Justin Thomas produced a stunning round of golf on day two of the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass.
Under 24 hours after Thomas carded arguably the worst round of his career, the two-time major winner signed for a 62 (10 under) to end the day four under, seven shots back of the lead.
Golf fans were left stunned by Thomas’ round as the American dazzled with his iron play and red-hot putter. Starting the day well outside the projected cut, Thomas will undoubtedly be thrilled to have a weekend tee time at TPC Sawgrass.
As mentioned, Thomas has tied Tom Hoge’s course record; what’s more, the Louisville-born star also crafted a unique piece of Players Championship history.
Justin Thomas makes Players Championship history
Thomas signed for a 78 (six over) on Thursday, leaving himself well down the leaderboard and staring a missed cut in the face. The 31-year-old made three double bogeys during his first round.
However, after carding ten under on day two, Thomas achieved a never-before-seen feat at The Players: a 16-shot swing. Thomas’ first and second rounds boast the biggest score differential in the tournament’s history.
Interestingly, the American produced a similar performance at last year’s Open Championship. Thomas started fast at Royal Troon before massively falling off on day two. Thomas then shaved 14 shots off Friday’s front-nine score during the third round to climb the leaderboard once more.
Justin Thomas reacts after shooting 62 at The Players Championship
Unsurprisingly, after his round, Thomas admitted his 62 at The Players ranked among his best rounds of golf.
“Yeah, that was one of the best rounds I’ve played, for sure,” Thomas told reporters.
“I just got it – mentally, it was the biggest thing. I felt like I did an unbelievable job of just staying, keeping my eyes forward, keeping my blinders on, not looking backwards, forwards, anything like that. It was just, How can I put this ball in the fairway off the tee, and then how can I make birdie, and let’s rinse and repeat.
“I putted the ball beautifully, too—just one of those days. I feel like I haven’t done a great job of that this year. When I get it going, I keep it going. I started to get a little defensive; it’s not me.
“It’s just funny. Rev and I talked about this week, and when I do get it going, just keep it going. Don’t be bashful. I’m obviously playing really well, otherwise I wouldn’t be that many under par. That’s what I did today.”
Min Woo Lee and Akshay Bhatia lead The Players
Thomas will have to go low once more if he’s to chase down the leaders at TPC Sawgrass. Lee and Bhatia are at 11 under, one shot clear of J.J. Spaun.
Rory McIlroy and Collin Morikawa are nicely placed at nine under and will no doubt be looking to make a charge on Saturday. Morikawa signed for an impressive 65 (seven under), while McIlroy was left to rue a costly dropped shot on the par-five ninth.
Alex Smalley is also at nine under before Lucas Glover and Will Zalatoris follow at eight under. World number one Scottie Scheffler is five under, six shots back of the lead.
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