Pieters, Johnson share the lead at Bridgestone
AKRON, Ohio — Thomas Pieters finds golf to be a lot more enjoyable when he’s playing from the fairway.
Sometimes, that includes another fairway.
The big hitter from Belgium ripped a fairway metal from the third fairway at Firestone over the trees and onto the green at the par-5 second hole, leading to one of his three straight birdies to start the third round at the Bridgestone Invitational. Pieters needed another long shot — this one a 30foot birdie putt that rammed into the back of the cup — to cap off a wild day with a 4-under 66 and a share of the lead with Zach Johnson.
Johnson, who watched Rory McIlroy blast drives 300 yards or more all day, showed that an efficient wedge game works, too. Just like Pieters, he had eight birdies in a round of 65 and holed a 10-foot birdie putt on the last hole.
Johnson now figures to get another front-row seat to the power game.
Pieters and Johnson were at 9-under 201 going into the final round, and it’s particularly meaningful for both of them.
Johnson hasn’t won since he captured his second major at St. Andrews, and he’s just now starting to find
some form with his short game. Pieters is a three-time winner on the European Tour who showed his awesome potential at the Ryder Cup last year, and now has his best chance to win in America since he captured the NCAA title at Riviera while playing for Illinois.
Pieters headed for the driving range after the round to figure out his driver. He was 5 under through eight holes and led by three shots when his accuracy took a turn in every direction — mostly to the left. He didn’t hit a fairway after the 10th hole, dropped three shots and fell out of the lead only as long as it took him to make his eighth and final birdie.
“First eight holes I was in the fairway, hit good shots, made putts,” Pieters said. “And the last 11 is a struggle. I just was out of position every hole. Tomorrow I’ve just got to figure out a way to hit fairways. That’s it.”
Johnson only missed two fairways. More importantly, he is giving himself chances and converted.
“Honing in the wedges with that distance control has been the key, and I think especially the scoring irons,” Johnson said. “And then on a course like this, you’ve got to hit the ball in the fairway. This is the best I’ve driven it probably all year. It’s probably the best driver I’ve had in my bag all year, if not ever.”
He said that after playing with McIlroy, who now has hit 39 out of his 42 drives at Firestone at least 300 yards. McIlroy, however, had to settle for a 68 and left him three shots behind in pursuit of his first victory since the Tour Championship last year.