WASHINGTON (AFP) — Justin Thomas defeated Andrew Novak in a playoff to win the PGA Tour’s RBC Heritage and claim his first victory since the 2022 PGA Championship on Sunday.

Novak had a great chance to win in regulation but agonizingly missed a 10-foot birdie putt to send himself and Thomas back to the 18th at Harbour Town for the playoff.

With Novak unable to make his long birdie putt, Thomas took his chance, draining his putt superbly from 21 feet to end his nearly three years of winless run.

“It’s so hard to force the issue in a course like this. It’s so firm, so fast. It just was so fun to play. I mean, I’m really, really proud of myself today, how patient I was, and just plodding my way around,” Thomas said.

“I’ve never made a putt to win a tournament before, like, of length. I’ve been fortunate to have a lot of tap-ins, but I’ve never made a putt, and that was pretty cool.”

‘I was happy to see that. Justin just went out and won it. There’s nothing you can really do about it.’

“That was as fun as I thought it would be,” he added.

It was Thomas’s 16th win on the PGA Tour and moves him to second place in the FedEx Cup rankings behind Masters champion Rory McIlroy.

Thomas and Novak shared second place heading into Sunday’s final round in South Carolina, one back of 54-hole leader Kim Si-woo, and the pair matched scores of three-under 68.

Thomas and Novak finished three strokes clear of a four-way tie for third at 14-under, which included Daniel Berger, Mackenzie Hughes, Brian Harman and Maverick McNealy.

Novak reached the turn on two-under for his round after four birdies and two bogeys, but he had just a solitary birdie on the back nine at the 16th.

It was a similar story, albeit bogey free, for Thomas who reached the turn two-under, and made his lone back nine birdie on the par-five 15th.

Novak was searching for his first win on the PGA Tour but the 30-year-old was able to be philosophical about the missed putt which cost him that maiden victory.

“I’m not as frustrated as I thought I would be,” he said.

“I feel like I did a lot of good things. I’m pretty proud of putting myself in that position when I really felt like I wasn’t swinging it that great this week, the fact that I was able to scrap out almost a win without really swinging my best. The irons were giving me issues at times.”

“I hit a few good ones down the stretch, which was cool, because with the pressure on it usually gets tougher, and I was still able to pull off some shots,” he added.

“I was happy to see that. Justin just went out and won it. There’s nothing you can really do about it.”

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, the defending champion, finished tied for eighth after a one-under round of 70, blighted by a double bogey on the 15th and bogey on the 17th before he finished off with a birdie on the last.