A spectacular hole-in-one gave Justin Thomas the lead heading into the final round of the WGC–Mexico Championship, with World Number One Dustin Johnson and Major winners Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson hot on the American’s heels.
Thomas surged into a share of top spot when his tee shot on the 232-yard 13th landed 15 feet from the flag and took one bounce into the cup.
Despite dropping a shot at the next, Thomas made his fourth and fifth birdies of the day on the 15th and 16th as he signed for a five under par 66 and 12 under par total.
That was one ahead of Johnson, who bogeyed the 16th after a bizarre incident involving a lost ball up a tree, with McIlroy and Mickelson both ten under at Chapultepec Golf Club.
Johnson wiped out his three-shot overnight deficit by making an eagle on the first and birdie on the second, the US Open champion also picking up shots on the sixth, 13th and 15th.
However, Johnson's approach to the 16th then stuck up in a tree and was declared lost, only for the ball to drop out of the branches after the 32 year old had already played another onto the green.
"I kind of hit it a little thin so it didn't get up high enough and I heard it clip the tree," Johnson said.
"I was just laughing … but I'm playing really well, I just have to keep giving myself looks."
In contrast, Mickelson enjoyed several strokes of good fortune on the back nine and made the most of them with a hat-trick of birdies from the 15th in a hugely eventful 68.
The left-hander looked set to lose a ball after a wild drive on the tenth, only for a spectator to say that he had seen a ball picked up from the search area, thereby allowing Mickelson a free drop.
After making par there, Mickelson then hit further bad tee shots on the 11th and 12th, but each time received a free drop from the bushes as his stance was hampered by a sprinkler head.
Playing partner McIlroy, who is making just his second start of the season after suffering a stress fracture to his ribs, birdied the first but dropped shots on the next two.
“I made birdie on 11, I drove it way down there on 12 and then hit the pin with my second shot and came back. One of those days, just couldn't really put a few good holes together.” - Rory McIlroy
The 27 year old bounced back with a birdie on the sixth, but bogeyed the eighth before holing from 20 feet on the ninth.
McIlroy also birdied the 11th after a superb pitch from left of the green but there were no further gains in a round of 70.
“A little bit weird,” was McIlroy’s description of his round, adding: “I felt like I couldn't get into any sort of rhythm right there.
“I made birdie on 11, I drove it way down there on 12 and then hit the pin with my second shot and came back. One of those days, just couldn't really put a few good holes together.”
Ryder Cup team-mate Lee Westwood was a shot behind after a superb back nine of 31 in his 66 left him alongside Spain’s Jon Rahm, with fellow Europeans Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton and Thomas Pieters on eight under after rounds of 66, 68 and 68 respectively.
Two-time Major winner Jordan Spieth carded a course-record 63 to finish seven under par.
