NASSAU, Bahamas — Justin Thomas was lengthy off the tee and made a couple of lengthy putts on the again 9 to overhaul Scottie Scheffler with a 6-under 66 and construct a one-shot lead Saturday over golf’s finest participant going into the ultimate spherical of the Hero World Problem.
Thomas is making an attempt out a 46-inch driver – just a little greater than an inch longer than regular – that he beforehand used for observe at residence to achieve velocity and size. He blasted a 361-yard drive to eight ft on the par-4 seventh gap and led the sector in driving distance.
But it surely was a couple of lengthy putts that put him forward of Scheffler, who had a 69.
Thomas was on the verge of falling two pictures behind when he made an 18-foot par putt on the par-3 twelfth gap. On the reachable par-4 14th, he was in a nasty spot in a sandy space and will solely splash it out to almost 50 ft.
He made that one for a very unlikely birdie, whereas behind him Scheffler muffed a chip on the thirteenth gap and made his lone bogey of a windy day.
Scheffler by no means caught as much as him, lacking birdie possibilities on the reachable 14th and the par-5 fifteenth. Thomas hit his method to three ft for birdie on the sixteenth after a 343-yard drive. Scheffler made an 18-foot birdie putt on the sixteenth to shut inside one.
Scheffler missed birdie possibilities on the final two holes from the 10-foot and 15-foot vary, whereas Thomas missed an 8-foot birdie try on the final.
“I had a stretch at 13, 14, 15 the place I felt like I misplaced a shot or two there, however exterior of that I did a whole lot of actually good issues at this time,” Scheffler stated.
Thomas hasn’t received because the 2022 PGA Championship at Southern Hills, and a victory at Albany Golf Membership would not depend as an official win. However the two-time main champion has made regular progress towards getting his recreation again so as.
“I am driving it nice. I’ve had a whole lot of confidence with it,” Thomas stated of his longer driver. “I really feel like I have been capable of put myself in some fairly good spots going into the inexperienced. I am nonetheless not profiting from a few of them as a lot as I would really like, however that is golf and we’re all the time going to say that.”
Thomas was at 17-under 199 and will likely be within the closing group Sunday with Scheffler, who’s making an attempt to finish his spectacular season with a ninth title.
Tom Kim put himself within the combine, which he may not have imagined Thursday when he was 3 over via six holes of the vacation event. Kim received again within the recreation with a 65 on Friday, after which adopted with 12 birdies for a 62.
He had a shot on the course document – Rickie Fowler shot 61 within the closing spherical when he received at Albany in 2017 – till Kim discovered a bunker and took two pictures to achieve the inexperienced in making a double bogey on the par-3 seventeenth.
Even so, he was solely two pictures behind. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley (68) was 4 again.
“Really feel like I have been seeing indicators of enchancment, which is what you need and that is all I can do,” Thomas stated. “I am unable to management all people else or what is going on on, I’ve simply received to maintain taking part in pretty much as good as I presumably can and hope that it is sufficient come Sunday.”
