Ben Coley's 50/1 pick Justin Thomas wins US PGA Championship at Quail Hollow
US PGA Championship: Final leaderboard
(Scroll down for final collated scores in full)
-8 Justin Thomas (68)
-6 Francesco Molinari (67), Patrick Reed (67), Louis Oosthuizen (70)
-5 Rickie Fowler (67), Hideki Matsuyama (72)
Round four report
Ben Coley's 50/1 tip Justin Thomas held his nerve to win his first major title in the US PGA Championship at Quail Hollow.
A final-round 68 was enough for an eight-under-par total and a two-shot victory over Francesco Molinari, Patrick Reed and Louis Oosthuizen who will all rue missed chances down the stretch.
Ahead of the tournament, Coley wrote: "Thomas started the year in electric fashion and he could go very well here at around the 50/1 mark.
While there has understandably been a heck of a lot of fuss about Jon Rahm, and more recently the focus has shifted back to McIlroy, Spieth and Matsuyama, the way Thomas kicked off the campaign should not be forgotten.
He effectively won three PGA Tour events in a row (the other two starts in a run of five were a WGC in China and an event on the Japan Golf Tour), with the likes of Matsuyama, Rose and Spieth in vain pursuit to confirm that the fields he faced were extremely classy, and there was a round of 59 thrown in for good measure at the Sony Open.
The next step up the ladder for Thomas came at the US Open, where he started the final round as favourite, and while falling out of contention quickly he did battle on resolutely for a top-10 finish behind Koepka. That's great experience in the bag and there has to be a chance he can put it to use in the PGA Championship."
Rickie Fowler and Hideki Matsuyama shared fifth place on five under with Kevin Kisner, who needed to eagle the 18th to force a play-off but ran up a double bogey, dropping back into a tie for seventh with Graham DeLaet.
England's Jordan Smith, playing in his first major championship, carded a closing 68 to finish a tie for ninth with Open runner-up Matt Kuchar and former world number one Jason Day.
Spieth and Fowler were waiting beside the 18th green to embrace Thomas before he signed his card to claim the first prize of 1.89million US dollars (£1.4million) for his fourth win of a remarkable season.
The 24-year-old, who became the youngest player to shoot 59 on the PGA Tour on his way to winning back-to-back events in Hawaii in January, began the final round two shots off the lead held by compatriot Kisner.
And his chances of following Open champion Spieth as a major champion took an immediate blow when he thinned a bunker shot on the first across the green and into another bunker.
After bouncing back immediately with a birdie on the next, Thomas dropped another shot on the third before getting back on track with birdies on the seventh and ninth.
Another birdie did not look on the cards as Thomas hooked his drive on the par-five 10th, but the ball bounced off the trees and back into the fairway, from where he was almost able to find the green.
After chipping to eight feet Thomas saw his birdie putt hang on the edge of the hole for nearly 10 seconds before it eventually dropped in and took him into a five-way tie for the lead.
That tie lasted just a few minutes as Matsuyama, Kisner, Chris Stroud and Molinari all dropped shots, with Thomas then chipping in for birdie on the 13th to move two shots clear.
Thomas saw his two-shot lead cut in half as first Reed, then Matsuyama and Kisner, all picked up shots on the 14th and 15th to reach seven under par.
But Reed could only bogey the 18th after finding sand off the tee and Thomas holed from 15 feet on the 17th to increase his lead, before Matsuyama and Kisner both bogeyed the 16th.
That meant Thomas could afford to bogey the last and leave Kisner to try to play the last two holes in two under par, only for the 33-year-old to pull his approach to the last into the creek which runs the length of the hole and double bogey.
"As a kid growing up, being a golf fan, you want to win all the majors. You want to win any major," Thomas said. "For me, the PGA definitely had a special place in my heart.
"This was really cool for this to be my first one and have my dad here, and I know grandpa was watching at home. I was able to talk to him and that was pretty cool. It's just a great win for the family, and it's a moment we'll never forget, all of us."
Collated final scores
(USA unless stated, par 71):
276 Justin Thomas 73 66 69 68
278 Francesco Molinari (Ita) 73 64 74 67, Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa) 70 67 71 70, Patrick Reed 69 73 69 67
279 Hideki Matsuyama (Jpn) 70 64 73 72, Rickie Fowler 69 70 73 67
280 Kevin Kisner 67 67 72 74, Graham DeLaet (Can) 70 73 68 69
283 Jason Day (Aus) 70 66 77 70, Chris Stroud 68 68 71 76, Matt Kuchar 71 74 70 68, Jordan Smith (Eng) 70 75 70 68
284 Scott Brown 73 68 70 73, Brian Harman 69 75 71 69, Dustin Johnson 70 74 73 67, Brooks Koepka 68 73 74 69, Marc Leishman (Aus) 75 71 71 67, James Hahn 73 70 71 70, Paul Casey (Eng) 69 70 74 71, Ryan Moore 71 71 73 69, Henrik Stenson (Swe) 74 70 70 70
285 Grayson Murray 68 73 69 75, Rory McIlroy (Nirl) 72 72 73 68, Gary Woodland 68 74 69 74, Ian Poulter (Eng) 74 71 71 69, Chez Reavie 72 70 70 73, Robert Streb 74 70 70 71
286 J.B. Holmes 74 73 67 72, Pat Perez 70 76 69 71, Byeong-Hun An (Kor) 71 69 74 72, Richard Sterne (Rsa) 73 72 70 71, Jordan Spieth 72 73 71 70
287 Bud Cauley 69 74 74 70, Chris Wood (Eng) 72 72 70 73, Jason Kokrak 75 70 72 70, Lucas Glover 75 70 72 70, Patrick Cantlay 72 71 72 72, Kevin Chappell 72 75 69 71, Jamie Lovemark 74 71 72 70, Webb Simpson 76 70 72 69, Keegan Bradley 74 70 73 70, Sean O'Hair 71 75 70 71, Bryson DeChambeau 73 71 72 71
288 Tony Finau 69 74 71 74, Sung Kang (Kor) 70 71 71 76, Thorbjorn Olesen (Den) 67 78 71 72, Jim Herman 69 75 72 72
289 Satoshi Kodaira (Jpn) 71 76 67 75, Charley Hoffman 75 71 73 70, Zach Johnson 71 73 71 74, Charl Schwartzel (Rsa) 74 70 72 73, Shane Lowry (Ire) 74 69 74 72, Billy Horschel 76 70 69 74
290 D.A. Points 68 73 74 75, Steve Stricker 75 70 72 73, Bill Haas 75 69 73 73, Ryan Fox (Nz) 75 66 71 78
291 Jason Dufner 74 72 72 73, Jon Rahm (Spa) 70 75 71 75, Kelly Kraft 73 73 71 74
292 Adam Scott (Aus) 71 76 74 71, Tommy Fleetwood (Eng) 70 75 73 74
293 David Lingmerth (Swe) 72 73 71 77, Cody Gribble 72 75 74 72, Dylan Frittelli (Rsa) 73 71 77 72
294 Vijay Singh (Fij) 75 70 79 70
295 Alex Noren (Swe) 74 69 75 77, K.T. Kim (Kor) 73 72 75 75, Lee Westwood (Eng) 73 72 75 75, Hideto Tanihara (Jpn) 71 75 74 75
296 Russell Henley 75 71 77 73, Daniel Summerhays 76 67 77 76
297 Omar Uresti 74 70 80 73, Charles Howell III 78 69 78 72
299 Anirban Lahiri (Ind) 72 73 76 78
Round three report
Hideki Matsuyama is 13/8 favourite with Sky Bet to win his maiden major title at the US PGA Championship despite trailing leader Kevin Kisner by one shot heading into the final round.
The Japanese star, who fired a flawless course-record 64 on Friday to earn a share of the halfway lead in North Carolina, carded a 73 during a testing day but he could have be further adrift had Kisner not double-bogeyed the 16th and dropped a further shot at the 18th.
Kisner is also chasing a first major and can be backed at 100/30 to get it at Quail Hollow on Sunday, while our Ben Coley's pre-tournament 50/1 tip Justin Thomas, is two shots behind on five under par, is next in the betting at 5/1.
Louis Oosthuizen is also on five under and is priced up at 13/2 while the only other realistic challenger in the eyes of the bookies is 10/1 shot Chris Stroud, who heads into the final day just one shot behind Kisner.
A largely uneventful round came to a dramatic end when Jason Day threw away his chance of a second US PGA title with a quadruple-bogey on the 18th.
Day was four shots off the lead playing the final hole when he attempted a highly risky recovery shot around a tree just two yards in front of him.
The former world number one succeeded only in sending his ball into some bushes, from where he had to take a penalty drop and pitch over more shrubbery into the rough to the right of the fairway.
From there Day came up short of the green and three-putted to card a quadruple-bogey eight, dropping him back to level par and seven behind playing partner Kevin Kisner, who had double-bogeyed the 16th and bogeyed the last.
Commentating for CBS, six-time major winner Nick Faldo said: "That's one of the craziest decisions I have ever seen a professional make, that second shot.
"I can't believe Col Swatton (his caddie) did not give him a wedge and start walking, say that's the only choice mate.
"That is his PGA right out of the window with one crazy decision."
Kisner looked to be in command of the tournament after taking a two-shot lead with birdies on the 14th and 15th, only to pull his second shot to the 16th into the water.
The South Carolina native then saw his approach to the 18th bounce off a bridge spanning the creek which runs the length of the hole, but he was able to salvage a bogey from a difficult lie in the thick rough.
"I'm happy I'm in the position I'm in," Kisner said after a round of 72. "I had a chance to run away from guys and take people out of the tournament that were four or five, six back, and I didn't do it.
"Now I'm in a dogfight tomorrow and I have to be prepared for that.
"I've seen my game trending, even though I haven't played great the last month and a half. But I've been working hard and seeing a lot of good things and I know the golf course.
"I think that's really beneficial for me here, unlike other majors that we play once every five years or something."
Oosthuizen's bid for a second major title looked in jeopardy after he injured himself pulling off a miraculous escape shot from the base of a tree on the second.
The impact jarred his forearm and bent his eight iron out of shape - it was later repaired and returned to him on the 11th - but the 2010 Open champion still produced a slinging hook to find the green and save par.
"I looked up just before I hit it and I told my caddie, 'I'll show you a little trick shot here,'" the South African explained.
"I saw something in front of the ball but I didn't think it was a root - I thought it was something loose. I banged the eight iron against it pretty bad and immediately my forearm got a shock.
"Then in the next five minutes it started to cramp up and it got really tight. Luckily on six we had a bit of a wait and my physio could release it a bit.
"I felt it a little bit on the 14th tee again on a different spot but I was never hurt so it was fine. I was just scared it was going to tighten up really badly but it should be fine."
Seventeen players are within seven shots of the lead heading into the final round, but Rory McIlroy already had one eye on next season after a third year without a major title was effectively confirmed.
McIlroy came into the week as the pre-tournament favourite on the back of top-five finishes in his last two starts and a brilliant record at Quail Hollow, including two wins and a course record of 61 in 2015.
However, changes to several holes and a switch to bermuda rough and greens have not suited the world number four, whose last major title came in the 2014 US PGA at Valhalla.
A third round of 73 left McIlroy four over par and a shot behind Open champion Jordan Spieth, as well as 11 behind Kisner.
Round two report
Hideki Matsuyama is 6/4 favourite with Sky Bet to secure the US PGA Championship after firing a flawless 64 to storm into a share of the lead at the half-way mark in North Carolina.
The Japanese star produced a stunning birdie blitz to move into a share of the lead with American Kevin Kisner, a 6/1 shot, as the second round was completed at Quail Hollow on Saturday.
A delay of one hour and 43 minutes due to the threat of lightning meant 25 players were unable to finish their rounds as scheduled on Friday.
American Chris Stroud (33/1) was among them and picked up a birdie on the par-five seventh, his 16th hole, when play resumed to finish six under par alongside 2015 champion Jason Day (4/1), two behind Matsuyama and Kisner.
Day had been one of the players to benefit from a scramble to finish in near-darkness on Friday evening, with playing partner and world number one Dustin Johnson running to the 18th to tee off and ensure his whole group could finish.
''That's the biggest or most clutch thing I've ever seen anyone do for me,'' Day said. ''I had to give him a hug for it. He was happy as well obviously, to be able to finish and not have to wake up at 5.30.''
Open champion Jordan Spieth had also been caught up in the delay, but then failed to take advantage of a rain-softened course and conceded his bid to become the youngest winner of the career grand slam was effectively over.
No player has ever won the US PGA after trailing by more than nine strokes after 36 holes. Spieth's 73 left him three over and 11 behind, with pre-tournament favourite Rory McIlroy 10 adrift following a second successive 72 and now out to 50/1 to win a third title.
''I kind of accept the fact that I'm essentially out of this tournament pending some form of crazy stuff the next couple of days,'' Spieth said, who is now out to 150/1 in the latest in-play betting. ''I'm sure going to give it a try.
''It was more gettable after the rain delay, no doubt about it. I played even par after the delay and that's not very good in my opinion on those holes that we had left.''
For the second successive major the cut fell at five over par, with 75 players qualifying for the final two rounds.
Austria's Bernd Wiesberger would have made the cut four over par with a birdie on his final hole, but bogeyed it instead to miss out by a shot and end his streak of 26 consecutive events earning world ranking points.
The following players missed the cut:
148 Kevin Na 79 69, Haotong Li (Chn) 73 75, Peter Uihlein 74 74, Scott Hend (Aus) 72 76, Ross Fisher (Eng) 75 73, Justin Rose (Eng) 76 72, Jeunghun Wang (Kor) 73 75, Bernd Wiesberger (Aut) 73 75
149 Luke List 75 74, Hudson Swafford 77 72, Graeme McDowell (NIrl) 73 76, Joost Luiten (Ned) 76 73, Bubba Watson 77 72, Daniel Berger 73 76, Tyrrell Hatton (Eng) 77 72, Martin Laird (Sco) 77 72, Luke Donald (Eng) 76 73, Rafael Cabrera-Bello (Spa) 74 75, Alexander Levy (Fra) 75 74
150 Nicolas Colsaerts (Bel) 75 75, William McGirt 77 73, Shaun Micheel 73 77, Brendan Steele 74 76, Ernie Els (Rsa) 80 70, Sergio Garcia (Spa) 75 75, Jimmy Walker 81 69, Mackenzie Hughes (Can) 78 72, Jhonattan Vegas (Ven) 78 72, Russell Knox (Sco) 77 73, Matthew Fitzpatrick (Eng) 76 74
151 Soren Kjeldsen (Den) 73 78, Yuta Ikeda (Jpn) 72 79, Branden Grace (Rsa) 77 74, Padraig Harrington (Irl) 79 72, Pablo Larrazabal (Spa) 77 74, Jonas Blixt (Swe) 74 77
152 Emiliano Grillo (Arg) 78 74, Andy Sullivan (Eng) 78 74, Kyle Stanley 76 76, Wesley Bryan 74 78, Jim Furyk 76 76, Danny Willett (Eng) 73 79
153 John Daly 74 79, Phil Mickelson 79 74, Rich Berberian Jr. 79 74, Greg Gregory 77 76, Davis Love III 78 75, Fabrizio Zanotti (Par) 80 73, Thongchai Jaidee (Tha) 80 73
154 Jaysen Hansen 84 70, Matt Dobyns 76 78, Rich Beem 82 72, Danny Lee (Nzl) 76 78
155 Xander Schauffele 74 81, Kenny Pigman 76 79, Adam Hadwin (Can) 79 76, Y.E. Yang (Kor) 76 79
156 JJ Wood 78 78, Rodney Pampling (Aus) 77 79, Chris Kirk 80 76, Thomas Bjorn (Den) 79 77, Patrick Rodgers 79 77, Dave McNabb 78 78, Thomas Pieters (Bel) 79 77
157 Cameron Smith (Aus) 75 82, Jamie Broce 79 78, Young-Han Song (Kor) 80 77, Scott Hebert 83 74
159 Chris Moody (Eng) 81 78, Alex Beach 79 80, Adam Rainaud 81 78, Mike Small 80 79, Brandon Stone (Rsa) 79 80
161 Ryan Vermeer 82 79
163 Rod Perry 82 81
165 Paul Claxton 82 83, Stuart Deane 84 81
167 David Muttitt 84 83
Round one report
Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy carded contrasting opening rounds of 72 as Spieth aims to become the youngest player to complete a career grand slam in the 99th US PGA Championship.
Spieth's dramatic Open victory at Royal Birkdale means another at Quail Hollow would see him join Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods in having won all four majors.
But the 24-year-old had to birdie two of his last three holes to finish one over, five shots off the lead shared by Denmark's Thorbjorn Olesen and American Kevin Kisner.
In contrast, pre-tournament favourite McIlroy - who has won two PGA Tour events at Quail Hollow - was two under par for 12 holes before dropping three shots in the next two holes.
McIlroy bogeyed the 13th after a clumsy chip and then made a complete mess of the short par-four 14th, pulling his three-wood tee shot into the water and then fluffing his pitch following a penalty drop on his way to a double bogey.
The 28-year-old also failed to birdie the par-five 15th and said: "I wish I could have those three holes back, but apart from that I played nicely and I'm still in it."
US Open champion Brooks Koepka was a shot off the lead along with fellow Americans Grayson Murray, Gary Woodland, Chris Stroud and DA Points, with England's Paul Casey another shot back on two under.
After starting from the 10th and covering the back nine in level par, Spieth bogeyed the first and three-putted both the fifth and sixth from just off the green.
But he repaired most of the damage with birdies on the next two holes, courtesy of what he described as a "phenomenal" hybrid into the par-five seventh and a "fantastic" wedge to the eighth.
"Historically I'm pretty solid with the lead so that was kind of the goal," Spieth said. "It's much easier when you are on the front page of the leaderboard than it is coming from behind.
"Given it's the first round I know I'm still in it, but I know that tomorrow's round becomes that much more important to work my way and stay in it. I've got to make up ground.
"If I'm five back at the start of the day, I've got to be less than five back after Friday to really feel like I can play the way this golf course needs to be played and still be able to win.
"I drove the ball well today. If you told me I was going to hit my driver the way that I did today, I would have definitely thought I shot a few under par. I can't putt any worse than I did today."
Spieth had insisted on Wednesday that he had no "burning desire" to surpass Woods as the youngest grand slam winner and was "freerolling" this week, but added: "I don't think I was as freerolling as I thought I would be, as you can tell by some frustration.
"If I would have shot one over and didn't strike it well and everything was average, it would have been fine. But when I had the chances that I had and I just couldn't get the ball to go in on the greens, that is when I get the most frustrated I can get out there."
Olesen had only played 13 majors before this week, but was ninth in the Open in 2012 and finished sixth on his Masters debut the following year.
The 27-year-old was also 10th in last week's WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and carried on where he left off on Sunday with a round containing six birdies and two bogeys.
"Last week I was struggling a bit the first two days with my driving but then I sorted that out over the weekend and started making a lot of birdies," Olesen said.
"I've had a couple of top 10s in majors and I feel like I've learned a lot over the years. I feel like I'm better prepared to be in contention over the weekend and have a chance to win."
Playing alongside McIlroy, Rickie Fowler recovered from a triple-bogey seven on the fifth to shoot two under par, with world number one Dustin Johnson a shot behind.
In contrast, defending champion Jimmy Walker slumped to an 81 and Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els struggled to rounds of 79 and 80 respectively in their 100th major appearance. Mickelson failed to card a single birdie as he registered his highest score in the US PGA.