RBC Heritage Last round will be the model of signature events at the best

1,063 days have passed since Justin Thomas set up a trophy in the sun -scattered greens in Southern Hills.

On that day, he became a great champion twice and winner 15 times PGA Tour.

Almost three years later, Thomas, now a 31-year-old with a woman and girl, is still looking for victory No. 16.

After two rounds in this week RBC Heritage In the Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, South Carolina, Thomas held a two -stroke lead. He linked the course record with a 61 in the first round and played the steady Friday of the golf.

Thomas’s plan to “believe in his game” made him enter the weekend, keeping the lead for the first time since the opening of the 2022 farmers’ open farmers. But it is a lead that he did not hold during a third round up and down that without thomas appreciated a penalty with a stroke For causing his ball to move slightly to a waste area in the second bearing. Thomas was removing some loose obstacles near his ball, which is allowed regularly, when he saw his ball changed. He called an official and they decided that Thomas’s actions forced the ball to move, so he jumped.

After the round, Thomas was not frustrated for the penalty for a pity no. 2. He believes that if he continues to play as he is all week, that a stroke should not end up being a factor in his pursuit to catch his drought without victory.

“I want to win so badly,” Thomas said Friday. “I’m sick of the question. I almost feel like I’m some kind of past at the point where, fortunately, you have all stopped to ask me, which is beautiful, but I would also prefer to overcome it. I think it’s just something I feel like doing so for a few years, I just allow tournaments to come to me, Just trying to trust and make me make a true game.

Thomas hit that hole and played the next 16 holes in two under, including a final bird in 18, which brought it within a 54-pointed leader like Woo Kim, setting a last round on RBC Heritage that has all the components that PGA Tour is predicted when creating a pattern of signature events that have been criticized since its beginning.

On Sunday in Harbour Town Golf Links, you will have a Marquee star in Thomas looking to finish a drought without a win that is approaching three years.

He will start a kick behind Kim, a 29-year-old who has four PGA Tour’s career wins, including a player champion. Kim, now the 72nd Rangut player in the world, has not won since Sentry 2023 and has simply lost his first masters in nine years.

Not having a trip to Augusta National lit something in a player who has been a staple in PGA Tour since 2015 and believes he can recover his high shape.

“I was a kind of pressure like (two weeks) in front of the masters,” Kim said. “I knew I had played (masters) the last eight years. I don’t want to miss this year, but somehow a lot of pressure on the swinging of Texas, so I didn’t.

“I was so frustrated last week looking at the masters, but somehow I was forced to continue. So I’m just trying to focus this week.”

Kim fired a 64-year-old in the second round and supported him with a 66 Saturday to get a lead with a blow to Thomas and Andrew Novak.

Novak is not a star like Thomas. He has not been a PGA Tour match for more than a decade like Kim.

The 30-year-old has been heavy to capture his first PGA Tour’s victory since he arrived as a full-time member during the 2021-22 season.

Novak first appeared this year at Farmers Insurance Open, where he played in the last group on the way to a third place. This helped him the safe in the rest of the signing events, where he cardon T13 conclusions at Pebble Beach and Generals Invitational. Novak found his way to Arnold Palmer Invitational and Heritage RBC this week as a filler back based on his current rank of FedEx Cup.

Native of North Carolina, who completed T3 at Valero Texas Open Two weeks ago, I know that calling his best golf on Sunday to donate Tartan’s jacket will change everything for a life mill.

“Really really difficult to get into these,” Novak said. “It would be nice not to have to worry about it. There are a lot of good things that come with victory. That’s part of it. There is a lot of incentives here to win. I’m playing for many tomorrow. I know it, but I’m excited to do it.”

Lurking just after Kim, Thomas and Novak is Maverick Mcnealy (13 under), who just entered the first 10 places in the world. McNealy won his first career tourer at RSM Classic in the fall and is playing the best golf of his PGA Tour career.

Brian Harmam (12 under), Scottie Scheffler (11 under) and Tommy Fleetwood (11 under) will also begin on Sunday within the shock distance, hoping they will mount a furious load up to the driver and steal the trophy.

The stars, adopted with a great deal of time in their resumes, a potential flowering star and a 30-year-old mill hoping that they all come together in the sun-soaked Hilton Head.

There will be many in line for the benefits of all PGA Tour levels to Sunday on RBC Heritage. This is just how PGA Tour drew.