NASSAU, Bahamas — On Saturday, Justin Thomas showcased impressive skills on the golf course, achieving a 6-under 66 to overtake Scottie Scheffler and secure a one-shot lead heading into the final round of the Hero World Challenge. Thomas’s performance highlighted his long drives and successful long putts, especially on the back nine.
To enhance his game, Thomas has been experimenting with a 46-inch driver, extending beyond his usual length by just over an inch. This change appears to have paid off, as he launched a powerful 361-yard drive to just 8 feet on the par-4 seventh hole, marking him as the top contender in driving distance. However, it was several pivotal long putts that propelled him ahead of Scheffler, who finished the day with a 69.
At one point during the round, Thomas was close to trailing by two strokes. He managed to sink an impressive 18-foot par putt at the par-3 12th hole, which kept him in the competition. On the par-4 14th hole, faced with an unfavorable lie in the sand, he splashed his ball out to nearly 50 feet, only to sink that putt as an unexpected birdie. Meanwhile, Scheffler stumbled with a missed chip on the 13th, resulting in his only bogey of the challenging day marked by windy conditions.
As the round progressed, Scheffler struggled to regain ground as he missed crucial birdie opportunities on both the reachable 14th and the par-5 15th holes. Thomas capitalized on his game, sticking his approach shot to 3 feet for a birdie on the 16th hole after an impressive 343-yard drive. In response, Scheffler landed an 18-foot birdie putt on the same hole, narrowing the gap to one shot.
The final stretch saw Scheffler miss birdie attempts from 10 and 15 feet on the last two holes, while Thomas also failed to capitalize on an 8-foot birdie attempt at the closing hole. Reflecting on his performance, Scheffler acknowledged, “I had a stretch at 13, 14, 15 where I felt like I lost a shot or two, but outside of that, I did a lot of really good things today.”
Despite not having won since the 2022 PGA Championship at Southern Hills, Thomas aims for a victory at Albany Golf Club, even though it wouldn’t count as an official win. He expressed optimism about his game, particularly with the new driver. “I’m driving it great. I’ve had a lot of confidence with it,” he stated, adding, “I still need to take better advantage of some situations, but that’s just part of the game.”
Going into the final group on Sunday, Thomas sits at 17-under 199, while Scheffler looks to cap off an impressive season with a ninth title. Tom Kim also made headlines by bouncing back from a rough start in the tournament. After initially being 3 over through six holes on Thursday, Kim recovered by carding a 65 on Friday, culminating in an impressive 62 that featured 12 birdies, despite a double bogey on the tricky par-3 17th hole.
Although his ambitious quest for a course record was stunted when he found himself in a bunker, Kim remains just two shots back, with Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley sitting four strokes behind him after a 68. “I feel like I’ve been seeing signs of improvement, which is what you want,” Thomas remarked. “I can’t control everybody else, I just have to keep playing as well as I can and hope it’s enough come Sunday.”
