Justin Thomas Still in the Mix at U.S. Open Headed Into Sunday

Former Alabama star Justin Thomas carded a third round 71 even par yesterday after a second round two under par 69 to find himself still in the mix at the U.S. Open in San Diego at Torrey Pines. His three round total of 213 places him at even par and squarely in the mix just five strokes off the lead going into the final day.

Thomas has shown time and time again that he doesn’t need his best stuff to compete on the world stage. His driving did not improve in round two as he hit just six of 14 fairways, however his scrambling and putting skills were on full display en route to his finish which left him in a tie for 13^th place after the second round.

Get our free mobile app

After a birdie on the first hole of round three, Thomas played even par golf before starting to struggle a bit on the back nine. With a birdie on the 16th hole, he was able to get back to even par on the day and remain there for the tournament, placing him tied for 14th headed into Sunday.

Unfortunately for the other Tide golfers, things didn’t go nearly as well as they did for Thomas. Robby Shelton, Davis Shore and Wilson Furr all missed the cut by a healthy margin. Shelton, recovered from his 78 on Thursday to shoot 72 on Friday, however he had too much ground to make up and missed the cut by four strokes.

For teammates Shore and Furr, the scores were 76 and 82 respectively on Friday, once again proving just how difficult a test of golf Torrey Pines is.

The tournament is currently being led by three surprise competitors in Russell Henley, Mackenzie Hughes, and Louis Oosthuzien. All three head into Sunday's final round at 5 under par.

Despite the missed cuts, congratulations are in order to the trio of Shelton, Shore and Furr.  The experience of just being in the field can potentially lead to greater things in their professional careers.

In the meantime, we will follow along with Justin Thomas as he attempts to add the U.S. Open to his resume which already includes a major championship at the 2017 PGA Championship.

Thomas has a ton of work to do on Sunday to have even a shot to win, but we have seen crazier things at major championships. With a win this week, Thomas could even pass Dustin Johnson for number one in the world rankings depending on how Johnson, who currently sits at -1 in a tie for 9th, finishes.