Justin Thomas takes the lead in the third day of the Mexico Championship
A hole in one on the 13th hole, a par three of 186 yards, achieved by Justin Thomas with a 6-iron, changed the leaderboard on the third day of the Mexico Championship, part of the PGA World Golf Championships.
After a first half with a birdie and a bogey, in the second part of the round, he holed the hole in one, and two more birdies, with only one bogey. The 24-year-old American surpassed names like Dustin Johnson, the number one in the world, Rory McIlroy, and Phil Mickelson. Exiting the course, he signed a scorecard of 66 strokes, -5 under par, for a total of 201 strokes, -12.
After calculating several shots on the 13th hole, Thomas hit straight and directly onto the green, but what he did not anticipate was that the ball would bounce once and go directly into the hole, driving the witnesses crazy.
"I put my trust in that shot and realized why the stands went crazy," revealed the golfer from Kentucky, who would be the first to achieve four victories in eight participations in a season that started in October.
Now as the absolute leader of the tournament, Thomas assured that he does not feel pressure because all eyes are on him and he shares the treesome with elite figures:
"I have experience playing in groups with big names, but this will be a great experience. I just have to go out and stick to my plan. Look to position myself for birdie. I am very proud of today's round because I started hitting very poorly in the middle, I managed it and was able to get back into my game," added the golfer who tops the leaderboard with a one-stroke difference over his nearest competitor.
Justin Thomas assured that he has no qualms, despite the criticisms, about changing any element of his game if necessary, "even if they look at me as if I were crazy," concluded the one who will be in the last group in the closing of the Mexico Championship.
The other side of the coin
While Thomas needed all the composure to contain the excitement, Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson showed disappointment in their round after falling to third place on the leaderboard with a total of 203 strokes, -10 under par.
"Honestly, it was a disappointing round because I didn't play the way I would have liked. I didn't show the great work I had in the last year and a half. I thought I had left those strange shots behind. But there are also positive elements, I'm not far away and I'll be able to work on it to come back. The situation could be much worse," said Phil Mickelson, who during his round missed the fairway six times and even had to take a new ball once because he couldn't find it in the bushes. He managed to salvage the round with a 68 stroke, -3.
Another one who joined this feeling of dissatisfaction was the Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy, who had a round full of ups and downs, alternating three birdies (1, 6, and 9) with three bogeys (2, 3, and 8) in the first nine and finishing the back nine with a birdie on the 11th hole, and then closing with pars.
"The round was boring. I feel like Mickelson's situation affected me. I have to admit that I was a little nervous. I've been in positions like this before, but coming from an injury and being uneasy in the first few holes. It took me a while to figure it out... Phil was lucky out there, if I had played like that, I would have been close to the 70s, that's what's great about Phil, he doesn't get distracted... I would be a mess. The sad thing is that even so, he played much better than me," concluded McIlroy, who hopes to recover as the possibility of becoming the number one player in the world is at stake if he achieves victory and Dustin Johnson finishes below fourth place.