In the Fortinet Championship, Justin Thomas committed to switching drivers, made a few little adjustments to his swing, and saw benefits right away with a 5-under 67 that put him four strokes back.
The former top-ranked player needed it badly after the FedExCup season ended without a win. Thomas, one of the four members of the U.S. Ryder Cup squad at Silverado Resort, feels much more confident about his game now than he did a short while ago.
S . H Kim shot a 67 this afternoon to tie Sahith Theegala (64) for the lead at 12 under par with six birdies and one bogey. Kim missed a 24-foot putt on his final hole, which would have allowed him to take the lead.
Sangmoon Bae, who is 11 under par, and Eric Cole, a rookie, are close behind.
Max Homa, a member of the Ryder Cup team and a two-time reigning champion, tied Thomas at 8 under with a 66.
In the penultimate practice round before the Ryder Cup in two weeks, U.S. captain Zach Johnson (74) and co-captain Stewart Cink (72) were tied at 1-under 143 and failed to make the cut.
Thomas was considerably crisper off the tee and grew longer as a result of utilizing a new driver with a shaft that was about an inch longer. Thomas was also more accurate of the tee as a result.
After practicing with the new driver for around three weeks, Thomas stated he was happy with the results and might never switch back. On Friday, he drove 340 yards on average and hit 8 out of 14 fairways.
“I’ll continue to operate it like I did today for the remainder of my professional life,” Thomas said.
For Thomas, the little modification to his swing was more important than the change in equipment.
“Even golfers are quick to point the finger at everyone and anything, but I was to fault. In one video, I could see that I was getting entangled beneath it. So I had a good idea that I felt may carry me through today just from a tiny 10-minute range workout yesterday afternoon, and it worked really well.” Thomas said.
Theegala, who has never been victorious on the PGA TOUR, was pleased with his own performance today, which included a chip-in for an eagle from a greenside bunker on No. 5.
That further contributed to his already present relaxation. He has taken this laid-back mentality to Napa this year after worrying about the competition in years past when the Fortinet was the season-opening competition.
This is no longer the case as the Napa tournament is the first of seven that make up the FedExCup Fall.
There is still a lot to play for even though this is only the first competition of the year. The top 125 finishers keep their TOUR cards, while players who didn’t place in the top 50 can still earn points. Players who are placed between Nos. 51 and 60 receive exemptions for the first two signature events of 2024.
Theegala, who is currently 31st in points, is already committed to playing next season, so he could concentrate mainly on his round on Friday.
“In contrast to the previous couple of years, this Monday through Wednesday I was incredibly comfortable and it simply felt like another tournament,” Theegala said.
Theegala started the back nine off strong, making birdies on three of the first six holes. Theegala recovered from a bogey on the par-4 16th hole to reach 10 under par with an eagle on the next hole before finishing the round with birdies on two of his final four holes.
“I feel okay about the rest of my game, but I simply need to get my tee shots in play and master the driver. Not today, I didn’t do it. I was quite lucky and had a few very favorable breaks.” Theegala said.
