Justin Thomas Captures 1st-Ever Major Victory at 2017 PGA Championship

Justin Thomas earned his first major title by winning the 2017 PGA Championship on Sunday at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Thomas finished the tournament at eight under, two shots ahead of Francesco Molinari, Patrick Reed and Louis Oosthuizen.

2017 PGA Championship Leaderboard

1. Justin Thomas (-8)

T2. Francesco Molinari (-6)

T2. Patrick Reed (-6)

T2. Louis Oosthuizen (-6)

T5. Hideki Matsuyama (-5)

T5. Rickie Fowler (-5)

T7. Graham DeLaet (-4)

T7. Kevin Kisner (-4)

T9. Jordan Smith (-1)

T9. Matt Kuchar (-1)

T9. Jason Day (-1)

T9. Chris Stroud (-1)

With the victory, Thomas earned $1.89 million of the tournament's $10.5 million purse, according to the PGA's official site. 

As Thomas was in the home stretch, the biggest question was whether he'd slip up and open a door for any golfers below him to climb into first place.

Instead, he closed well, going bogey-free over the back nine until the final hole and picking up three birdies along the way. His last birdie gave him a two-shot edge that turned into a three-shot lead as he approached the final tee.

The Golf Channel provided a replay of his tee shot on No. 17 that set up the birdie:

That cushion meant Thomas' bogey on No. 18 had no bearing on the outcome. Kevin Kisner could've forced a playoff with a double-eagle on the final hole, but his double-bogey sealed Thomas' win.

The most iconic image from Thomas' win arguably came on the 10th hole, when he needed every stroke to keep pace with Hideki Matsuyama. His birdie putt sat on the edge of the cup for what seemed like an eternity before slowly creeping in. Thomas gave a Michael Jordan-esque shrug after picking up the birdie.

The PGA shared a replay of the putt:

Sunday is just the second time Thomas has finished in the top 10 of a major tournament. He tied for ninth at this year's U.S. Open.

The 24-year-old didn't exactly head to Quail Hollow riding a wave of momentum, either. Following the U.S. Open in June, he missed the cut at his next three events, including the Open Championship. In his last tournament, he tied for 28th at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

Thomas' three wins earlier this season illustrated his potential, though, and Sunday's major triumph offered another taste of what's likely to come.

Earlier this year, Thomas discussed his disappointment with failing to make the United States team for the 2016 Ryder Cup.

"That really, really hurt not making that team," he said in January, per GolfChannel.com's Jay Coffin. "I had a great opportunity. I should have if I would have played like I know I could have or how I felt like I should have."

That shouldn't be a problem again when U.S. captain Jim Furyk begins putting together his squad for the 2018 Ryder Cup in France.