A topsy-turvy Moving Day at the 2024 Zozo Championship that began with Nico Echavarria holding a two-stroke lead over Justin Thomas ended in such a manner despite the theatrics throughout Round 3. A closing eagle from the Colombian put the finishing touches on a third-round 65 and pushed his name to 17 under — two clear of Thomas and three clear of Max Greyserman.
“It [the last hole] was very special,” Echavarria said. “It was very hard to see out there at the end. It was dark, it was gloomy, so I couldn’t tell how close it was. I heard the roar, but when I got there and it was almost tap-in, it was very good … It was a 5-wood. I had a perfect number for a middle-of-the-green 5-wood. Was trying to cut it a little, maybe pushed it a hair, but it was perfect.”
It took just two holes for Thomas to erase Echavarria’s 36-hole lead as the American came out the gates firing with back-to-back birdies. The lead became Thomas’ alone after a bogey from the overnight frontman on the par-4 4th, but only then did Echavarria find his form.
Four birdies in a five-hole stretch closed out his front nine and snatched the top spot on the leaderboard back from Thomas. Expanding to as many as three at one point, the lead slowly dwindled as the two meandered their way through the inward half at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club.
Tied with three holes to play, the two arrived at the par-5 finisher where Echavarria made his mark on the tournament. Wielding a 5 wood from 242 yards, the 30-year-old’s approach settled inside 3 feet to set up a closing eagle. Moments prior, Thomas faced 4 feet of his own for birdie but was unable to convert, meaning the lead remained two despite the flurry of punches and counter punches exchanged on Saturday.
“That’s the way you want to finish a round,” Echavarria said. “I had a good tee shot — hit a good tee shot, hit a really good second shot and finished with an eagle. I prefer that than a birdie obviously.”
The leaders
1. Nico Echavarria (-17)
2. Justin Thomas (-15)
3. Max Greyserman (-14)
Only three players are within five of Echavarria heading into the final round with Thomas looming as the biggest threat. The two-time PGA Championship winner was once again stellar, getting around the par 70 in a 5-under fashion and without dropping a shot.
Thomas’ putter continues to tread above water, which is largely positive, but it did fail him a couple times, including on the par-5 18th. Facing a two-stroke deficit and a two-year winless drought, Thomas may no longer have any room for error if he plans to usurp the leader on Sunday.
“It’s obviously tough. It’s hard to win at any stage, doesn’t matter who you are,” Thomas said. “If you’re fortunate enough to have a couple hot streaks in your career, whatever it may be, it can not only seem or look easier to yourself but everybody else as well.
“At the end of the day, it has been a while, but I’ve still won a pretty good amount of golf tournaments. I know how to win. It’s just a matter of executing and doing it and that’s really been the biggest difference. There’s a reason there’s only one every week. You have to do a lot of things really well and you have to beat a lot of really good players. I have a lot of faith in myself and my game, but I can’t control what the other guys do. I’ve just got to play the best I can and believe that it will be good enough.”
Other contenders
T4. Rickie Fowler, Kevin Yu, Nate Lashley (-11)
7. Kurt Kitayama (-10)
T8. Andrew Novak, Eric Cole, C.T. Pan, Jhonattan Vegas (-9)
Despite falling off the pace on Moving Day with a third-round 67, Fowler’s score represented his 11th consecutive round in the 60s during the FedEx Cup Fall slate. A far cry from his play in the regular season, this version of Fowler is more like that from 2023 when he entered the winner’s circle, contended in major championships and participated in the Ryder Cup.
There are, of course, still areas to improve as he ranks outside the top 60 in this 77-man field in both strokes gained off the tee and strokes gained around the green. However, the positive is he checks inside the top five in both approach play and putting. Once he gets the driver in a comfortable spot, the 35-year-old may be close to being all the way back.
“I’m excited because I feel like I really haven’t had my best between Sanderson, Vegas and here the first three days,” Fowler said. “I know I have a lot more in the tank and what I can do. Hopefully just clean a few things up. There’s been a lot of good signs, but over the past few events I just haven’t really put it all together. So I’m looking forward to getting out there and hopefully we can get a good one going.”
2024 Zozo Championship updated odds and picks
Golf betting odds below provided via DraftKings Sportsbook. Check out the latest DraftKings promo to get in the game.
Nico Echavarria: 5/4Justin Thomas: 7/5Max Greyserman: 9/2Rickie Fowler: 45-1Kevin Yu: 50-1Kurt Kityama: 60-1Nate Lashley: 75-1
It’s hard not to side with Thomas in this situation as he draws Echavarria in the final pairing and has a wealth of experience in his corner, but the Colombian should not be overlooked. Between the two, Echavarria has been the more accurate driver, the better iron player — best in the field, actually — and the more consistent putter. It will be a back-and-forth battle, but the overnight leader with a two-stroke lead at just a slightly shorter price seems like the more prudent play.
