Justin Thomas finds form at the Fortinet Championship ahead of the Ryder Cup as he shoots a second round 67; US team-mate Max Homa among the four other players tied for sixth at eight under par; watch day three live on Sky Sports Golf from 11pm
Last Updated: 16/09/23 8:39am
Justin Thomas follows his shot from the second tee of the Silverado Resort North Course during the Fortinet Championship (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
Justin Thomas found some much-needed form ahead of the Ryder Cup as he shot a second round 67 in the Fortinet Championship in Napa, California.
Fellow Ryder Cup player Max Homa, the two-time defending champion, was among the five players tied for sixth at eight under par along with Thomas.
Sadith Theegala shot a second-round 64 to tie SH Kim at 12 under par on top of the leaderboard.
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Highlights from the second round of the Fortinet Championship from Silverado Resort, California.
But it was the presence of Thomas, winless on the PGA Tour this season and reliant on a wildcard pick from Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson, four strokes back in a tie for sixth which caught the eye.
Having hit just three fairways in an opening 69, Thomas switched to a longer driver he has been experimenting with in recent weeks.
“I could tell in one video I was getting stuck underneath it,” said the double Major winner, who hit eight fairways in the second round. “If I drive it like I did today, I’ll use it for the rest of my career.
“I had a good thought from just a little 10-minute range session that I felt like could get me through today and it worked pretty well.
“That’s a part of what I think has made me as successful as I’ve been in my career, I’ve been very good at adjusting on the fly.”
Justin Thomas shot a second round 67 to tie for sixth place
Homa carded a 66 on Friday. “It was good,” Homa said. “I thought it was clean. I had a couple, a couple weird holes, but other than that, I feel like I did OK.
“I need to play a bit cleaner if I’m going to make a run this weekend, but the game feels pretty good. Just taking care of some kind of sloppy golf swings.”
The group at seven under par includes English duo Callum Tarren and Harry Hall.
US Ryder Cup captain Johnson was among those to miss the cut.
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