Russell Henley leads at Wyndham, Billy Ho’s back and JT still has life

Justin Thomas forgot to get his Grandma, who lives in Charlotte, a scooter to watch him play on Friday, but she had plenty to cheer about all the same.

“She somehow finagled a ride all day, so I’m happy to see that,” he said.

Thomas also was quite please to card a 5-under 65 on Friday and make the cut with plenty of cushion. Now, he can set his sights on making a weekend charge in his bid to make the playoffs (as well as impress U.S. Ryder Cup Captain Zach Johnson). Thomas entered the week having missed the cut in five of his last seven starts and on the outside looking in at No. 79 in the FedEx Cup standings. An even-par start on Thursday did him no good. Asked how badly he needed to make a cut, he said, “Very badly, I mean, if I wanted any chance at what I want to do the rest of the year. You know, it is what it is.”

Thomas traded three birdies with two bogeys in his first eight holes and was straddling the cut line until he made a birdie at No. 12. He tacked on another at 15 and then stole what could be a crucial stroke in his playoff pursuit by chipping in from 78 feet short of the hole at the par-3 16^th.

“I told Bones, we kind of high-fived there, I said I feel like I deserve that,” he said.

But Thomas still has his work cut out for him over the weekend. He’s projected at No. 75.

Shane Lowry squeezed through to the weekend with a 1-under 69, which included some nervy moments down the stretch after he putted off the green and made double bogey at 16 to fall back to 2 under and on the cut line.

“I just had like a brain fart or something, I don’t know,” Lowry said. “I was like, wow, going from thinking if I birdie two of the last three, I’m well in the tournament to I could be booking a flight this evening, which is difficult.”

Lowry bounced back with a birdie at 18 and is T-40. He’s projected at No. 77 in the points standings.

“Sometimes in this game making the cut is quite satisfying and I’m proud of how I played the last two holes, especially 18 there,” he said.

Gary Woodland is going to need a special weekend. He survived the cut with a 67 on Friday but is currently projected at No. 97 in the points standings.