Fresh of his victory on Maui, Justin Thomas became the seventh player to join the "59 Club" on the PGA Tour when he made a 15-foot eagle putt on his last hole Thursday at the Sony Open for an 11-under 59.
Thomas thought his hopes at a 59 were over when his drive on the par-5 ninth hole at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu was a foot from clearing a fairway bunker on the left and rolled back into the sand. He figured he couldn't reach the green until realizing Daniel Berger hit 4-iron from the bunker onto the green.
Thomas figured "this wasn't a time to lay up."
He hit 5-iron clean and pure, and it settled 15 feet below the cup. Wasting little time over the putt, he poured it in for 59 and lightly pumped his fist. The excitement came from Berger and Jordan Spieth, and only when Thomas looked at their reaction did it begin to sink in.
Jim Furyk was the last player with a sub-60 round when he closed with a record 58 at the Travelers Championship last summer.
• Rory McIlroy shot a 5-under 67, one stroke off the lead, in his 2017 debut at the SA Open in Johannesburg.
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Graham Taylor dies
Graham Taylor, the English club manager who won admiration by leading Aston Villa and Watford into the top-flight in the 1980s, died early Thursday of a suspected heart attack, his family said. He was 72.
Pop star Elton John, who owned Watford during Taylor's two stints in charge, wrote on an Instagram post: "We went on an incredible journey together and it will stay with me forever."
