Thomas Tied 5th "Did You See 9 Under Par?"... Lee Kyung-hoon Tied 28th

Mayakoba Golf Classic Day 3 'Moving Day Spurt', Leader Grillo 4 Strokes Ahead, Hogi in 2nd Place

Justin Thomas is reading the putting line on the 12th hole during the third day of the Mayakoba Golf Classic. Playa (Mexico) = Getty Images / Multibits

[Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-jun] "9-under par storm shots."

This is the 'Moving Day spurt' by world No. 3 Justin Thomas (USA). On the 6th (Korean time) at Playa El Camaleon Golf Club in Mexico (par 71, 7,039 yards), the third day of the PGA Tour Mayakoba Golf Classic (total prize money $7.2 million) ended with a 9-under par surge, propelling him to a tie for 5th place (12-under par 201 strokes). Emiliano Grillo (Argentina) leads (16-under par 197 strokes), with Tom Hoge (USA) chasing in 2nd place, one stroke behind (15-under par 198 strokes).

Thomas won three times in the 2019/2020 season and became the money leader. Following victories at The CJ Cup in October last year (counted in the 2020 season) and the Sentry Tournament in January, he secured his third win at the FedEx St. Jude Invitational in August. Since then, he has not won, which has been frustrating. He showed a lack of stamina in majors, finishing tied 8th at the US Open in September and 4th at the Masters in November. This is why he is participating in the 'Fall Series,' where most world stars take a break.

It is unfortunate for Thomas that he fell to a tie for 70th place with 1-over par on the first day. He improved to a tie for 34th with 4-under par the previous day, and on this day, he continued 'perfect play' by making 9 birdies. His 'needle-like iron shots' fired, with a maximum drive of 309 yards and missing the green only twice. Above all, he is relying on his 'stingy putting' with an average of 1.44 putts per hole. Being 4 strokes behind Grillo, he has enough room to push for the win on the final day.

Defending champion Brendan Todd (USA) reduced 4 strokes to remain tied for 11th place (10-under par 203 strokes). 'Houston Open champion' Carlos Ortiz (Mexico) joined this group. From Korea, Lee Kyung-hoon (29, CJ Logistics) is tied for 28th place (7-under par 206 strokes), while 'Tank' Choi Kyung-ju (50, SK Telecom) and Kang Sung-hoon (33) are tied for 51st place (4-under par 209 strokes). For Choi Kyung-ju, it was significant as it was the first time he advanced to the third round in five tournaments since the new season started.