May 22, 2022 By Brandon O’Neill
County Down’s Rory McIlroy and Waterford’s Seamus Power finished in the top 10 at the US PGA Championship in Oklahoma Sunday — with first place eventually going to American Justin Thomas after a dramatic playoff.
McIlroy surged up the leaderboard Sunday with a final round of 68 to finish 2 under for the tournament and tied for eighth place.
He pipped Power who finished one place back in a tie for ninth after his final round of 72 left him on 1-under.
Power started the day in a tie for 6th on 3-under but was unable to get into contention at the summit in what was his second-ever major. The 35-year-old suffered an early setback with a double bogey on the par-four 2nd as he found water with his drive.
He notched 15 pars, one birdie, one bogey and one double bogey.
Shane Lowry finished in a tie for 23rd after his final round of 69 that brought him to 2-over for the tournament.
Thomas beat Will Zalatoris in a three-hole playoff after the pair both carded 5-under.
They played the 13th, 17th and 18th holes. Both birdied the par-five 13th before Thomas made a crucial breakthrough with a birdie on the 17th, which Zalatoris parred.
Thomas parred the last to secure an unlikely victory in a day where started seven shots back — one behind Power — but fired a 67 to propel himself into contention.
Thomas’ seven-stroke comeback win marked the largest 54-hole comeback to win a major championship since the 1999 Open Championship.
It was just the sixth time in history that a golfer won a major after trailing by seven strokes or more entering the final round.
Watch Rory McIlroy’s Round 4 US PGA Championship Highlights Here
Watch Justin Thomas’ Round 4 US PGA Championship Highlights Here
