Justin Thomas leads McIlroy, Poulter at World Golf Championship-Bridgestone Invitational

AKRON, Ohio – It was almost a year ago that Justin Thomas won his first major. After shooting a 67 in the third round of the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone South, he takes a three-shot lead into Sunday in a tournament that’s starting to take on a major championship hue. “I just think this golf course in general kind of has a major championship feel,â€� said Thomas, who hit 9 of 14 fairways, 13 of 18 greens and a tidy 28 putts. “This place could host a major in a heartbeat if it all worked out.â€� With sun baking fairways and greens, the field averaged 70.197 on Firestone on Saturday, the first time players have averaged over par this week. And the big names right behind Thomas only added to the major-worthy vibe: Rory McIlroy (67) and Ian Poulter (70) are three back. Jason Day (69) is just four behind. “The course is drying up a lot,â€� said Poulter, 42, who admitted he was surprised by the transformation. Thomas, 25, and McIlroy, 29, who have 22 PGA TOUR victories between them, have each won the FedExCup and held the No. 1 world ranking. Day is also a former world No. 1. Day and Thomas will be going for their third win this season; McIlroy is aiming for his second. “I finished second way too many times this year—and third, whatever,â€� said McIlroy, who won the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard in March. “… I’ll need a good round, I’m still a few behind, but yeah, I’m getting a little sick of the second places.â€� Day has unfinished business here. He had the lead with three holes to play but bogeyed 15 and double-bogeyed 16 to open the door for winner Dustin Johnson in ’16. The Australian’s 69 on Saturday was in spite of some erratic play off the tee, as he hit just four fairways. “I’ll just tidy that up for tomorrow,â€� Day said. “I think I know what I need to do. I’m going to go to the range and kind of work on it a little bit.â€� How far back is too far? At last year’s WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, Hideki Matsuyama went into the final round two shots behind Zach Johnson and Thomas Pieters but shot 61 to win by five. In light of that, it might be wise to keep an eye on Marc Leishman (67) and Kyle Stanley (70), each 9 under and five back, and even Rickie Fowler (65, low round of the day) or Jon Rahm (68), six off the lead. “I don’t think I’m too far back,â€� Leishman said.   Thomas is five for seven at converting a 54-hole lead or co-lead into a victory. After capturing the FedExCup in 2017, he is still adjusting to new expectations and up-and-down results. No one has gone back-to-back since the inception of the FedExCup in 2007, and he got off to a strong start in his title defense. He won THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES in his second start of the season, and The Honda Classic in February. He is second only to Dustin Johnson in the FedExCup. This summer, though, has been up and down. Thomas missed the cut at The Open Championship (69-77), finished T25 at the U.S. Open, and was T56 at the Travelers Championship.    “It feels like I haven’t won in forever,â€� he said earlier this week. After winning the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow a year ago, he is used to playing well this time of year, and used to tough courses. Firestone, which yielded a first-round 62 to Poulter, showed its teeth Saturday, when drier, harder greens prompted a mid-round confab between Thomas and his caddie, Jimmy Johnson, as they walked toward the fifth tee. “It was like, ‘Hey, we can’t just kind of, ‘See pin, hit pin’ anymore,â€� Thomas said. “‘We need to focus where we’re landing it, we need to be a lot more cognizant of that.’â€� With more hot, sunny weather in the forecast, there may be more of the same Sunday. As for playing with McIlroy, Thomas said he was looking forward to it. The two practiced together some back home in Jupiter, Fla., last week, but this will be different. “I’m sure we’ll chat here and there between shots,â€� Thomas said, “but he’s out there doing his thing and I’m out here doing mine.â€� Thomas is second in the FedExCup, McIlroy 24th, Poulter 34th. With so much of the focus on the young superstars, Poulter, who will join Day in the penultimate twosome, could sneak in and take his second TOUR title this year. Two of his three TOUR wins came at WGCs, at the 2010 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play and the 2012 WGC-HSBC Champions. “Three out of four would be amazing,â€� Poulter said. “I’m going to need some inspiration from Thursday, going clean (bogey-free), not making any mistakes and just having fun. I’m in a great position; I’m enjoying my golf.â€� With a leaderboard topped by Thomas, McIlroy, Poulter and Day; Fowler and Rahm lurking not far behind; and Firestone keeping them on their toes, we’re certainly enjoying watching it.

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