Thomas poised after record round
American becomes first player to score nine-under in a US Open round Thompson’s 64 gives her one-shot lead in classic
Justin Thomas landed a 3-wood on the 18th green where some players couldn’t land a wedge, leaving him a 3m eagle putt he calmly made for a 9-under 63 that matched one US Open record and broke another.
It also put him squarely in the mix to capture his first major at Erin Hills, Wisconsin.
On a course that again lacked enough wind to be the stern test the US Open wants, Brian Harman weaved his way through traffic at the top of the leaderboard yesterday for a 5-under 67 and a one-shot lead over Thomas, Brooks Koepka and Tommy Fleetwood.
Thomas became the fifth player to shoot 63 in the US Open, and the first with a score of 9 under. This is the first time in 25 years that the US Open has played as a par 72.
By the end of the day, that wasn’t even the most shocking number. Harman was at 12-under 204 and still only had a one-shot lead, with Rickie Fowler two shots behind.
“Yeah, 12 under, I’d have about a 10-shot lead in most Opens,” he said. Just not this one. There were 18 rounds in the 60s, starting with one for the record book.
If his hot pink pants were not enough, Thomas finished in style. He had 280m to the hole when he hit 3-wood that could have led to big trouble if he went too far long or left.
“Oh gosh, Jimmy, be good,” he said to caddie Jimmy Johnson when the ball was in the air, and it was close to perfect. The ball landed on the front of the green just soft enough that it rolled out 3m by the hole.
Thomas poured that in to become the 29th player with a 63 in a major championship.
“The finish was awesome. I’d love to have another one of those,” Thomas said.
But not long after he signed for his record score and an 11-under 205, he began to appreciate the significance of a 63 on this day.
“That means I’m a part of history,” he said. “It means I have a lot better chance to win the tournament than I did when the day started. I felt like I’ve been playing pretty well all week, and didn’t have quite the numbers to show for it. [Yesterday], I definitely had something to show for it.” And he still has a long way to go. In the previous 116 US Opens, only six players had ever reached 10-under par or lower, never in the same tournament. There were five Lexi Thompson shot a 64 yesterday on the Blythefield layout in Grand Rapids, Missouri reduced to a par of 69 because of flooding, giving her a one-stroke lead in the Meijer LPGA Classic.
The fifth hole was played as a 111-yard par 3 instead of a par 5 because of the flooding from overnight rain.
Coming off a playoff loss to Ariya Jutanugarn last week in Canada, Thompson had six birdies — four on the back nine — and a bogey to reach 15-under 196.
New Zealand’s Lydia Ko also shot a 64 to sit at 11-under and in a position to challenge today. Ko dropped to players in double digits yesterday at Erin Hills.
Koepka also reached the green in two on the 610m closing hole for a two-putt birdie and a 68. Fleetwood was poised to take the lead until his pitch to the 18th wasn’t strong enough and his next shot went beyond the flag and down the slope some 65m away. He got that up-and-down for a bogey and a 68.
Fowler, sharing a house with Thomas this week, was being left behind until he ran off three straight birdies and shot 68. He was 10 under.
“It’s going to be a really cool day world No 2 last week after an 85-week run at the top.
“It was just a matter of staying patient,” Thompson said. “I knew I was hitting it well on the front nine, I just wasn’t making the birdies. But I hit it well all day, so it was all a matter of hitting the shots closer and I guess just taking advantage of like No. 11, reaching that one in two, and making a few putts for birdie.”
Her only bogey was on the par-4 seventh.
Brooke Henderson, the leader after each of the first two rounds, had a 67 to drop into a tie for second with Lee-Anne Pace (61), Sung Hyun Park (62) and Jenny Shin (63). for someone [today],” Fowler said. “I’m looking forward to my shot at it. I’ve been there a handful of times and had some good finishes. But I’m looking forward to getting the job done.”
Not to be overlooked was Si Woo Kim, who captured The Players Championship last month. He shot 68 and was only three back.
Even with the course drying out, there simply was not enough wind to frighten anyone on their game.
Thomas, the 24-year-old from Kentucky who is a major away from joining the young elite in golf, only added to a year of low numbers. He
Thompson won the Kingsmill Championship last month in Virginia for her eighth LPGA Tour title after losing the ANA Inspiration in a playoff after being penalised four strokes for a rules violation reported by a television viewer.
Henderson birdied Nos. 12 and 13 and closed with five pars.
“I made that long one from off the green on 12 that wasn’t really expected and that kind of gave me some energy,” the 19-year-old Canadian said.
Pace had two eagles and five birdies.
“My irons were really good,” the South African player said. “Obviously, made an eagle on his final hole at the Sony Open in January to shoot 59, and he went on to break the PGA Tour’s 72-hole scoring record.
The US Open didn’t seem to faze him, and he delivered a variety of big shots that led to his sensational finish.
He rolled in a 16m birdie putt on No 5 from the edge of the green that broke so severely that he stood with his toes facing the hole and rapped the ball toward his left foot. It took a hard turn to the right and rolled in. In the hay left of the 12th fairway, he gouged it out with a 9-iron and watched it roll to 9m. all the par 3s, that helps. I was looking at birdie almost every hole, which is quite nice. I was never really in trouble except on 10, I missed the drive left, but that was really the only thing. There were a couple of long putts I made, unexpected putts actually. ”
Shin made a long putt on No. 14 for her fifth straight birdie. But on 17, she pushed her approach shot and wound up on the bottom of the green, and took her only bogey of the round.
Hyo Joo Kim (65) was 12 under, and Ko, Michelle Wie (64), Moriya Jutanugarn (67) and Carlota Ciganda (68) followed at 11 under. Ko dropped to No. 2 in the world Monday after an 85-week run at the top. — AP
And with the tees moved up on the 15th hole to make it reachable, Thomas hit a 3-wood that rolled off the back slope of the green to 2m. He two-putted for birdie, and he rolled in a 22m birdie putt on the 17th.
“It doesn’t matter how long, how whatever the course is,” Thomas said about the longest course in major championship history. “When you give us soft greens, good greens and not much wind, you know there are going to be some good scores. I was just happy that I was the one that was able to take advantage of it.”
But the work is not done yet.