U.S. Open 2017: Justin Thomas shoots historic 63 at Erin Hills
Justin Thomas put on a show during the third round of the U.S. Open at Erin Hills.
Justin Thomas lit up Erin Hills on Saturday afternoon in the third round of the 117th U.S. Open.
“Be as good as you look.”
Those were Justin Thomas’ words to his ball while in the air on the 288-yard, par-4 15th hole and the shot certainly was pretty darn good. The shot carried 284 yards from the tee and then trickled back to about four feet from the flag during Justin Thomas’ historic third round. Even more impressive was that the obliterated 3-wood was actually only the second-best shot Thomas hit en route to his record breaking 9-under par 63. The 3-wood he hit from the fairway on 18 to set up an eagle was even better. And that’s not even mentioning the 90-degree putt he drained on the fifth.
Thank you to the golf gods for Justin Thomas. His third-round 63 broke Johnny Miller’s 44-year-old record for lowest round in relation to par in U.S. Open history. The 24-year-old native of Louisville, KY and Alabama Crimson Tide alum made nine birdies, two bogeys, and an eagle on Saturday at Erin Hills.
Thomas has become one of the great young stars on the PGA TOUR. He has already won three times this season and shot 59 during one of those wins at the Sony Open. 59 at the Sony is impressive enough but a 63 at the U.S. Open is a whole different animal and it’s put Thomas in a great position to capture his first major championship. He’ll start the final round just one shot back of leader Brian Harman.
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Thomas is a golf prodigy, taught by his father Mike who is a PGA Professional. He has five career wins, including a WGC event and is currently ranked 13th in the world.
The USGA has to be loving Justin Thomas right now.
In all honesty, Erin Hills has actually proven to be a great venue. It’s been set up very fair and Thomas isn’t the only player to prove good shots can be rewarded. The greens are perfect and the fairways are wide at Erin Hills. However, if you hit it crooked, you’re penalized severely, which is exactly what some of the biggest names in golf did on Thursday and Friday as six of the top 10 in the world missed the cut.
The leaderboard is flooded with solid players, almost all of whom are looking for their first major championship victory. The 2017 U.S. Open is proving to be the great tournament the USGA sorely needed.
Justin Thomas shot life into a tournament that deserves it because this year’s event is one of the best in recent memory. Thomas’s 63 will put him in the final pairing with Harman. Sunday’s final round is shaping up to be as good as it looks. It will have a lot to live up to to look as good as Justin Thomas’ 63.
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