Genesis Open 2019: Justin Thomas Holds 1-Stroke Lead Entering Sunday

Justin Thomas is in the lead through three days at the 2019 Genesis Open with a score of 13-under, giving him a one-shot advantage over Adam Scott.

Every golfer in the field finished his second round Saturday since rain on Thursday forced significant schedule changes. Those who made the cut also got to start the third round, but nobody was able to finish before darkness stopped play.

Thomas shot a six-under 65 in the second round and was two-under through two holes in the third round when play was halted. Here is a look at the leaderboard with one-plus rounds left to complete, courtesy of PGATour.com:

1. Justin Thomas: -13 (thru 2)

2. Adam Scott: -12 (thru 2)

T3. Patrick Rodgers: -11 (thru 2)

T3. J.B. Holmes: -11 (thru 2)

5. Michael Thompson: -10 (thru 2)

6. Kyle Jones: -9 (thru 3)

T7. Paul Casey: -8 (thru 4)

T7. Rory McIlroy: -8 (thru 3)

T7. Tony Finau: -8 (thru 2)

T10. Kelly Kraft: -7 (thru 5)

T10. Jon Rahm: -7 (thru 4)

T10. Bubba Watson: -7 (thru 4)

T10. Jordan Spieth: -7 (thru 4)

Third-round play will resume Sunday, and following the conclusion of the third round, golfers will attempt to get the fourth round in as well. If the golfers run out of daylight, they will be forced to finish the tournament Monday.

Thomas was part of the final group to hit the course for the third round on Saturday, and it didn't take him long to regain the lead, as he eagled the par-five first:

His group was only able to get one more hole in, but he entered the clubhouse on a high note with sole possession of the lead after beginning the day in a tie with Scott.

In the second round, Thomas played his front nine at three-under with five birdies and two bogeys. His second nine came on the front nine of the course, and he played mistake-free golf on that portion with three birdies and six pars.

His most impressive shot was on the par-four fifth when he came within inches of holing his approach shot before settling for birdie:

JT only managed a par on No. 7, but his resourcefulness was on full display, as he chipped while on the massive green to put himself in position to make an easy par putt:

Although Thomas is the man to beat through a little more than two rounds, he is being pursued by several other top-flight golfers, including Scott. Like Thomas, Scott shot a six-under 65 in the second round, which had him tied for the lead after two rounds.

According to Golf Channel's Justin Ray, Scott was off to his best PGA Tour start through three rounds in nearly five years:

Scott only played his first two holes of the third round one-under to trail Thomas by one, but he is playing at a high level and may be Thomas' biggest competition down the stretch.

Another contender to look out for is Patrick Rodgers, who along with J.B. Holmes, is just two shots off the lead at 11-under.

Rodgers shot a four-under 67 in the second round, and then, like Thomas, he eagled the par-five first to kick off the third round:

Per Ray, Rodgers is performing far better than his recent PGA Tour outings suggested he would fare at the Genesis Open:

While Rodgers isn't as big of a name as some of the other golfers in contention, he is clearly locked in and looks like a threat to pick up his first career win.

Rory McIlroy is just five shots behind Thomas, which was somewhat inconceivable after his poor first round. McIlroy shot a one-over 72 in the opening round, which put him in danger of missing the cut until he exploded for the best second-round performance in the field.

The Northern Irishman carded an eight-under 63, and a big reason for that was his vast improvement on the green in comparison to the first round:

McIlroy played his first three holes of the third round at one-under as well, which has him firmly in the hunt.

Other big names also find themselves in the mix, including Jordan Spieth at seven-under and Tiger Woods at six-under.

Woods was far from guaranteed to make the cut, as he entered his final hole of the second round at even-par for the tournament. Tiger came through in the clutch, though, by making a 24-foot birdie putt to ensure his spot in the third round:

Tiger followed that up with a ridiculous start to his third round, as he carded three birdies and one eagle over his first four holes. After birdieing his first hole, the eagle on his second built some much-needed momentum:

Woods then birdied each of the next two holes before closing out his day with three consecutive pars until darkness ended play.

Tiger will likely need some help in order to truly contend, but the fact that he is lurking should be enough to generate interest Sunday. Even if Woods doesn't continue to move up the leaderboard, McIlroy has enough star power to make things interesting if he can keep up his strong play as well.

Thomas and Scott are also going tit for tat after shooting the same score in each of the first two rounds, and they have a legitimate chance to go down to the wire with the tournament hanging in the balance on the final hole.

While weather issues have made for an unconventional tournament, it figures to make things even more exciting Sunday, especially with so many quality golfers within shouting distance of the lead.