The Players Championship: Justin Thomas equals Sawgrass course record & Rory McIlroy in contention
Justin Thomas reached the TPC Sawgrass stadium record with a 62-shot under 10 in the Florida Players Championship, while Rory McIlroy had only two shots in the midway stage.
It represents a significant shift in Thomas, who scored 78 in his first round and started a dangerous relegation on Friday.
The 31-year-old American became the first player in the PGA Tour flagship to register 11 birdies in a round as he matched the course record set by Tom Hoge in 2023.
Thomas’ 16-stroke improvement was also the biggest improvement in the first round in the event’s history, and canceled his 104th place on the rankings.
Although he found water in his second shot in No. 18, which led to a disappointing bogey, the two-time U.S. PGA champions now have only seven shots of co-leaders Min Woo Lee and Akshay Bhatia.
“Crazy is an understatement. I’m really proud of myself,” Thomas told Sky Sports.
“The score is great, but (very good) expresses attitude and mindset. I think I need to do something crazy to cut my position.”
Thomas’ spectacular performance sets up a fun weekend with the third round of Saturday and Sunday finale on the BBC Sport website and covered the weekend BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra.
Australia’s 26-year-old Lee and 23-year-old American Bhatia signed 66 rounds, ranking 11 overall, one shot ahead of JJ Spaun.
Northern Ireland’s McIlroy recorded 68 shots below two quarters of the 68, with under-9 – two shots.
It’s the second highest 36 hole score in the world, and on TPC Sawgrass, he can only improve if he sees a win in 2019.
Collin Morikawa’s 65-year-old is also equivalent to his lowest shot on the stadium court, while England’s Tommy Fleetwood has yet to win the PGA Tour, seven out of seven after hitting 66.
After 70 points, the world’s No. 1 Scottie Scheffler was two shots, while the Xander Schauffele birds who played with Marquee Group’s McIlroy and Scheffler finished the match in the last hole of the day.
This ensured that the dominant American PGA and Open Champions made 59 consecutive cuts, the longest since the extension from Tiger Woods 142 in 1998-2005.
