A resurgent Justin Thomas is in competition on the American Express
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Justin Thomas had a horrible, horrible, no good, very unhealthy 2023.
But he has a likelihood to get his new 12 months off to a storybook begin.
On a calm, drizzly Saturday in La Quinta, in his first-ever aggressive spherical on the Stadium Course at PGA West, Thomas posted a blistering 11-under 61 to place himself in the hunt on the 2024 American Express.
He will begin Sunday’s ultimate spherical in third place place, 4 strokes off the tempo set by University of Alabama sophomore Nick Dunlap, who shot a 60-a file low for an newbie in a Tour event-at La Quinta Country Club, one of many two different programs in the Amex rota.
“Obviously, not playing in competition in a while, you never now how it’s going to be,” Thomas stated. “But I felt comfortable at La Quinta from the start, and started making birdies.”
The first of these third-round birdies got here early, on the 2nd gap, and a barrage of them adopted, together with six in a row on the again 9, highlighted by a close to ace on the par-3 thirteenth, the place Thomas’ 7-iron lipped out and settled inches from the cup.
“That is so cruel,” Thomas stated, watching the video replay of the virtually hole-in-one.
Thomas’ glowing play this week stands in marked distinction along with his efficiency all through a lot of the 2022-2023 season, a lackluster marketing campaign in which he didn’t notch a win and fell wanting the FedEx Cup Playoffs for the primary time.
In assessing his 12 months, nobody was extra essential of Thomas than Thomas, as when he mocked himself on social media in December for falling quick on eight of the 9 targets he’d set for the season. No main championship wins. No cluster of top-10 finishes. Even the objective he did obtain — taking part in in the Ryder Cup — got here by advantage of a captain’s choose and was additional tempered by the truth that Team USA misplaced.
New 12 months, although, new Thomas. After exhibiting indicators of life in late 2023, with fifth and Third-place finishes on the Fortinet Championship and the Hero World Challenge, respectively, Thomas is again to taking part in at his personal lofty customary. Asked on Saturday what accounted for his resurgence, Thomas credited a mixture of psychological and bodily elements. His way of thinking is higher, he stated, however so is his type.
“I think with one can sometimes come the other,” he stated.
Thomas’ presence close to the highest of the leaderboard this weekend appears solely becoming, as he was making headlines in La Quinta earlier than the match even started. Coincidentally, these tales additionally concerned Burns, who, as fee for a shedding faculty soccer guess he made with Thomas, confirmed up in the desert with the letters RTR etched into his hair. Those letters stand for Roll Tide Roll, a rallying cry for the University of Alabama, the place Thomas performed collegiate golf.
Burns, who performed at ‘Bama rival LSU, shall be in the ultimate group with Dunlap on Sunday, with one other Alabaman trailing shut behind.
“I just got to go out tomorrow and make a lot of birdie and capitalize,” Thomas stated. “And hopefully just get within striking distance going into the back nine.”
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