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Thomas fires course-record 61 to take 6-shot lead at BMW Championship

Sam Greenwood / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Justin Thomas obliterated Medinah Country Club on Saturday, firing a course-record 11-under 61 in Round 3 to grab a six-shot lead at the BMW Championship.

Thomas opened his day with five straight birdies before dropping a shot on the sixth. He eagled the par-5 10th, chipped in for birdie on No. 14, and holed out from 180 yards on No. 16 for his second eagle of the round.

The 26-year-old broke Hideki Matsuyama's record - which stood for only one day - by two shots; Matsuyama shot 63 in Round 2. It was the fourth time in Thomas' career he's shot 61 or better on the PGA Tour, matching the totals of both Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.

Thomas sits at 21-under for the tournament, six shots ahead of Tony Finau and Patrick Cantlay. Matsuyama, the 54-hole leader, shot 73 on Saturday to quickly find himself 10 shots out of first.

Here's how the top of the leaderboard looks after Round 3:

Place Player To Par R3 Score
1 Justin Thomas -21 61
T2 Tony Finau -15 68
T2 Patrick Cantlay -15 68
4 Rory Sabbatini -14 67
5 Jon Rahm -13 66
T6 Brandt Snedeker -12 67
T6 Corey Conners -12 69
T6 Lucas Glover -12 69
T9 Rickie Fowler -11 68
T9 Kevin Kisner -11 69
T9 Xander Schauffele -11 70
T9 Hideki Matsuyama -11 73

Tiger Woods finished the day in a tie for 31st after carding a bogey-free 67. He will likely need a top-11 finish in order to defend his title at next week's Tour Championship.

Due to anticipated inclement weather Sunday at Medinah, the PGA Tour announced the final round will be played in threesomes teeing off from Nos. 1 and 10. Tee times will range from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. ET.

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