By: Global Golf Post

If the winner of the PGA Tour’s player of the year race wasn’t determined Monday by Justin Thomas’ victory outside Boston, it’s close to over.

In the second playoff event against his buddy/biggest challenger for player of the year – Jordan Spieth – Thomas turned in a gutsy performance in the final round, coming from two strokes behind with seven holes remaining for the victory.

Here is the case for J.T. as player of the year:

• He has won five times on the PGA Tour, including the PGA Championship.
• He shot 59 in the Sony Open in Hawaii.
• And since 1960 only Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Spieth have had won five times including a major in a season before their 25th birthdays until Thomas joined the club.

Looks like a winner – unless Spieth or Dustin Johnson wins the two final playoff events and the FedEx Cup, and even then Thomas could have the winning hand.

“We’ve had a great year,” Thomas said.

What looked like a full-throttle drag race from start to finish Sunday – Thomas, Spieth and Marc Lieshman combined to play the front nine in 16-under par – turned into more of a grinding battle on the final nine.

Lieshman faded badly making three bogeys in a row starting at No. 10 to waste a two-stroke lead just when it appeared he might notch the biggest victory of his PGA Tour career.

Spieth hurt himself with a couple of poor approach shots that left him in spots from which he could not save par. That left it to Thomas, who used birdies at the 13th and 15th holes to separate himself. Spieth, with consecutive second-place finishes in the two playoff events, leads the FedEx Cup points midway through the playoffs.

With the top 70 in points advancing to the BMW Championship next week, Stewart Cink, Rafa Cabrera-Bello and Emiliano Grillo played their way into the BMW, while Russell Knox, Brandt Snedeker and Kelly Kraft were among those eliminated.

Driver: Titleist 917D2 (9.5 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana BF 60TX (tipped 1.5 inches)

3 Wood: Titleist 917F2 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Blue 80TX

5 Wood: Titleist 915Fd (18 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Motore Speeder VC 9.2 Tour Spec X-Flex

Irons: Titleist 716 CB (4 iron), Titleist 718 MB prototype (5-9 irons)
Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM5 (52-12 F Grind, 56-14 F Grind), Vokey SM6 (46-10 F-Grind, 60)
Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (46), S400 (52, 56, 60)

Putter: Scotty Cameron X5 Prototype (flow neck)
Length: 34 inches, 350 grams

Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Republished with permission by Global Golf Post.