BOGEY-FREE THOMAS SECURES LEAD

Justin Thomas never looked to be in a hurry.

Not when he stepped to the first tee Friday trailing by 13 shots. Not when he was simply trying to keep up with Collin Morikawa on Saturday in the Workday Charity Open.

And after turning a threeshot deficit into a two-shot lead with another clean card, he certainly didn’t see any need to sprint to the finish at Muirfield Village as he goes after his third victory this season.

“Just going to keep trying to hit the fairways and hit the greens and make as many birdies as I can,” he said.

That’s been the philosophy all week, and along the way, he has managed to keep bogeys off his card.

There were a few dicey moments, such as a pair of

two-putt pars from over 50 feet, and a shot that stuck in the grass high on the lip of a bunker on the par-3 12th.

Otherwise, it’s been a clinic.

Thomas had three straight birdies to stay in range of Morikawa. And when Morikawa fell back with three bogeys over a four-hole stretch around the turn, Thomas made efficient birdies on the par 5s and a smart birdie on the reachable 14th for a 6-under 66 to keep two ahead of Viktor Hovland (66) at 16 under for the tournament.

After a delicate chip to tap-in range on the par-5 fifth, Thomas walked halfway up the hill behind the green and plopped down in the grass, leaning back on his hands, much like a spectator at a tournament that has none.

Sam Burns (70) and Kevin Streelman (71) were tied for fourth, five shots back.

Xander Schauffele matched Thomas’ 6-under 66, but the former Aztec remained eight shots back overall.

San Diego native Phil Mickelson shot a 2-over 74 to break even for the tournament and was tied for 59th headed into today’s final round.

Elsewhere

Nicolai von Dellingshausen and Marc Warren shared the lead after a raindrenched third round of the Austrian Open as Miguel Angel Jimenez’s hopes of a record-breaking victory deteriorated on Saturday.

With rounds of 2-under 70, Von Dellingshausen and Warren moved to 11 under par overall — a shot clear of three players: Sebastian Garcia Rodriguez (69), Connor Syme (69) and Darius van Driel (70).

The 56-year-old Jimenez led by two strokes after two rounds, putting himself in position to break his own record as the oldest winner of a European Tour event.

However, the Spaniard made two doubles and five bogeys in a 77 to drop to a tie for 12th place, five shots off the lead.