At the Players Championship in Florida, Justin Thomas shot an astonishing 10-under-par 62, tying the course record at TPC Sawgrass. Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy entered the halfway point just two shots behind the leader.
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03-15, 2025For Thomas, this was a remarkable turnaround. He had shot a 6-over-par 78 in the first round and faced a significant risk of being cut as Friday began. The 31-year-old American became the first player to card 11 birdies in a round at the PGA Tour's flagship event, matching the course record set by Tom Hoge in 2023.
Thomas's 16-shot improvement was also the largest from round one to round two in the event's history, propelling him 104 places up the leaderboard. Despite finding the water with his second shot at the 18th, leading to a disappointing bogey to finish, the two-time US PGA champion now sits just seven shots behind co-leaders Lee Min-woo and Akshay Bhatia.
"Madness is an understatement. It's insane. I'm really proud of myself," Thomas told Sky Sports. "The score is great, but [equally good was] coming out with the attitude and the mindset. I put myself in a position where I needed to do something crazy to make the cut."
Australian Lee Min-woo, 26, and American Bhatia, 23, both carded rounds of 66 to reach 11-under overall, one shot ahead of JJ Spaun. Northern Ireland's McIlroy shot a 4-under-par 68 to remain in touch at 9-under, two strokes off the lead. This is the world number two's second-lowest 36-hole score at TPC Sawgrass, only behind his score when he won in 2019.
Collin Morikawa's 65 also matched his lowest round at the Stadium Course, while Englishman Tommy Fleetwood, who is yet to win on the PGA Tour, also finds himself in contention after a 7-under-par 66. World number one Scottie Scheffler is two shots further back after a round of 70, while Xander Schauffele, who played in the featured group with McIlroy and Scheffler, ended his day 1-under after a birdie on his final hole.
That ensured the defending US PGA and Open champion extended his impressive streak of consecutive cuts made to 59, the longest since Tiger Woods's run of 142 from 1998 to 2005. While relatively benign conditions provided an ideal platform for scoring on Friday, the forecast for the weekend is less favorable.
Gusts of up to 30 mph are expected on Saturday and Sunday, but McIlroy believes he is well-equipped to handle the challenge as he seeks a second Players Championship title. "I'm excited about it," he said. "I think trying to control your flight and keep it under the tree line is going to be important. I think once it gets above the tree line here, it's going to get really affected."
"It will spin a little bit more, but I think it's more consistent when the wind is that strong. This course is challenging enough as it is, but in those winds, I'm excited for the challenge. Just trying to control my flight, trying to hit different shots, trying to be creative, and I think I've done a pretty good job of that over the last few years."
