Justin Thomas sniffed the lead in a lot of PGA Tour events last season and on Friday, he got a whiff of the magical “59” number at the CIMB Classic.
For the second straight day, a player scorched the Kuala Lumpur Golf Club. On Thursday it was Scott Piercy, Friday it was Thomas.
Thomas needed to birdie two of his final three holes to shoot 59 but went par-par-par. “I didn’t think about it the entire day until the last two holes. I had to birdie the last two to do it.”
Thomas “settled” for 61 and that vaulted him into the halfway lead at 15-under par, a shot in front of Brendan Steele, whose 63 was overlooked on this day.
Thomas, who was a strong candidate for Rookie of the Year last season, had nine birdies and an eagle, same tally as Piercy’s first round. Piercy followed up his 61 with a 69 that left him tied at 13-under with Spencer Levin (64) and Hideki Matsuyama (66).
“I feel great with my game,” Thomas said as he heads into the weekend looking for his first PGA Tour victory. “My body feels good, just feeling the heat as far as the temperatures. It was about as easy of an 11-under under as you could shoot.”
