Justin Thomas leads Scotty Scheffler by one shot heading into the final day of the Hero World Challenge, with Tom Kim chasing a sensational third round.
Thomas carded a 66 on Saturday at Albany Golf Resort to finish 17 under and one ahead of Scheffler, who is looking to defend his title and finish in the top two at the Tiger Woods event for the fourth year in a row.
Scheffler posted a third-round 69 to set up a Sunday pairing with Thomas, while Kim is just two strokes back in third after briefly threatening a 59 en route to a 62.
Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley is tied for fourth and four off the lead, while Akshay Bhatia, who played alongside Scheffler in the final group, dropped to fifth after a third-round 71 to tie for fifth with Sahit Theegala.
Scheffler follows Thomas at the Tiger event
Thomas, playing in the group behind Scheffler, opened with three bogeys before following up with a birdie at the par-four fourth to take advantage of the back-to-back sixth to temporarily take the lead.
Scheffler also bogeyed the fourth and rolled in 15 feet from the seventh to tie Thomas, who took advantage of the par-five ninth to close out the front nine with a 32 to pull back with the world No.1.
Justin Thomas bogeys six bogeys in third round in Bahamas
Thomas missed a six-footer at the par-five 11th, where Scheffler two-putted from 60 feet to take the putt and move one ahead as Kim chipped in for a sensational birdie.
Kim fell eight out of half the lead but followed up with birdies on his first four holes, adding four more on the five-hole stretch seventh hole, then birdied the 14th and 15th to pull within a shot of Thomas on the 15th.
Tom Kim’s 62 on Saturday was four strokes better than anyone in the field
The Korean bogeyed the par four to move to 11 under for his round and claimed birdie for a 59, while Kim moved into the lead when Scheffler failed to make par at the 12th.
Thomas holed the ball nearly 50 feet at the 14th to go 16 under, giving him the all-important lead when Kim made two attempts from a greenside bunker at the par-three 17th en route to a double-bogey five.
Kim responds with a bunker shot at the fourth to finish with a birdie, though Thomas birdies from close range at the 16th to finish two behind to set the club’s target.
Scheffler equaled Thomas’ birdie at the 16th but missed chances as he bogeyed both holes to finish at 17 under, forcing him to come back in the final round if he is to win a ninth world title in 2024.
Who will win the Hero World Challenge?Watch the final on Sunday from 4.30pm on Sky Sports Golf. Get Sky Sports or stream via NOW.
