Intense Showdown at Hero World Challenge as Indian-Americans Theegala and Bhatia Secure Tied Fifth

Albany (Bahamas), Dec 8 (NationPress) Justin Thomas, who has been winless for over two years, and Scottie Scheffler, who has celebrated eight victories in 2024 and knows how to clinch wins from challenging situations, found themselves just one shot apart after three rounds at the Hero World Challenge 2024.

Bogey-free Thomas (66) advanced to 17-under, while Scheffler (69), despite his impressive 40-hole bogey-free streak coming to an end on the Par-4 13th, stood at 16-under, setting the stage for a thrilling contest between a player who can't stop winning and one who is eager for a breakthrough victory.

Chasing closely was young Tom Kim, who kicked off the week with a 74, placing him Tied-18th in a 20-player field. Kim, who was six-under on the front nine, reached eight-under through 10 and, after sinking three consecutive birdies, was on a 59-watch at 11-under with two holes remaining. However, a double bogey on the 17th marred his flawless performance until then, but he rebounded with a bunker birdie on the 18th, finishing with a 62—just one off the course record. The record of 61, set by Rickie Fowler in 2017 during his win at the HWC, still stands.

Kim, who claimed two victories in 2022 and one in 2023, was close to another title with a T2 finish at the Travelers Championship this season.

Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley (68), who finished second at the HWC in 2012, stood alone in fourth with a straightforward round.

Not far behind, the Indian-American pair of Sahith Theegala (66) and Akshay Bhatia (71) were tied for fifth at 12-under, just one shot behind Bradley, as they aspire to join his team next year at the Bethpage Ryder Cup.

Theegala had a fantastic start, logging five birdies in his first seven holes before dropping a bogey on the eighth. He bounced back with birdies on the 17th and 18th, finishing at 12-under and tying for fifth alongside Bhatia.

Bhatia struggled to find his rhythm on the greens, with his first birdie coming on the ninth hole. He added two more birdies on the 11th and 15th but was hindered by bogeys on the 15th and 18th, where he found water, finishing with a 71 at 12-under and five shots off the lead.

In his last four appearances at the HWC, Thomas has secured Top-5 finishes, including a T-3 last year. He began the third day two shots behind the leader, Scheffler.

Thomas drove well and putted impressively, including a 47-footer on the 14th. He commented, "I'm driving it great. I've had a lot of confidence with it. I feel like I've been able to put myself in some pretty good spots going into the green."

Despite his strong performance, Thomas admitted, "I'm still not taking advantage of some of them as much as I would like, but that's golf and we're always going to say that."

Scheffler may have missed a few putts but felt he played solidly. He made birdies on the fourth, seventh, and eleventh holes, with a bogey on the 13th being his first since the eighth hole on day one. In the final five holes, he had opportunities but managed only one more birdie on the 18th, where he putted from the edge of the green.

However, this round seemed less impressive compared to his phenomenal 7-under 29 on the front nine from the previous day.

Scheffler stated, "I had a stretch at 13, 14, 15 where I felt like I lost a shot or two there, but outside of that, I did a lot of really good things today."

As Thomas and Scheffler fought for the lead, Kim captured the spotlight of the day. The rising winds prompted Scheffler to describe Kim's 10-under round as "pretty serious golf."

Kim started strong with birdies on the first four holes and added two more on the seventh and ninth to turn in 6-under. Birdies on the 10th and 11th placed him in contention for a historic 59. Despite pars on the 13th and 14th, he managed three consecutive birdies from the 14th to 16th, the last of which was a bunker hole-out, putting him in position for an unprecedented sub-60 score at the Hero World Challenge. He was then 11-under, needing birdies on 17 and 18 for a 59.

The thrill of the 16th hole was short-lived as Kim faced disappointment on the 17th. After being 11-under for 16 holes, a double bogey on the Par-3 17th dropped him to 9-under for the day, marking one of the course's toughest holes.

On the 17th, Kim missed the green and ended up with a double bogey after getting stuck in the bunker off the tee and mishitting his second shot. He also missed a five-foot bogey putt, finishing with a double. Nevertheless, the optimistic Korean didn't give up, providing his fans with a thrilling moment by holing out from the greenside bunker for a closing birdie, completing the day with a score of 10-under 62, even briefly holding the lead.