Thomas, English tie for lead in Kapalua
Big group within two shots of leaders
KAPALUA, Hawaii — Defending champion Justin Thomas began the new year with an 8-under 65, a share of the lead with Harris English and no bogeys on his card, all of which made him happy Thursday in the Sentry Tournament of Champions.
He owes the clean card to Dustin Johnson’s caddie.
Austin Johnson, the brother of the Masters champion, stepped on Thomas’ ball during what appeared to be a hopeless search in the knee-high native grass right of the 13th fairway at Kapalua. That allowed Thomas to hack out sideways, get onto the green and hole a par putt from just inside 40 feet.
“I think I owe a big ‘thank you’ to AJ for stepping on my ball and finding that one for me,” Thomas said. “Those par saves can definitely be a little bit more momentum boost than a birdie sometimes. I’m a big fan of bogey-free rounds, so that putt was nice to keep it that way.”
It was an ideal start in so many ways, and that includes the setting. A burst of rain early gave way to a gorgeous afternoon on the western edge of Maui with moderate wind.
Half of the 42-man field shot in the 60s on the Plantation Course.
The tournament features more than just PGA Tour winners for the first time. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic that shut down golf for three months, the field includes anyone who made it to the Tour Championship.
That’s how English returned to Kapalua, and he was the one of the best turnaround stories in 2020. Starting last season with conditional status and at No. 369 in the world when he lost his full PGA Tour card, he did well enough to finish 12th in the Fedex Cup and starts this year at No. 29.
His only victory was joining Matt Kuchar in the two-man team QBE Shootout last month, which didn’t count. No matter. He’s still riding a nice wave even by Maui standards.
English holed a pitch for eagle on the par-5 ninth and finished with three birdies on his last five holes with 6-foot putts.
“Chipping in on No. 9 for eagle was kind of icing on the cake on the front nine and gave me some good mo going into the back nine,” English said. “I felt like I hit my irons well, I hit my wedges well, and just gave myself a lot of chances.”