CJ Cup: Thomas back on top after more difficult conditions

The wind continued to buffet Nine Bridges in the third round, making birdies tough to come by.

Just 10 of the 77 players in the field were able to break par on Saturday. It's expected that the final round will have just as much wind as the players have seen the last two days.

Justin Thomas was one of the few who shot under par, and his round of 70 has him tied for the lead with Scott Brown at 9-under. Thomas will go off today as the +125 favorite, while Brown is at +550.

No one else is closer than within two strokes of the co-leaders. Marc Leishman and Anirban Lahiri are next on the list at 7-under.

With high winds expected, this is a spot where a guy four or five back can go out and shoot a low round to steal it while the rest of the field struggles. We have both of our longshot plays, Brian Harman and Nick Taylor, in this range at 4-under, so that's who I'll be watching. I think Thomas or Leishman eventually pull this out, but if one of those two can sneak into the top five, it will bail out a week where not much went right.

If you're looking for a guy further down the board to fire at, I'd lean Lucas Glover at 20-1. He's three shots back and is one of the best ball strikers in the field. He's not going to make many key putts, but he should be able to take advantage of the par-5s and hang on the rest of the way to at least stay in contention.

Joshua has spent the last five years writing about sports and the last 10 years betting them, mostly on golf. He's one of approximately five people who will watch the PGA over the NFL in November. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaPerry22

Photo: © Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

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