PGA Championship: Justin Thomas positions himself for a second major

There's a move Justin Thomas makes when he's feeling it on the green. It's a wide sidestep, his left leg striding toward the hole as a long putt rolls true. He did it Friday afternoon to close out his second straight 67 at the PGA Championship, and he's halfway to his second major.

"Very pleased," he said of his round. "Although I played solid [Thursday], I played really, really well [Friday]. The conditions were obviously very difficult. I stayed very patient, tried to get in my own little world and get in a zone and just tried to execute each shot the best I could."

His four-birdie, one-bogey performance gave him the solo clubhouse lead at -6, one stroke ahead of Thursday night leader Rory McIlroy. The significance of that: in the seven prior times a major has been held at Southern Hills, the winner has held the lead or co-lead at the halfway mark. It's a tough course to post low numbers at, and an even tougher course to make a charge from deep in the field.

"I like this golf course," Thomas said. "I feel like I'm playing well. We're halfway through so it's still a long way from home, but I'm very, very pleased with where everything is at and the frame of mind and state of mind that I'm in."

Thomas doesn't have a strong record of leading in majors. Prior to Friday, he'd only led or co-led in three rounds: the second round of the 2020 Masters, where he finished fourth; the first round of the U.S. Open, where he finished eighth; and the final round of the 2017 PGA Championship.

That PGA Championship is now nearly five years in the past, and Thomas has conceded lately that it's long past time he get his second major, given his level of consistent performance. If he continues to play over the weekend the way he's started this tournament, that second major will be within reach.

_____

Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter at @jaybusbee or contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com.