TULSA, Okla. – After a quick turnaround, Justin Thomas made quick work of his second round in the 104th PGA Championship at windswept Southern Hills Country Club.
The 2017 PGA champion, who is on the late-early side of matters this week, birdied both his first and last holes in the second round, just as he did in the first round, and shot his second consecutive 3-under 67 to grab the clubhouse lead midway through Friday.
“Although I played solid yesterday, I played really, really well today,” said Thomas, who is looking for his first win since the 2021 Players Championship. “The conditions were obviously very difficult. I stayed very patient, tried to get in my own little world and get in a zone and just tried to execute each shot the best I could. I felt we did a great job of that and am glad to have a good round to show for it. I like this golf course.
“I feel like I’m playing well. We’re halfway through so it’s still a long way from home, but I’m very, very pleased with where everything is at and the frame of mind and state of mind that I’m in.”
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Thomas, who has made just three bogeys in 36 holes, leads overnight leader Rory McIlroy and Will Zalatoris by one shot. McIlroy and Zalatoris teed off about an hour after Thomas finished. Zalatoris birdied his first hole.
Thomas is in a much better place than he was earlier this week, when was battling allergies and was a bit under the weather.
“I felt quite a bit better today,” Thomas said. “I think just being as windy as it was, it was a lot of manipulating and different shots. The way I played the last hole, I couldn’t have really drawn it up any or much better. A perfect kind of little slider driver and leaving that gap wedge just under the hole there and making that putt right in the middle. That was a nice way to end it.
“But that 6-iron that I hit on 5 today was nice. To be able to hit that thing up on the top shelf pin-high from 213 with a pumping cross wind off the left and then to make that putt, I felt like I stole one there. But that was a sweet shot.”