Justin Thomas triumphs in Medinah after a masterful performance on Saturday.

  • Justin Thomas (USA, -25) lays the foundations for victory in
    the BMW Championship with a course record (61) in the third round.
  • 130,000 spectators made their way to the Medinah Country
    Club (Chicago) during the tournament week.
  • The 2017 FedExCup champion will now start from pole position
    at the season finale in Atlanta.
  • BMW extends title partnership with the prestigious PGA TOUR
    playoff tournament for another three years.

 

Chicago. The legendary Course No.3 at the Medinah Country Club
was the spectacular setting for the appearance of the 70 best
players on the PGA TOUR at the BMW Championship. On Saturday, Major
winner Justin Thomas slotted into the lead role at the penultimate
playoff event on the PGA TOUR. The 26-year-old produced an
otherworldly performance in the third round, setting a course record
of 61 to head into the final day with a six-stroke lead. The 2017
FedExCup champion held his nerve on Sunday, repelling every
attacking move and claiming victory with an overall score of 263 strokes.

In 2012, the Medinah Country Club had been the venue for Team
Europe’s great Ryder Cup comeback that has gone down in golfing
history as the “Miracle at Medinah”. The round that had effectively
secured a tenth PGA TOUR win for Thomas was scarcely less astonishing.
The winner of the 2017 PGA Championship started the Saturday with a
five back-to-back birdies, adding three more and two eagles during the
round to leave the world-class field in his wake. The eagle on the
16th hole (435 metres, par 4) was particularly spectacular, as Thomas
found the hole from 160 metres out. The former world no. 1 (2018)
finished 25 under par to relegate Patrick Cantlay (USA, -22) and
Hideki Matsuyama (JPN, -20) to second and third places. It is the
lowest score to par in the history of the BMW Championship.

“I am excited. It has been a lot of hard work today, conditions were
very tough. I was happy to stay patient and come though victorious in
the end”, said Thomas. “It feels great.”

“Congratulations to Justin Thomas on a historic, record-setting
performance in winning the 2019 BMW Championship,” said Bernhard
Kuhnt, president and CEO, BMW of North America. “We are proud to be
returning to the Chicago area next year for the 2020 BMW Championship
with him as our defending champion. This event is impactful in the
lives of so many young caddies, and we are happy to be continuing our
relationship with the Western Golf Association and PGA TOUR.”

Thomas started the final round in controlled fashion, sensibly
defending his lead. The situation looked critical after a bogey at the
10th hole, as Cantlay and Matsuyama went on a run of birdies to cut
the gap to two strokes. However, “JT” showed that he is a real
champion, with nerves of steel: When the going got tough, he moved up
a gear to sink one challenging putt after another, fending off the
attacks with a dominant display.

The BMW Championship also represents a critical part of qualification
for the season finale, the TOUR Championship, which is only open to
the 30 best players in the FedExCup rankings. Sitting pretty at the
top of the season standings, Thomas is now well-placed to win the
FedExCup for the second time. That achievement has only been recorded
by Tiger Woods (USA, -7, T37), with wins in 2007 and 2009 – and the
15-time Major winner also won the BMW Championship in both of those
years. Cantlay, Brooks Koepka (USA, -10, T24), Patrick Reed (USA, -11,
T19), and Rory McIlroy (NIR, -11, T19), follow in second to fifth positions.

Woods missed out on qualification for the TOUR Championship, as did
Jordan Spieth (USA, -7, T37), Phil Mickelson (USA, -5, T48) and last
year’s BMW Championship winner Keegan Bradley (USA, -6, T43).

On Sunday morning, BMW and the Western Golf Association had announced
a three-year extension to their partnership that has been in existence
since 2007. This means that BMW will remain the BMW Championship title
partner up to and including 2022. All proceeds from the BMW
Championship will go to the Evans Scholars Foundation, which awards
full college scholarships to hard-working young caddies. The
foundation has benefited from more than 30 million US dollars thus far
– not including this year’s tournament.

The 2020 BMW Championship will once again be in the greater Chicago
area. It will take place from 20th to 23rd August at the Olympia
Fields Country Club.