LOS ANGELES – As conditions at the Genesis Open deteriorated Friday afternoon, most of the players in the field found Riviera Country Club to be at or near its peak difficulty. Then there was Justin Thomas.
Thomas might as well have been playing a casual round back home in Florida, as he turned in a birdie barrage that took him to the top of the leaderboard while players around him struggled to simply make pars.
Thomas made 14 birdies in 30 holes Friday, and at 10 under he shares the overnight lead with Adam Scott. He opened with a 5-under 66 then made seven birdies in 12 holes of his second round, including a run of six birdies in seven holes that began on No.