Thomas leads, Tiger roars
Tiger Woods had Riviera rocking with cheers that could be heard a half-mile away, three birdies and an eagle in his opening four holes for his hottest start on the PGA Tour in 10 years.
On the other side of the course yesterday, and still well ahead of him on the leaderboard, Justin Thomas made a 12-foot eagle putt to take a 1-shot lead ahead of Adam Scott.
It was the kind of Saturday drama at the Genesis Open that sets the table for the final round, with one big difference. The third round was just getting started at rain-delayed Riviera.
“There’s so much golf to play,” Scott said. “It feels like it’s late in the tourney, but it’s only halfway.”
Thomas got a lot done in the eight holes he played yesterday — six in the morning to complete the second round, two in the twilight to at least leave Riviera with the lead. He nearly holed a 9-iron on No. 5 for a tap-in birdie, and then clipped a flop shot from the putting green and over the bunker to make par on the par-3 sixth on his way to a 6-under-par 65. Scott played behind him — he got in nine holes — and matched his 65 to join him in the 36-hole lead at 11under 131.
Both made tough par saves on No. 2 in the third round. Both hit their tee shots on the next hole, wanting to get in as many as possible in superb conditions and to keep today a little shorter. But they ran out of light. The third round was to resume at 6:45 a.m., and then the 76 players who make the cut will head right back out in the same groups.
Thomas was at 13-under par through two holes of the third round. The seven holes Woods completed had the gallery in a frenzy.
Hours earlier, he made a 25-foot birdie putt from the fringe on his final hole of the second round for a 71 to assure he would make the cut — he ultimately made it with 1 shot to spare, 10 off the lead — and then he looked like a different player.
Woods hit a delicate pitch to 5 feet for birdie on No. 10, hit 3-wood to 10 feet for eagle on the par-5 11th, holed a 20-foot birdie putt on the 12th and a 15-foot birdie putt on the 13th. Just like that, he was tied for 12th as the leaders were just getting going.
It was the first time since the second round of the Buick Open in 2009 that he started 5-under through four holes. Cody Gribble and Peter Malnati, playing with golf’s biggest star for the first time, could hang with him. If this were Woods against the best score of both of them, he would have been 5 up through seven holes.
Even so, Woods remained 7 shots behind, with Thomas and Scott looking sharp.
Patrick Rodgers, who completed a 67, opened with an eagle and was 2 shots behind Thomas.
Crowded at top
Ken Tanigawa had six backnine birdies in a 5-under 66 for a share of the Champions Tour’s Chubb Classic lead with Glen Day and Stephen Ames. Tanigawa rebounded from bogeys at Nos. 8 and 9 with birdies at 10-12, 14, 15 and 17 at The Classics at Lely Resort in Naples, Fla.
Ames, tied for the firstround lead with Sandy Lyle after a then-course record 63, had a 68 to keep a share of the top spot at 11-under.
Kevin Sutherland broke the day-old course record with a 62, birdieing six of his first eight holes.
Sutherland was a stroke back with Bernhard Langer (64), Colin Montgomerie (63), Woody Austin (65), Tom Byrum (65), Dan Olsen (67) and Kent Jones (67).