Sentry Tournament of Champions: Justin Thomas beats Patrick Reed & Xander Schauffele in Hawaii play-off

Leaderboard

-14 Schauffele, Reed, Thomas*

-11 Cantlay

-10 Fowler, Niemann

-9 Johnson, Morikawa, Woodland

*Thomas wins at third play-off hole

Day Four report

Justin Thomas claimed the 12th PGA Tour win of his career by securing his second Sentry Tournament of Champions title after a play-off win over Patrick Reed and Xander Schauffele.

It took three extra holes to separate the three Americans in Hawaii after a dramatic finish to a tough tournament as players had to battle through testing winds throughout.

Four birdies in a row gave Thomas a two-shot lead over Schauffele that he held until the 16th, when Thomas carded a bogey to cut his lead to just one.

On the par-five 18th it looked like Thomas had thrown it away when he could only make a six, but Schauffele missed a seven-foot putt for the victory to send the event to a play-off.

Reed then missed a couple of chances to take the title in the play-off before Thomas eventually sealed the victory, which came with a huge sense of relief.

“The emotions and how I was winning and then I was barely winning and then I was losing and then I barely got in a play-off - that takes a lot out of you. I probably don't seem as elated as I might be or as I would hope to be,” Thomas said.

“But it'll just take a little bit. Once I get back to the hotel hopefully with my family, I'll be able to enjoy it a little bit and we'll talk about it. But relief is definitely a word that comes to mind.

“I truly felt like through 15 holes it was one of the best rounds I had played. I was in such control tee to green. I was putting it beautifully, my irons were awesome, and I hit a really good drive on 16, just the wind took it more, and then 18 was just a disaster. I really didn't hit very many good shots on the hole. But it worked out.”

Day Three report

Xander Schauffele maintained his one-shot lead at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii.

The defending champion finished the day with four birdies and two bogies in a two under 71, and is well placed to become only the third player to win twice in a row at this Kapalua Resort event.

Though the 71 might have been a slight disappointment after rounds of 69 and 68, Schauffele is still on top of the leaderboard on 11 under, followed by fellow American Justin Thomas.

England's Paul Casey is in joint 17th on four under, while Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell is joint 26th on evens.

Day Two report

Xander Schauffele continued his bogey-free start to move top of the leaderboard at the halfway stage of the Sentry Tournament of Champions.

The defending champion, who claimed a dramatic one-shot victory in last year's event, posted a five-under 68 in wet and windy conditions on the Plantation Course in Kapalua.

Schauffele heads into the weekend on nine under and a shot clear of Patrick Reed and overnight leader Joaquin Niemann, with Rickie Further two strokes off the pace in fourth spot.

"This is rain and wind that we don't really play too often in but fortunately it's kind of warm," Schauffele said. "It was an interesting day. I wasn't thinking about my score because I was trying to stay as dry and warm as possible."

Starting the day three back, Schauffele opened with four straight pars before holing a 15-footer at the fifth and birdieing the par-five ninth to reach the turn in 34.

Schauffele converted from 10 feet at the 13th and made another from a similar distance at the 16th to move alongside Reed, who set the clubhouse target after a round-of-the-day 66, then grabbed the outright lead by getting up and down to birdie the last.

Reed fired five birdies in a seven-hole stretch around the turn and added back-to-back gains from the 13th, before cancelling out a bogey at the par-five 15th by draining a 30-footer on his penultimate hole.

Niemann also sits on eight under after following his opening-round 66 with a one-under 72, while Fowler birdied three of his last five holes to card a second-round 71.

Jon Rahm leads the European interest and recovered from being three over with six holes to play to post a level-par 73 and stay on four under, as Graeme McDowell moved into tied-16th and within six of the lead after a four-under 69.

Day One report

Joaquin Niemann set the pace on day one of the Sentry Tournament of Champions, topping the leaderboard with a seven-under round of 66.

The Chilean 21-year-old made a flurry of four birdies between the fourth and ninth holes before adding a further three gains after the turn in a bogey-free round.

The performance earned Niemann - winner of A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier in September - a one-shot lead over 2017 champion Justin Thomas, whose five birdies on the back nine saw him soar up the leaderboard.

Matt Kuchar and Rickie Fowler are two shots off the lead, the former having eagled the fifth.

Defending champion Xander Schauffele, Jon Rahm, and Patrick Cantlay are among a group of five players tied at four under.

In an eventful opening round, Dustin Johnson posted five birdies, four bogeys, an eagle and a double bogey to end the day in a tie for 16th at one under.

Golf in 2020