PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — On Friday, Justin Thomas turned a potentially disastrous week at The Players Championship into a historic performance, carding a 10-under 62 in the second round at TPC Sawgrass to tie the course record. The remarkable round came just 24 hours after a lackluster 6-over 78 that had left him teetering on the edge of missing the cut, showcasing the kind of volatility and brilliance that has defined his career.
Thomas’s second-round masterpiece featured a tournament-record 11 birdies, vaulting him 105 places up the leaderboard from a tie for 134th to a tie for 29th at 4-under for the tournament. The 62 matched the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course record set by Tom Hoge in the third round of the 2023 event — a round Thomas witnessed firsthand as Hoge’s playing partner.
Remarkably, Thomas came within a whisker of breaking the record outright, only to stumble with his lone bogey of the day on the par-4 18th.
The turnaround was nothing short of extraordinary. On Thursday, Thomas struggled mightily, losing over 9 strokes to the field in ball-striking — his worst statistical performance in that category in nearly 900 career rounds. A double bogey on the iconic 17th and a triple bogey on the 18th capped a frustrating day that he later called a “fluke” and one of the worst rounds of his career in terms of driving and iron play.
But rather than dwell on the disappointment, Thomas reset his mindset with help from his wife, Jill, and his team, emerging Friday with a renewed focus.
“It was just a lot of — Jill just listened for a long time last night,” said Thomas. “She was great. Just keeping me positive and keeping me looking forward and reminding me, I’m playing a lot of good golf, but just the hardest part was just getting in that mindset once we started today.”
He wasted no time getting to work, opening with birdies on the first two holes and adding three more on the front nine to turn in 5-under 31. The back nine became a birdie barrage, with six in a seven-hole stretch from Nos. 11 to 17. The highlight came at the island-green 17th, where Thomas drained a 19-foot birdie putt—his longest of the day — eliciting a roar from the packed grandstands and pushing him to 11-under for the round.
Standing on the 18th tee, he needed just a par to claim the course record outright at 61, or a birdie to shoot an astonishing 60.
Fate, however, had other plans. After pushing his tee shot into the right rough, Thomas attempted a punch shot under the trees, but the ball hooked left into the water. Undeterred, he took his penalty drop, pitched to tap-in range, and settled for a bogey that left him with a share of the record instead of sole possession.
“I’m in no way, shape, or form letting that dwell on the great round I had today,” Thomas said afterward, emphasizing his pride in the mental resilience he displayed.
He added, “That was one of the best rounds I’ve played, for sure. I just got it — mentally it was the biggest thing. I felt like I did an unbelievable job of just staying, keeping my eyes forward, keeping my blinders on, not looking backwards, forwards, anything like that.
“It was just, ‘How can I put this ball in the fairway off the tee,’ and then ‘how can I make birdie,’ and let’s rinse and repeat. I putted the ball beautifully, too. Just one of those days.
“I feel like I haven’t done a great job of that this year, of when I get it going, keeping it going. I started to get a little defensive, it’s not me. It’s just funny, Rev and I talked about this week of, when I do get it going, just keep it going. Don’t be bashful. I’m obviously playing really well, otherwise I wouldn’t be that many under par. That’s what I did today.”
The numbers behind the round were staggering: Thomas gained over 9.4 strokes on the field, making it the best single-round performance of his career and the third-best ever recorded at The Players Championship. It marked his 13th round of 62 or better on the PGA Tour since 2015, more than any other player in that span, underscoring his knack for going low when the stars align.
The 16-shot improvement from Thursday to Friday also set a tournament record for the largest single-day turnaround.
Now seven shots off the pace set by co-leaders Min Woo Lee and Akshay Bhatia at 11-under, Thomas finds himself back in contention with two rounds to play. With windy conditions forecast for the weekend, the 2021 Players champion—who won that year with a third-round 64 and a Sunday 68—relishes the challenge ahead.
“I love playing in those conditions,” he said. “You’ve got to be creative, and it’s just tough.”
For Thomas, Friday’s 62 was more than just a score; it was a statement of resilience and a reminder of his elite talent. After a few years of inconsistent form, the two-time major winner has shown flashes of brilliance in 2025, and this round may signal a return to the dominance that once made him the world’s No. 1.
“I’m just happy to have a tee time tomorrow,” he said with a grin, already looking forward to the next opportunity to chase glory at TPC Sawgrass.
