Justin Thomas watches his tee shot on the fifth hole at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, on Saturday during the third round of the Bridgestone Invitational.AKRON, Ohio – Location has made friends of PGA Tour golfers Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas, who live near each other in southern Florida and said they spent last weekend practicing together at The Bear’s Club in Jupiter.
Sunday at Firestone Country Club will be the eighth time this year they are paired together in a tournament, and the number will grow later this week when they play the opening two rounds with Tiger Woods at the PGA Championship.
This is the first time a trophy is at stake, though.
Thomas pulled away from the pack with five birdies in the middle of his round Saturday for a 3-under-par 67, giving him a three-shot lead over McIlroy and Ian Poulter going into the final round of the Bridgestone Invitational.
“We’ve played together a lot in tournaments, but never in this kind of situation,” said Thomas, who was at 14-under 196 overall.