Hole-in-one helps Thomas take lead at Mexico Championship
MEXICO CITY — Justin Thomas made a hole-in-one and surged into the lead with a 5-under 66 on a Saturday of high entertainment at the Mexico Championship.
Thomas hit a 6-iron from 239 yards that one-hopped into the cup on the par-3 13th. He added a pair of birdies that gave him a one-shot lead over Dustin Johnson, with Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy right behind.
Such a world-class leaderboard should have been enough to delight the crowd at Chapultepec Golf Club, but there was more.
Johnson, in his debut at No. 1 in the world, was tied for the lead when his second shot on the 16th got stuck in a tree. He walked back to the original spot and hit the next one to 15 feet, and the ball fell out of the tree as he was walking to the green. He made the putt to salvage a bogey and shot 66. “It happens,” Johnson said.
Mickelson didn’t hit a fairway on the back nine until the 16th hole and at one point took as many drops as he had birdies. Even so, Mickelson made three straight birdies until closing with a bogey for a wild round of 68. He was two shots behind, along with McIlroy, who didn’t make a birdie over his last seven holes and shot 70.
At more than 2,300 metres of elevation, the final round figures to be up in the thin air. It may even include Jordan Spieth, who set the course record with an 8-under 63 and was among a dozen players within five shots of the lead.
It starts with Thomas, 23, who already has three victories in this PGA Tour wraparound season, two at the start of the year in Hawaii. He was hanging around the leaders when he made his hole-in-one on the 13th. “It looked perfect,” he said. “I haven’t hit too many shots exactly how I wanted. I liked this result.”
Lee Westwood, who has played in more World Golf Championships than anyone since they began in 1999, shot 31 on the back nine for a 66 and was three behind, along with Spanish rookie Jon Rahm, who had a 67.
Mickelson’s caddie, Jim Mackay, was back to work after coping with a stomach virus on Friday. He didn’t walk a straight line the way Mickelson was hitting it off the tee.
During one stretch, Mickelson hit one out of eight fairways. He only hit four fairways and eight greens for the round, and he still managed to go into today just two shots off the lead. “I’ve shot numbers like this hitting shots like that and salvaging strokes, but I’ve been playing better than that,” Mickelson said.
“That looks like the way I’ve hit it the last three years — all over the place and saving shot. I haven’t been doing that this year. I wanted to come out here and strike the ball the way I’ve been striking it, and then to hit it the way I did was disappointing.”
McIlroy, playing with Mickelson for the first time on the weekend, never got going. “One of those days,” McIlroy said.
Mackenzie Hughes (73) of Dundas, Ont., is tied for 38th at even par.