Justin Thomas fell one shot short of winning his first PGA Tour title in over two years as Colombian Nico Echavarria claimed victory at the Zozo Championship in Chiba.
Echavarria shot a three-under-par final round of 67, including two birdies on the final three holes, to see off Thomas, who tied for second place with Max Greyserman.
Thomas, who finished with a 66, is still searching for his first tournament win since his second major title at the PGA Championship in 2022.
He said: “It’s a mixture of bummed and disappointed, but I played so well. I played plenty well enough to win this tournament.
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“Everything I’m doing is obviously the right stuff and I’m still going in the right direction. I’ve just got to keep trying to put myself in contention and right there as often as I can.”
Ireland’s Séamus Power, who had been joint fourth after an impressive eight-under second round of 62, tied in 13th place, after a final round of 66. It is Power’s fourth time in the top 15 in his last six events, as he looks to move up the world rankings from his position of 121st.
On the LPGA Tour, Leona Maguire finished tied 35th at the Maybank Championship in Malaysia after a final round of 71. The tournament was won by Chinese player Ruoning Yin by one stroke over Jeeno Thitikul.
On the DP World Tour, Byeong-hun An defeated fellow South Korean Tom Kim in a play-off to claim the Genesis Championship on home soil.
Both players tried to reach the par-five hole in two at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club in the playoff, which left Kim in a precarious position with his ball in the thick rough by the greenside bunker.
He fired his third shot across the green and into the main stand before chipping back on to the putting surface, while An chipped to within three feet to leave a birdie chance.
Kim missed his par putt, leaving An with two chances to claim victory. The world number 36 only needed one to lift the second DP World Tour title of his career, over nine years since his first at the BMW PGA Championship in 2015.
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