Justin Thomas has had an unbelievable week on the greens at the Genesis Open, ranking first in the field in strokes-gained/putting and making 15 birdies over his first two rounds. He’s been rolling it beautifully, holing three putts outside of 27 feet and numerous others outside the 10 foot range. Yet his most impressive stroke from a putting surface came with a wedge in his hand on Saturday morning at Riviera Country Club. Don’t worry, the green is OK.
Obviously, you probably know this shot came at the par-3 sixth, one of the most recognizable on tour due to the fact there is a bunker cut right in the center of it. It’s one of the most fun holes to watch the world’s best navigate each year, as there is always a possibility that a pro is faced with a shot that requires a wedge off the pristine putting surface because the bunker is between them and the hole.
Thomas found himself in this exact situation late in his second round when he pulled his tee shot at the sixth, landing it left of the bunker with the hole located in the front right portion of the green. Not only did he have to go over the bunker, but he had a downhill lie, needing to clip it perfectly to get it close. He did just that, and didn’t even make a divot:
Just a ridiculous shot from Thomas, who said after that he had “basically the size of a dinner plate” to work with, and that he never would have tried the shot at the greens not been as soft as they are from the rain. Play it down as much as you want, but it was still impressive, and it set up a kick-in par to remain at 11 under, where he would finish up after making three consecutive pars to close out his round. Thomas has posted rounds of 66 and 65, good enough for a tie for first with Adam Scott. It looks like he’ll be a tough man to beat this week, especially if he continues to putt the way he’s putting. Although, that was a two-putt at the sixth. Come on JT, be better.
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