It has been a long time since Justin Thomas put himself in this position.
Through 54 holes at the ZOZO Championship, he trails Nico Echavarria by two after a 5-under 65 on Saturday. Thomas began the day facing the same deficit, as Echavarria also shot a 65, thanks to his eagle on the par-5 18th. But Thomas turned in another self-described “solid” round, a clean round that featured five birdies and 13 pars.
“Although I’m behind, it’s still patience. Anything can happen out here,” Thomas said.
“You have a lot of birdie holes that you can make a bogey in a heartbeat if you get out of position or get in the wrong spot around the greens. I know that with greens this soft, any hole is birdiable. I think just because I happen to be even through five, six, seven holes, that doesn’t mean I’m out of it; I have to keep my head down and really treat each hole for what it is and try to make as many birdies as I can.”
Thomas began the day with two straight birdies, which quickly tied the lead. He then briefly sat atop the leaderboard, thanks to an Echavarria bogey on the 4th hole, a moment the Colombian described as a “wake-up call.” But Echavarria bounced back with a vengeance, making four birdies over the final five holes on the front to grab a three-shot lead at the turn. Thomas then made back-to-back birdies on the 10th and 11th, while Echavarria bogied the 12th. Both players suddenly sat at 14-under as they made their way to the 13th tee.
Thomas then made a birdie on the par-5 14th, and Echavarria added one of his own on the following hole. They were 15-under on the 18th, where Echavarria stuck his approach to two feet from 242 yards out, which proved to be the difference in the end.
“It was a 5-wood,” Echavarria said of his second shot on 18.
“I had a perfect number for a middle of the green 5-wood. I was trying to cut it a little, maybe pushed it a hair, but it was perfect.”
The 30-year-old Echavarria has one PGA Tour win, the 2023 Puerto Rico Open. He has a solid chance to grab the biggest victory of his career to date, but it will come easy with Thomas breathing down his neck. Especially given that Thomas has not won since the 2022 PGA Championship, the former Alabama star is eager to return to the winner’s circle. It would also be a terrific way to close out his 2024 season before he enters fatherhood at the end of November. Yet, Thomas knows how difficult winning is.
“It’s hard to win at any stage; it doesn’t matter who you are. If you’re fortunate enough to have a couple of hot streaks in your career, whatever it may be, it can not only seem or look easier to yourself but everybody else as well,” Thomas said.
“At the end of the day, it has been a while, but I’ve still won a lot of golf tournaments. I know how to win. It’s just a matter of executing and doing it, and that’s really been the biggest difference. There’s a reason there’s only one every week. You have to do a lot of things really well and you have to beat a lot of really good players. I have a lot of faith in myself and my game, but I can’t control what the other guys do. I’ve just got to play the best I can and believe it will be good enough.”
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
