RBC Heritage Round 3: Si Woo Kim Grabs a One-Shot Lead as Justin Thomas Survives a Wild Saturday

Moving day at Harbour Town did exactly what it is supposed to do. It moved the lead, it tightened the pack, and it set up a Sunday that could go a half-dozen directions.

Si Woo Kim shot a 5-under 66 to reach 15-under 198 and take a one-shot lead after three rounds of the RBC Heritage. Andrew Novak (66) and 36-hole leader Justin Thomas (69) are tied for second at 14 under. Maverick McNealy is alone in fourth at 13 under, Brian Harman and Tommy Fleetwood share fifth at 12 under, and defending champion Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley are four back at 11 under.

Kim Takes the Wheel

Kim wasted no time. Playing in the final group with Thomas, Kim rolled in a pair of 6-foot birdie putts on the first two holes to pull level with the leader before most of the field had settled in. From there it was a clinic in controlled aggression: Kim took care of the par 5s, missed a couple of short birdie chances on the front nine, and dropped an 18-footer at the par-5 15th, Kim's longest birdie putt of the day.

The only blemish came at the last. Kim missed the 18th green short and left, could not get up and down, and made bogey. That dropped the lead from two to one, but Kim was not losing sleep over it.

"I played great," Kim said, per the AP. As for the 18th, Kim shrugged it off: "only missed the last hole, so that's not a big deal."

For a player who sat home watching the Masters a week ago, it is quite a turnaround. Kim now owns the 54-hole lead in a $20 million signature event.

Thomas Survives a Strange Day

Thomas did not play poorly, but Saturday tested his patience in ways the scorecard does not fully capture.

It started on the par-5 2nd, where his ball moved slightly while he cleared loose impediments in a waste area. Thomas called a one-shot penalty on himself. At the 11th, his tee shot found the pond, and his attempt to play it out of shallow water went only about 15 yards. He made bogey. "That didn't seem worth it," Thomas said, per the AP. He dropped another shot at the 15th after drawing a tough lie on hardpan, per CBS Sports.

By the time he reached the 18th tee, Thomas trailed by three. Then he holed a 15-footer for birdie, and with Kim's bogey, the gap closed to one.

"It was huge," Thomas said.

It was. Instead of chasing from three back on Sunday, he is one stroke behind with a chance to end a winless run that dates to the 2022 PGA Championship.

Novak Keeps Climbing

The quietest big round of the day belonged to Novak. A bogey-free 66, capped by a birdie at the 18th, got Novak into the final pairing with Kim on Sunday. According to CBS Sports, Novak has never been in this position in a signature event, and he did miss several good looks that could have made the margin even smaller.

McNealy, meanwhile, moved into fourth alone at 13 under, two back, after another strong round on a day when the course got tougher.

The Chase Pack

Fleetwood made three birdies over his final six holes for a 68 and sits three back alongside Harman, who shot 66. Both have the kind of ball-striking that plays at Harbour Town.

Scheffler's 68 had some ugly moments early on the back nine. One recovery from the trees clipped the lip of a bunker and left him with no shot, and he needed an 8-footer to save bogey. He made another bogey at the 12th after going long, and at the 13th he missed a 3-footer after a lob wedge. That he still shot 68 says something, but it leaves the world No. 1 four back with 18 holes left. Patrick Cantlay is in a group at 10 under.

Firm, Fast and Getting Tougher

The conditions have been trending one way all week. It has been warmer and windier each day, and by Saturday the course was playing fast and firm, with the breeze moving the trees enough to create second-guessing on approach shots, per the AP. The scoring average, though, held about steady from round to round, which tells you the best players adapted.

Sunday Setup

The final group will be Kim and Novak, with Thomas one group ahead. Five players are within three shots of Kim, and Scheffler lurks four back.

Kim has the lead and the hot putter. Thomas has the experience of 15 PGA TOUR wins and a fresh dose of belief after that birdie at the last. Novak has the steadiest card of the day. Harbour Town has a habit of rewarding the player who keeps it in play and lets everyone else make the mistakes.

Catch up on the first two rounds in our Round 1 recap and Round 2 recap. Full scoring is on the official PGA TOUR leaderboard (opens in a new tab), and the PGA TOUR's Round 3 recap (opens in a new tab) has more.

Sources: PGA TOUR, AP, CBS Sports. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: PGA TOUR.