Thomas ties 54-hole Sony Open record

HONOLULU — Justin Thomas made a 15-foot birdie putt on the final hole Saturday for a 5-under 65 to tie the 54-hole score record on the PGA Tour and build a seven-shot lead going into the final round of the Sony Open.

No one has ever lost a PGA Tour event with a seven-shot lead, and Thomas has given no indication that will change.

Thomas got into the record book with an eagle on his final hole in each of the previous two rounds at Waialae — a 59 on Thursday for the eighth sub-60 round in tour history, and the 36-hole scoring record Friday.

He had another chance on the par-5 18th until his second shot clipped a palm frond and came up well short. He pitched to just inside 15 feet below the cup, and poured in the putt.

Zach Johnson shot a 65 to keep pace, though he remained seven shots behind.

CELEBRITY: In Orlando, Fla., former NBA star Ray Allen took the celebrity lead in the Diamond Resorts Invitational, and PGA Tour Champions player Woody Austin remained on top in the professional competition.

Allen shot a 4-under 67 on the Four Seasons Resort’s Tranquilo course, scoring 30 points under the modified Stableford scoring system to push his two-day total 50. Allen had eight birdies and four. Lexi Thompson was tied for ninth with 55 points to top the four LPGA Tour players in the professional field.

SA OPEN: In Johannesburg, England’s Graeme Storm shot a 5-under 67 to take a threestroke leader over secondranked Rory McIlroy into the final round of the SA Open. Storm had five birdies and extended his bogey-free run to 41 holes.