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A duel between Justin Thomas and Viktor Hovland took place Saturday at the Workday Charity Open, and the two players will now take part in the final Sunday group after they each shot six under 66 on moving day.
Thomas is in the lead at 16 under overall, but Hovland is only two shots back.
Collin Morikawa, who led the tournament after Friday thanks to a 13-under score, stayed at that mark and now resides in third. Sam Burns and Kevin Streelman round out the top five at 11 under.
Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, has been the host to some tremendous golf this week, with Thomas and Hovland notably dominating the Jack Nicklaus-founded course.
Hovland’s short game was on-point, most notably when he nearly holed out from 42 feet, six inches on the par-five fifth:
PGA TOUR@PGATOURViktor Hovland has birdied three of his first five holes.
He’s now two back.
#QuickHits https://t.co/FWWxPsJNrE
Oddly enough, Thomas found himself in a similar situation on the same hole and pulled off a tap-in birdie after this 52-foot, five-inch chip from the rough.
PGA TOUR@PGATOURScrambling: 11/11
@JustinThomas34 has been flawless around the greens at Muirfield Village this week.
#QuickHits https://t.co/TruwEU2cuk
Back to Hovland, the ex-Oklahoma State star showcased his incredible strength and versatility as well when he found the green on the par-four 14th:
PGA TOUR@PGATOURViktor Hovland just drove the green at the 14th.
He is now one back.
#QuickHits https://t.co/I8kWLAGZ7Q
Remarkably, Hovland finds itself in second despite gaining just .933 strokes putting this week, per PGATour.com. If he gets hot with the flat stick Sunday, then he could easily run away from the field.
At the very least, his short game is setting him up for success on the greens, with these two shots on No. 15 and No. 17 as examples:
PGA TOUR@PGATOURWell this is getting fun.
Viktor Hovland is within a shot of the lead.
#QuickHits https://t.co/Udgn9iFmCM
PGA TOUR@PGATOURViktor Hovland has made eight birdies today and is two off the lead.
#QuickHits https://t.co/tk3XTfEoEi
Thomas should be tough to take down, though. His scrambling has been phenomenal all week, to the point where he is now 12-of-12, per the PGA Tour.
The 2017 PGA Championship winner dug this one out of the sand on No. 7:
PGA TOUR@PGATOURJust two back.
@JustinThomas34 is putting on a clinic around the greens at the Workday Charity Open.
#QuickHits https://t.co/xgmakRG1Sg
His effort from the rough on No. 11 wasn’t on-point, but it didn’t matter as the flat stick saved him from 18 feet out:
PGA TOUR@PGATOURFor the outright LEAD.
@JustinThomas34 is in complete command of his game right now.
He leads by one.
#QuickHits https://t.co/4gM5APhc52
For good measure, he put on a short-game clinic on the next hole as well:
PGA TOUR@PGATOUR11/11 in scrambling.
41/41 from inside 8 feet this week.
@JustinThomas34’s short game is dialed in.
#QuickHits https://t.co/ueTIPxLjbM
Thomas fired darts everywhere he found himself, even when his ball found a fairway divot:
PGA TOUR@PGATOURBall finding a divot in the fairway … relatable.
Hitting the approach to 3’4″ … not relatable.
#QuickHits https://t.co/4EDD0L9n7M
Other times, he used his power to smash the ball onto the green, with this 253-yard effort on the par-five 15th leading to a birdie:
PGA TOUR@PGATOURFrom 253 yards.
@JustinThomas34 went on to make birdie.
The lead is now THREE.
#QuickHits https://t.co/GC1KNY5KYV
Outside Hovland and Thomas, the highlight of the day came from Phil Mickelson.
The 50-year-old didn’t enjoy a good round of golf with a two-over to drop to even-par, but he dropped this 364-yard bomb on the 13th to set up an easy pitch that nearly fell for an eagle:
PGA TOUR@PGATOURAn easy 3.
@PhilMickelson with his second birdie of the day.
#QuickHits https://t.co/YP7iwHFzOM
Thomas, Hovland, Mickelson and the rest of the 67-player field that made the cut will be back Sunday to finish the Workday Charity Open.
Players will go out in threes, with Thomas, Hovland and Morikawa teeing off at 9:01 a.m. ET. Rain and a potential thunderstorm are in the forecast for Sunday afternoon, prompting the change.read more
Workday Charity Open 2020: Justin Thomas Leads Viktor Hovland After Round 3
