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Justin Thomas’ Reaction to Near Hole-in-One and Discussion on Nick Dunlap Ties
While Nick Dunlap has been the center of attention in the first three rounds of The American Express, another golfer from Alabama, Justin Thomas, is making a notable presence in the tournament. Currently sitting in solo third place, Thomas is aiming for his first PGA Tour title in 20 months.
With an impressive 11-under 61, Thomas has reached a total score of 23 under par, trailing Dunlap by four shots. Despite their shared ties to the University of Alabama, Thomas and Dunlap have never played together. This will change on Sunday at the Pete Dye Stadium Course as they, along with Sam Burns (solo second, three shots behind), form the final group in the tournament.
Although Justin Thomas is only acquainted with Nick Dunlap from a distance, he shares a closer connection with Dunlap’s caddie. Hunter Hambrick, who is carrying Dunlap’s bag, was a senior on the 2012 Alabama golf team. This team featured a freshman Justin Thomas and finished as the runner-up for the national championship.
“Yeah, Ham Bones, he was one of my best friends in college. We roomed together every single week. We hung out a lot. We did a lot of stuff together,” Thomas shared. “So, yeah, we actually, I hadn’t seen him in a long time, and we were able to catch up early this week. It looks like we’ll have 18 holes to chat a little tomorrow.”
Justin Thomas is aiming to enhance his standing in the Official World Golf Ranking, currently at 28th, and secure positions in the remaining seven signature events. The 15-time Tour winner is particularly eager to replicate his Saturday performance on the Stadium Course, where he recorded an impressive 11 birdies with no bogeys. One memorable moment was at the par-3 13th, where Thomas narrowly missed a hole-in-one, settling for a 6-inch tap-in. After completing his round, Thomas had the opportunity to watch the video of the near hole-in-one, and his reaction spoke volumes about the excitement and disappointment of the moment.
“That is incredibly harsh,” he remarked. “What’s amusing is, Bones [caddie Jim Mackay] and I were walking up there, and we witnessed the ace yesterday [by Joe Highsmith], and it was obviously a great shot, but it went 20, 30 feet past, and then mine does that. Oh well, it’s a good 2. One and a half.”
