Justin Thomas improves with Friday 65, edges closer to FedExCup Playoffs

Greensboro, N.C. – Justin Thomas thought he would play well at the Wyndham Championship. He just wasn’t sure he could trust his instincts, not after his summer.

He felt eerily similar about his game before the U.S. Open, too. That ended with a second-round 81 that sent him searching for answers. Then came the 82 in his next major championship round on Thursday of The Open Championship.

“(It’s) part of golf, you just don't know what you're going to get,” Thomas said early this week.

That’s not a comforting feeling, given the 15-time TOUR winner’s precarious FedExCup position. He began the week 79th, likely needing a top-four finish at Sedgefield Country Club to ensure he passes the top-70 threshold required for the Playoffs.

But first, Thomas needed to make the cut, a marker he’s met only twice in his last seven starts. He cleared that bar Friday, following an even-par first round with a 5-under round of 65 at the Wyndham Championship. He finished three clear of the cut line and seven shots behind leader Russell Henley (12 under). He is within five shots of third place.

“I keep believing good stuff's going to happen, and it just hasn't really,” he said. “I feel like I'm very close to playing some unbelievable golf, some great golf. It was nice to have a good day today to put ourselves in a good spot going into the weekend and see what we can do.”

As trying as the season has been, Thomas conjured the necessary firepower to keep his Playoffs hopes alive. He made seven birdies in large part to stellar approach play. He led the field in average proximity to the hole (20’11”) and converted birdie putts of 5, 4, 2, 8, 12 and 10 feet. Then, after his tee shot on the par-3 16th spun off the front of the green, Thomas chipped in from 78 feet.

“I told Bones, we kind of high-fived there, I said ‘I feel like I deserve that,’” said Thomas. “You're trying to be precise and not get it too far above the hole and leave it in a spot. Just barely thinned it. Yeah, it was about a yard from being an 8-, 10-footer, but it rolled right where I needed it to.”

It was one of several occasions that he kept big numbers out of play – an issue that has plagued the 30-year-old lately. Thomas made a pair of double bogeys on Friday of last week’s 3M Open, finding water on the fourth and 18th holes. He made three double bogeys en route to that startling 81 at The Los Angeles Country Club in June, then made a quadruple bogey on the 18th hole of his opening round at The Open Championship in July.

"I'll hit shots like a No. 1 player in the world, and then I'll make a nine on my last hole of the tournament,” Thomas said during The Open.

One of those “what are you doing?” swings popped up Friday at Sedgefield. Standing on the par-4 eighth tee right on the cut line of 2 under, Thomas yanked his 3-wood into the creek, 30 yards left of his target. After a lengthy discussion with PGA TOUR Chief Referee Ken Tackett, Thomas dropped and hit his approach to 13 feet. He missed the par putt but dropped only one shot.

His chip-in on the 16th was another example. Dealing with a severe false front, Thomas could have easily failed to get up-and-down. He watched his playing partner Shane Lowry putt off the green from pin-high and make a double bogey. Given his last few weeks, it hardly would’ve been a surprise to see Thomas make a similar number, but his chip checked perfectly after three bounces and rolled right into the cup. Then on the 18th, Thomas converted a nifty up-and-down from the greenside bunker to card a bogey-free back-nine 32.

“I just hung in there,” he said.

That will be his directive this weekend at Sedgefield Country Club. He is projected 75th in the FedExCup with his current spot at T21. A solo-18th place is the minimum finish needed to qualify. Based on historical data, TOUR projections indicate he likely needs at least a three-way tie for fourth to move inside the top 70.

Thomas hasn’t missed the FedExCup since he joined the TOUR in 2015. His worst finish is 32nd, which came in his rookie season. He is a long way off from getting back to that point in the standings, but if he is going to climb back, it will start with a round like Friday’s.

Now it’s up to Thomas to do the rest.