The last time Justin Thomas won on the PGA Tour was at the PGA Championship on May 22, 2022, after he shot a 5-under 65 at ACCORDIA GOLF Narashino Country Club on Saturday. It has been 890 days since he has gone winless on the Tour. But looks like the soon-to-father has finally started pacing up, hungry for his fifth win in Asia. Three rounds have already concluded at the 2024 ZOZO Championship, and JT has maintained his lead on the top-3 in all three of them.
He will be entering the final round with a solo second position. He began the penultimate round with two consecutive birdies, which were followed by all even pars in the front nine. He carded three birdies in the back nine and scored a 5-under 65, accumulating his total score to a 15-under. He is two strokes behind Nico Echavarria, who is enjoying the solo lead. But their scores in the third round were the same.
“At the end of the day, it has been a while, but I’ve still won a pretty good amount of golf tournaments. I know how to win,” Thomas said. “It’s just a matter of executing and doing it and that’s been the biggest difference.” Well he would have been tied with Max Greyserman had it not been for his credit shot.
Justin Thomas’s water skip keeps him in contention
At the par-4 fourth hole, Thomas’s drive veered right into the tree line, leaving him 205 yards from the pin, over a pond. With deep rough and a tree blocking his path, he opted for a stinger iron shot. The camera captured him urging the ball to “Skip … skip,” and remarkably, it splashed into the water before bouncing onto the fairway, just short of the green, prompting the announcers to exclaim, “Oh!”
The reaction in the booth was one of disbelief, with one commentator saying, “Give him the trophy now.” We never want to see such incredible shots go to waste, and Thomas delivered. From 42 yards, he executed a skillful chip to just 2 feet, saving par after the water hazard. He finished the round without a bogey and has only recorded one for the entire week.
