Johnson Wagner couldn't hide his excitement after hearing Justin Thomas's candid comments following his second round at the PGA Championship. The two-time major winner is sitting comfortably inside the top 10 at Aronimink, carding back-to-back rounds of 69 to sit at two under par alongside heavyweights like Cameron Young and Scottie Scheffler.

Thomas remains one of the most fascinating figures on the PGA Tour—brimming with raw talent, yet his win count has slowed in recent years. Since hoisting the Wanamaker Trophy for the second time in 2022, he's only added one more victory to his resume and managed just a single top-10 finish in majors since the start of 2023. After missing significant time early this season due to injury, his return has been inconsistent, including a disappointing T-77 finish while defending his RBC Heritage title last month.

But something seems to have clicked for Thomas in Philadelphia this week. Speaking with CBS Sports after his round, he was asked if he could have predicted the challenging scoring conditions. "Definitely not," he admitted. "But at the same time, I don't think anybody thought it was going to be like this—this cold and this windy. This wind yesterday and today honestly reminds me a little of Southern Hills. I can't remember Open Championships with that consistent, strong, brutal wind for two days. When you get greens this fast and this severe with pins like this, it's really, really hard to make birdies."

For Thomas, Southern Hills holds nothing but fond memories—it was the site of his dramatic 2022 PGA Championship victory, where he edged out Will Zalatoris in a playoff. Wagner, a longtime observer of the game, was thrilled to hear Thomas channeling that winning energy heading into the weekend. "I think the psychologist would be very happy with that comment," Wagner said with a smile.