Sahith Theegala wins first PGA Tour title as Justin Thomas comes up short
Sahith Theegala lands his maiden PGA Tour title at the Fortinet Championship as Justin Thomas fails to fire in the final round.
Sahith Theegala captured his maiden PGA Tour title with victory at the Fortinet Championship.
The tournament started the new PGA Tour Fall Series.
Theegala, 25, began the final round with a two-stroke lead and he carded a steady 68 to see out the same margin of victory on 21-under par at Silverado Resort.
He held a three-stroke lead down the par-5 18th but went on to make a bogey.
The first PGA Tour title was not just an emotional one for Theegala but also his father Muralidhar and the rest of their family and friends in the crowd.
Following a number of recent near-misses on the PGA Tour including a pair of runner-up finishes at The Travelers and RSM Classic in 2022, Theegala, who first earned his PGA Tour card for the 2021-22 season, finally closed out his maiden win on the circuit.
Theegala earns a whopping $1.5m for winning the Fortinet Championship.
He will also move inside the world's top 30.
South Korea's SH Kim (68) finished in solo second on 19-under par, two strokes clear of Australia's Cam Davis (70).
Eric Cole (70) finished solo fourth on 16-under par.
Elsewhere, Justin Thomas, who earned one of Zach Johnson's six picks in the US Ryder Cup team this month, earned his best finish on the PGA Tour since the WM Phoenix Open in February 2023.
Thomas started the final round just two strokes behind Theegala, but four bogeys on the outward nine quickly derailed his charge.
He did fight back with an eagle on the 12th but he would go on to card a 72 to finish the week in solo fifth on 15-under par.
Nevertheless, it marked a solid week for Thomas, who failed to make the FedEx Cup Playoffs last month for the first time in his PGA Tour career.
Thomas was bidding to win his first title on the PGA Tour since etching his name on a second Wanamaker Trophy at the 2022 US PGA.
Fellow US Ryder Cup player and back-to-back Fortinet Championship defending champion Max Homa closed with a 69 to finish T7 on 13-under par.
Fortinet Championship Final Leaderboard
-21 S Theegala (US)
-19 SH Kim (Kor)
-17 C Davis (Aus)
-16 E Cole (US)
-15 J Thomas (US)
What did you make of Theegala's first win on the PGA Tour? Has Thomas justified his pick in the US Ryder Cup team? Share your thoughts and comments over on the GolfMagic social media channels.
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