Can Justin Thomas pull off the title at Bridgestone Invitational?
Justin Thomas is sitting with a singular three-point lead at Bridgestone, but close friend Rory McIlroy is nipping at his heels.
Justin Thomas is looking confident and steely going into the final day of play at the PGA Bridgestone Invitational. He looks far different than the player who didn’t even make the cut at The Open last month, finishing in the second round with a disappointing 77, putting him four over par. The discouraging end at Carnoustie moved the 25-year-old one spot down in the world golf rankings, down to No. 3.
But the Kentucky native has certainly bounced back at the Akron, Ohio tournament this week. His brilliant chip into hole 12 (the shot of the day) from the rough is an indication on how the American is closing in on the title.
What’s the difference?
His team had some tough talk at start of the event.
“We had a big talk on Tuesday just to make sure everybody on the team was doing what they needed to do for us to play our best,” said Thomas, who shot three under on “moving day” Saturday, six under the day before, and five under on the first day to get to an impressive lead of fourteen under.
“That’s myself included. I asked them if I need to practice anything better…if they didn’t see maybe hard enough effort from me, if my attitude wasn’t as good as it could be.
“But also I said the same to my dad. I’m like, hey, dad, I need you to do some of these things, and Jimmy, I need you to step in a little bit more.”
Family support helps. Thomas hails from a professional golf family and his dad and granddad — a hilarious fixture on the tour — are great influences for the top golfer. His grandfather Paul Thomas played the 1960 PGA Championship, missing the cut, the first major Thomas won, which he did last year.
“He cracks me up. He just showed up on the range today. I have no idea how he got in. I don’t know how he got a seat. He’s just sitting there on the range,” Thomas said, laughing.
“He had ice cream and a Dr. Pepper for breakfast before I played yesterday and the Kisner and Chappell kids were all mad because they couldn’t have ice cream for breakfast.
“He’s just awesome. I love spending time with my grandma and grandpa. They crack me up just listening to them talk. So it’s cool having them here and it would be really, really special to win with them here.”
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Thomas’ good friend Rory McIlroy also shot a precise 67 on Saturday, and is in contention to challenge his friend for the title if he moves up on the last day. They know each other well, frequently practicing together at the The Bear’s Club in Jupiter.
“We know each other pretty well from down in Florida and we practiced together quite a bit last week, so obviously that practice for both of us paid off coming into this week,” said McIlroy, who is ranked seventh in the world golf rankings. McIroy is the more recent PGA tour winner, having won the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March. Justin Thomas’ last title was the Honda Classic in February.
If the final day results in a playoff between the two competitors, it would be a fascinating notch in their rivalry. But so far, Justin Thomas isn’t conceding an edge.