Justin Thomas takes control at WGC-Bridgestone Invitational

Justin Thomas has been struggling to find his groove in recent weeks, but an outstanding effort on moving day has him in the driver’s seat at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

Justin Thomas is back in familiar territory. He’s the solo 54-hole leader at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

One of the PGA TOUR‘s brightest young superstars, Thomas has a three-shot cushion in one of the season’s biggest tournaments. That’s the good news.

The tougher side of what awaits him on Sunday? A stacked leaderboard, including his final-round playing partner, Rory McIlroy.

It’s hard to say that Thomas has been in a “slump” at all, but his overall results certainly have been down a bit recently, at least by his own immense standard. He’s got just two top-ten finishes since March – the Memorial Tournament in June, and the Open de France in July – but he’s always seemed to be just on the brink of another hot streak.

Ironically, Thomas looked to be on the brink of disaster early on Saturday.

After making an early birdie on the par-5 2nd hole, Thomas gave back two shots in his next three holes. That matched the total number of bogeys he had made in the first two rounds combined, so he needed to get back on track quickly. And that’s exactly what he did.

More from Pro Golf Now

Thomas, who played Saturday alongside Ian Poulter, pulled away from the field with five birdies over his next nine holes. The best was a chip-in from just off the green on the par-3 12th, a smooth bump-and-run that Thomas responded to with the kind of “I knew that would drop” nod that had carried him to this point of the week.

There have been only a handful of holes in Thomas’s game this week at Firestone, and thus far, he’s overcome each one of them with style. While his putter was on fire for the first two rounds, his iron play was surgical on Saturday.

Of Thomas’s five birdie putts made (not counting the above-mentioned chip-in), four were under six feet. The longest was just a little over 10 feet. That’ll make any round a whole lot easier.

If Thomas can hold on for the win on Sunday, it would be something of a landmark in his skyrocketing career. At 25, he would have nine PGA TOUR wins, a major championship, a FedEx Cup playoff victory (and season title), and a World Golf Championship. There’s no arguing with that resume, even for the most cynical of critics.

Next. Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson reportedly set Thanksgiving match. dark

Sunday’s finale, featuring Thomas, McIlroy, Poulter, and perhaps even Jason Day, is sure to be filled with fireworks. Chasers will look to put pressure on Thomas before he even tees off. But if the first three rounds are any indication, he’s more than ready to handle whatever’s thrown his way.

Home/PGA