It was a tale of two waves at Harbour Town Golf Links for the second straight day. While those players off in the morning hours were able to take advantage of the calmer conditions at the 2025 RBC Heritage, it is the same man who is out in front of the pack after 36 holes as Justin Thomas maintained his position atop the leaderboard.
Following up his course record-tying 61 on Thursday with a 2-under 69 on Friday, Thomas battled his way through Harbour Town to reach 12 under for the tournament. The 15-time winner finds his first-round lead of three cut by a stroke as Si Woo Kim surged with a 64 of his own and Russell Henley kept his game in good order to sit at 10 under and two off the halfway pace.
The 36-hole lead represents Thomas’ first since the 2022 Farmers Insurance Open.
South Carolina native Andrew Novak was one of the biggest movers in the morning hours with a 65 that moved him to 9 under as he continues his solid run of form following a close call at the Texas Open in his last start out. Meanwhile, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler settled for a frustrating 70 to move to 8 under for the tournament and within reach of another successful title defense.
“The golf course felt completely different. It’s definitely firming up,” Thomas said. “We even noticed it just kind of on some chips, the pitch shots, like some wedges, the balls. Shots that I felt like I hit very nicely, and it just doesn’t — it’s not spinning as much. They’re getting crusty, and it’s fun.
“This place is so cool, I think, to play when it’s like this. It just puts such an emphasis on precision. I need to drive it a little bit better than I did today to be able to put it in better spots. Yeah, it was a great grind to shoot a couple under today.”
It was as difficult for Thomas on Friday as it was easy for him Thursday. Battling a misbehaving driver, the wiry right hander did his best to scratch and claw his way around the Pete Dye design. Making the turn having hit only three fairways and five greens in regulation, Thomas was able to add to his number thanks to a 1-under opening nine.
The waywardness made its way into the inward half and caused a square to appear on the scorecard on No. 10. Despite Thomas’ inability to keep his golf ball in front of him, it proved to be the final dropped shot of the afternoon as his short game saved him on numerous occasions including nice par saves on Nos. 12 and 14. Able to take care of scoring opportunities on Nos. 13 and 15 from close range, Thomas tallied a couple late birdies to pull him a couple past Kim and Henley.
He will now look to pull into the winner’s circle for the first time in nearly three years. Coming close plenty of times during this drought, Thomas appears as well equipped as ever to finally put an end to it.
“I’d say the majority of [coming close] has just been pressing and trying too hard,” Thomas said. “All of us, I would assume, want to win so bad, and I want to win so bad. I’m sick of getting asked. I almost feel like I’m kind of past the point where fortunately you all have stopped asking me, which is nice, but I would also prefer to get that over with.
“I think it’s just that’s something I feel like I did so, so well there for a couple of years is I just let tournaments come to me and I just trusted in my ability. That’s just really been my key this week is I’m just trying to really trust my game and commit to what I’m doing. I have a lot of faith and confidence in what I can do. So, I just need to let it happen.”
The leader
1. Justin Thomas (-12): Everyone knows the saying, “It’s hard to follow up a low round with another one.” Thomas is certainly no stranger to that. All things considered, he acquitted himself nicely and kept himself in the lead — an issue with which he struggled following strong opening efforts in 2024.
It wasn’t that pretty as he hit only six fairways, 11 greens in regulation and lost strokes both off the tee and on approach. Luckily, he remains one of the best pitchers and chippers of the golf ball and was able to string together a round, which he may take more pride in than that opening 61 given the scrappiness required.
“I don’t think I’ve necessarily had as much success here, as if you want to call them birdie fests or whatever it may be,” Thomas said. “I still view this place that it can be like that. I understand yesterday is a bit of a one-off, but I truly do feel like every time I tee it up at a place like this or Colonial, I can — when I’ve played it, I can make a bunch of birdies. [TPC] Sawgrass, I feel the same way.
“If you get it in play, you can make so many birdies. It’s just, if you get it out of position off the tee, it’s extremely difficult. This place is even more so than those other spots. I just think it’s — you have a lot of shots. You’re not just grabbing a club off the tee and just hitting it. It requires way more thought and precision than that, I’d say.”
Other contenders
T2. Si Woo Kim, Russell Henley (-10)
T4. Andrew Novak, Tommy Fleetwood (-9)
T6. Scottie Scheffler, Mackenzie Hughes (-8)
T8. Collin Morikawa, Maverick McNealy, J.T. Poston, Brian Harman, Wyndham Clark (-7)
After an opening 69, Morikawa made his move during his back nine on Friday. Off in the morning hours, the two-time major winner rattled off three birdies in a four-hole stretch to go from irrelevancy to the meat of the chasing pack. While known for his iron play and pinpoint accuracy with his scoring clubs, Morikawa has made his mark this week on the greens.
Employing a new putter, he currently ranks inside the top 15 in strokes gained putting largely due to his second-round performance where he gained north of two strokes on the field. He will need his iron play to perk up if he is to track down the lead over the weekend, but as well as he is hitting it in 2025, that is more than possible.
“I think Augusta [National] I never was able to keep that momentum,” Morikawa said. “It was nice to have that today and say, ‘OK, look, I can put together a round when I’m making my up-and-downs, making some putts for par.’ The irons need to tidy up a little bit. It all comes down, especially on a course like this, where you just have to be really good with your distance control. It’s just been a little bit off. The difference between having inside 10 feet to 20, 25 feet for birdie is huge, especially on a course like this.”
2025 RBC Heritage updated odds, picks
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
- Justin Thomas: 2-1
- Scottie Scheffler: 4-1
- Russell Henley: 6-1
- Si Woo Kim: 9-1
- Tommy Fleetwood: 10-1
- Collin Morikawa: 16-1
- Andrew Novak: 22-1
If we are going by who is hitting it the best, Patrick Cantlay may be the most attractive option at 35-1 and only a half dozen behind. He leads this field in terms of strokes gained off the tee and ranks sixth in terms of approach play, though the putter has greatly hindered his chances. I still love Henley at 6-1, but he will need to find his ball striking over the weekend if he is to keep up.
Scottie Said It…
. What words would you choose to sum up that day? SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I thought the golf course was tougher today. I felt like the fairways I hit it in, the pins were hard to get to, and the fairways that I missed, it was kind of the gettable pins is what I felt like at times out there.“
