Thomas shoots course record to lead BMW

Justin Thomas has shot a course record 61 at Medinah Country Club to move clear at the top of the BMW Championship leaderboard.

By Evin Priest, Australian Associated Press
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Justin Thomas has made a mockery of Medinah Country Club during a stunning course record 61 that set up a six-shot lead going into the final round of the BMW Championship.

On a rain-soaked Medinah third round, Thomas opened with five-straight birdies before bagging two eagles on the back nine.

"Sometimes you get going out there, you get the goose bumps," Thomas said.

One of the eagles came when the 26-year-old holed an approach shot from 180 yards from the 16th fairway.

Thomas mixed another three birdies with a lone bogey to shatter the course record, just one day after Hideki Matsuyama set it with a 63.

"It doesn't matter what golf course it is. You give us soft good greens and soft fairways, we're going to tear it apart. It's just how it is," Thomas said.

It was his second-best round on the PGA Tour after the 59 he shot in the first round of his 2017 Sony Open victory.

Thomas finished 54 holes at Chicago's 7,600-yard Medinah at 21-under-par, with Tony Finau and Patrick Cantlay (both 68) sharing second at 15 under.

Thomas is in search of his 10th PGA Tour victory and first in 12 months.

It also would give him the FedEx Cup lead going into the Tour Championship next week at Atlanta's East Lake.

Australia's Adam Scott shot 69 to finish at nine under and 12 behind Thomas.

Tiger Woods (67) sits seven under and he needs at least a tie for sixth to move inside the top 30 on the FedEx Cup standings to advance to the Tour Championship.

Woods won last year's Tour Championship for his first victory in five years.

"It has been in the back of my mind to get there," Woods said

Australians Marc Leishman (67) and Jason Day (69) are at six under.

Day needs at least a tie for fourth to avoid missing the Tour Championship for the first time since 2012.

The start of Sunday's final round has been moved up and golfers will play in threesomes off two tees due to forecasted rain and possible afternoon thunderstorms.


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