JT's Royal Troon rollercoaster continues with 67 in Round 3
Justin Thomas' historic rollercoaster ride at Royal Troon continued Saturday.
After opening with an impressive 3-under 68 on Thursday and ballooning to a 7-over 78 on Friday, Thomas rebounded Saturday with a sizzling 4-under 67.
As a result, Thomas became just the second player in the last 10 years to record a 10-shot swing between Rounds 1-2 and 2-3.
Justin Thomas: 68-78-67
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) July 20, 2024
He's the second player in the last decade at The Open to have a 10-shot swing in both rounds 1-2 and 2-3.
Paul Casey shot 67-77-67 in 2017.
When asked what changed from round to round, Thomas had a simple response.
"Golf. Golf is how I would sum it up," he told reporters with a smile. "It's a crazy sport, and a lot of things can happen in a lot of conditions. But that's what I signed up for, I guess."
Thomas also explained the difference between playing poorly and turning in a good score.
"You're in a lot better place mentally," he admitted. "You have a lot more confidence of where the ball is going to go, of things that's going to happen. It's a very, very fine line in terms of the score and the actual shots that you hit. I would say it's just more in you head, and your thought process on everything is definitely different."
Thomas finished his day inside the top 15 as conditions worsened at Royal Troon, which could help him hold his spot and give him a chance to make a charge Sunday.
The Kentucky native last recorded a major victory at the 2022 PGA Championship, where he came back from seven shots off the lead entering the final day to win in a playoff.