Justin Thomas storms into tie for lead with superb 63 at Dell Technologies Championship
Monday 4 September 2017 22:44, UK
Justin Thomas added another superb round to his memorable 2017 collection as he charged into a share of the lead on day three of the Dell Technologies Championship.
Thomas prospered in the wet and chilly conditions at TPC Boston to fire a flawless eight-under 63 which earned him the clubhouse lead on 12 under, although he was later joined at the top of the leaderboard by Marc Leishman after the Aussie posted a classy 65 and also kept a bogey off his card.
Paul Casey is just a shot behind after three birdies over the last six holes in a composed 67, while Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson both carded impressive 66s to remain firmly in contention as overnight leader Jon Rahm slipped to nine under after an erratic back nine.
Thomas, who fired a 59 in Hawaii in January and a record-breaking 63 at the US Open in June, hit the ground running as he converted close-range approaches at the first and fourth before picking up further shots at six and nine to cruise to the turn in 32.
Another precise wedge to four feet set up another gain at the 10th, and the PGA champion added a bonus birdie two holes later when he rolled in a monster 50-foot putt which got him to double-digits under par.
Thomas was not finished there as he holed another good putt from 25 feet at the 14th and another from similar range at 17, and the young American did well to get up and down to save par at the last to complete the low round of the tournament.
Leishman peppered the pin on several occasions and made three birdies on the outward half, and he drained superb putts from 30 feet and 50 feet at 13 and 14 respectively before picking up his third shot in a row at the next, although he also failed to take advantage of the par-five 18th and remained on 12 under.
Casey, hunting his first win since the KLM Open in 2014, offset a pair of birdies with a bogey on the front nine before adding his contribution to the long putt highlight reel when he holed from 30 feet at the 13th.
The English veteran added another at 15 and got another lengthy putt to drop for a three at the penultimate hole, but he missed a good chance to make it a three-way tie at the top on the last green as he settled for outright third.
Spieth, who was three over par early in his first round, continued to keep the pressure on FedExCup leader Johnson and, after his fourth birdie of the round at the 14th, he almost holed his approach to 17 and ensured a birdie-birdie finish with a sublime pitch to tap-in range at the last.
But Johnson revived his bid for back-to-back victories as he atoned for his wayward second-round 72 with a 66 which he capped with four birdies over the last five holes, including a brilliant chip-in at 15 followed by a 45-foot putt for a two at the 16th.
Rahm led by two overnight and made a great start with a birdie at the first, but the exciting young powerhouse then caught a wedge heavy at the long second and dumped his ball into the hazard - a mistake which cost him a bogey six.
The Spaniard got back on track with birdies at the fourth and seventh, but he lost his way after the turn as he followed a blemish at 12 with three-putt bogeys at both the 14th and 17th before lifting his spirits with a closing birdie which salvaged a level-par 71.
Rahm and Johnson are both three off the lead heading into the final round, while Phil Mickelson's steady progress continued with a three-birdie 69 getting him to eight under, while Justin Rose (69) birdied two of the last three holes to join Rickie Fowler (66) on seven under par.
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