Golf
ZOZO Championship: Nico Echavarria Takes a 2-Stroke Lead Over Justin Thomas After the 3rd Round
The Colombian made a spectacular approach shot to set up an eagle on his final hole. He carded a 5-under 65 on the third day of the ZOZO Championship.
INZAI, Chiba Prefecture ― Overnight leader Nico Echavarria eagled the final hole on Saturday, October 26 to take a two-stroke lead over two-time major champion Justin Thomas after the third round of the ZOZO Championship.
A day after Thomas eagled the par-5 final hole it was Echavarria's turn on Saturday and he did it with a spectacular approach shot from the middle of the fairway that landed three feet from the hole.
The Colombian calmly made the short eagle putt to finish with a 5-under-par 65 at the Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club that left him with a three-round total of 17-under 193.
"It was very special," Echavarria said of his eagle. "It was very hard to see out there at the end."
He then said, "It was dark, it was gloomy, so I couldn't see how close it was."
Added Echavarria "I heard the roar, but when I got there it was almost a tap-in, it was very good."
In addition to the eagle, Echavarria had five birdies and two bogeys.
Staying in Contention at the ZOZO Championship
Thomas' tee shot on 18 hit a tree and found the fairway rough but he recovered with a solid second shot that landed in front of the green.
He reached the green and then two-putted to save par and finished with a bogey-free 65 to remain two strokes back.
"I obviously would have loved a couple more [birdies] there coming in, but I played really, really solid," said Thomas.
He added, "I just kind of feel like I did what I needed to do and got it around the course well."
Thomas birdied the first two holes of the third round and then the first two after the turn.
He briefly moved into sole possession of the lead when he sank a four-foot birdie putt on the par-5 14th.
On the 15th his approach found the bunker and he was left with a long putt, which he made in two for par.
A Key Moment for Echavarria at the ZOZO Championship
Echavarria's second shot on 15 landed three feet from the hole and he calmly tapped in for a birdie to move back into a share of the lead.
Max Greyserman shot a 64 and was three strokes off the pace at 14-under 196.
"I got off to an OK start and just waited for the putts to drop and then they started dropping," said Greyserman who is bidding for his first PGA Tour victory. "I've been putting well all week. Feel like I'm a pretty good putter, so [I] just got to stay patient and when the putts fall, they fall, add 'em up at the end."
Fan favorite Rickie Fowler finished with a long birdie putt on 18 to complete a round of 67 that left him just six strokes back at 11-under and tied for fourth with Nate Lashley (63) and Kevin Yu (66).
"A nice bonus making a long putt to finish the day," said Fowler, whose best finish in this tournament was in 2022 when he tied for second.
"I know I have a lot more in the tank and what I can do," added Fowler. "Hopefully just clean a few things up. There's been a lot of good signs."
Thomas Vying for More Success in Asia
Four of Thomas' 15 PGA Tour victories have come in Asia and he is in a good position to add another.
Thomas is bidding for his first PGA Tour win since 2022. Echevarria's lone win on the PGA Tour was last year in Puerto Rico.
"I'm eager to win any tournament, I always want to," Thomas said. "When things are going well, you feel like you should do that quite often and every year, but it's just the reality of how difficult the sport is."
An Update on Matsuyama, Shimizu
After two rounds of 71, Japanese star Hideki Matsuyama had his best round of 4-under 66 but was still 15 strokes back.
Taisei Shimizu was the top Japanese player after he fired a solid 1-under 69 that left him tied for 12th at 8-under 202.
The ZOZO Championship features a 78-man field that will compete in four rounds with no cut.
RELATED:
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- Matsuyama, Schauffele and Morikawa Among Big Names to Contest ZOZO Championship
Author: Jim Armstrong
The author is a longtime journalist who has covered sports in Japan for over 25 years. You can find his articles on SportsLook.