holing a 12-footer at the eighth, the first of four consecutive birdies around the turn, before adding back-to-back gains from the 14th to move top of the leaderboard.
Schauffele stayed in touch with three consecutive birdies from the 13th and got back within one of the lead when Thomas missed an eight-footer to save par at the 16th, as Reed set the clubhouse target by closing out a round-of-the-day 66.
Thomas held a seven-footer to save par at the 17th to take a one-shot lead to the par-five last, where he hooked his approach into thick grass and was forced to take a penalty drop.
Schauffele had the chance to snatch victory but three-putted from 40 feet for a closing par, as Thomas pitched to 10 feet and two-putted for a closing bogey to take the contest to extra holes.
The players returned to the par-five 18th where Schauffele, who narrowly missed out on a successful title defence after three-putting the final hole in regulation, was eliminated with another par as Reed and Thomas made birdies.
Reed three-putted the second extra hole from the fringe to match Thomas' par and missed an eight-foot birdie attempt at the next, allowing Thomas to snatch victory with a three-foot birdie on the third extra hole.
Patrick Cantlay birdied four of his last five holes to finish three strokes back in fourth spot, with Rickie Fowler a further shot back in tied-fifth alongside first-round leader Joaquin Niemann.
