Justin Thomas stood at the 18th Tee at TPC Sawgrass and had a chance for history.
If he can make a par, he will set a new course record at 11 under 61. However, Thomas had ruined this challenging hole the day before, which made him feel the extra pressure. On Thursday, Thomas pulled the tee shot into the water, extending the entire 18th hole down. He made a triple bogey. This is a big reason why he posted 68 on the first day at the age of 68.
So on Friday, Thomas wanted to pull out his clever five lumber and turn back to the right of the fairway, aiming for the path to the right. However, his tee shot didn't set him in the rough state behind the tree as he'd liked. Then Thomas made a costly mistake as the 18th bit him again. His punch shot ran through the 18th fairway, eventually underwater.
But faithful to his resilient self, Thomas took a drop and thrusts his 50-yard approach a foot away. He tapped for a bogey and settled at a 10-under 62, which coincided with the course record set by Tom Hoge in 2023. However, Hoge only managed 10 birdies at the time, and Thomas stopped 11 par breakers on Friday.
The two-time PGA Championship winner won five birdies on the front nine to go out at 5 under 31. He then drilled holes four times in a row on the 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th to liven up the leaderboard, threatening the course record. The par 5 birdie on the 16th got him at 10 under that day.
On the 17th, Thomas stuck a gap wedge on the right 18 feet of the pin. He now faces a quick and delicate sidewinder – a putt with almost 3 feet of rest. Thomas barely touched it, and his ball rolled slightly towards the cup. The exact spot where Tiger Woods drilled his “better” putt in 2001. Like Woods, Thomas' putt was actually “better than most” as his ball fell to the bottom of the cup in the final revolution. It was him The 11th birdie of the round And set the stage for a dramatic finish, but once again, Mizu won Thomas' best for the second day in a row.
Jack Mirco is a golf staff writer who plays SB Nation. Follow him with x @jack_milko.
