Justin Thomas walks off of the seventh green during the second round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
When the wind picks up, it’s safe to assume Justin Thomas will make a move up the leaderboard.
That’s exactly what he did Friday at Bay Hill.
In tough-ish afternoon conditions, Thomas went deep with a 5-under 67 to get within four shots of the lead.
He opened with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 1 and 2 then did it again on 4 and 5. A bogey at the par-4 8th sent him out with a 3-under 33. He got the dropped shot right back at the par-4 10th with a birdie then made three more coming home. Two bogeys to close out his day derailed the round a bit, but 5 under was one of the best efforts of the day — Corey Conners bested him by one.
He’s four back heading into the weekend.
In Thomas’ one and only other appearance at the API, he finished 49th.