Thomas and Burns "Tied for 3rd, 3 Strokes Behind"... Riley Leads by 2 Strokes

Valspar Championship Day 3: Nesmith 2nd, Hadwin 5th, Shoply Tied 6th, No Seung-yeol Tied 62nd

Justin Thomas is teeing off on the 14th hole on the third day of the Valspar Championship. Palm Harbor, USA ? Photo by Getty Images/Multibits

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] It is a winning opportunity for Justin Thomas (USA), ranked 8th in the world.

On the 20th (Korean time), at the Innisbrook Golf Club in Palm Harbor, Florida, USA (par 71, 7,340 yards), during the third day of the PGA Tour Valspar Championship (total prize money $7.8 million), he surged with a 5-under-par round to climb to a tie for 3rd place (15-under-par 198 strokes). Davis Riley is leading the pack at 18-under-par 195 strokes, while Matthew NeSmith is in 2nd place (16-under-par 197 strokes), and Sam Burns (both from the USA) are chasing from a tie for 3rd.

Starting from 5th place, 4 strokes behind, Thomas collected 6 birdies (1 bogey). After 'stepping stone birdies' on holes 1 and 3, he took a brief breather with a bogey on the 6th hole (par 4), then regained momentum with consecutive birdies on holes 10 and 11. He showed resilience by adding two more birdies on the 14th hole (par 5) and 17th hole (par 3). He relied on his long drives up to 339 yards, a 100% bunker save rate, and an average of 1.615 putts per hole. He is 3 strokes behind the leader and in a position to aim for his 15th career victory.

Davis Riley is reading the putting line on the 13th hole on the third day of the Valspar Championship. Palm Harbor, USA - Photo by Getty Images/Multivitz

Riley dominated the leaderboard with flawless play, recording 9 birdies without a single bogey. Three sets of consecutive birdies stood out. He turned professional in 2019 and has yet to win a tournament. His best personal result was a tie for 7th at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship last November. NeSmith, who held a brief lead the previous day, dropped to 2nd place after shooting 2-under-par. Defending champion Burns showed steady form by reducing 4 strokes, maintaining his chances for back-to-back victories.

Adam Hadwin (Canada) is in 5th place (13-under-par 200 strokes), 'Tokyo Olympics Gold Medalist' Xander Schauffele (USA) is tied for 6th (11-under-par 202 strokes), world No. 3 Viktor Hovland (Norway) is tied for 34th (6-under-par 207 strokes), and Brooks Koepka (USA) is tied for 45th (5-under-par 208 strokes). World No. 2 Collin Morikawa (USA) lost 3 strokes and fell to a tie for 68th (1-under-par 212 strokes). From Korea, Noh Seung-yul (32) recorded 2-over-par and slipped to a tie for 62nd (3-under-par 210 strokes).

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