After grabbing his first 36-hole lead on the PGA Tour in over three years, Justin Thomas caught an unfortunate break on Saturday at the RBC Heritage.
Thomas, who led entering the weekend for the first time since the 2022 Farmers Insurance Open, had driven his tee shot into the left waste area at Harbour Town’s par-5 second hole when he decided to remove some loose impediments from around his ball. That’s when Thomas’ ball moved ever so slightly.
Thomas then called in a rules official, who confirmed that Thomas was indeed in a waste area, not a bunker, and was permitted to remove the loose impediments. However, if Thomas had caused his ball to move, it would be a one-shot penalty.
“My ball did move down a fraction because there’s just some stuff around it, and I was moving rocks,” Thomas told the official.
The official responded: “Do you feel like you caused it to move?”
To which Thomas replied: “I would think so.”
Thomas went on to birdie the hole, from 3 feet, though the penalty bumped his score to a par.
