After taking his first advance of 36 holes on the PGA Tour in more than three years, Justin Thomas took an unhappy break on Saturday at the RBC Heritage.
Thomas, who directed the weekend for the first time since the 2022 farmers’ insurance open, had led his TEE shot in the left waste area in the second hole per-5 of Harbor Town when he decided to remove loose obstacles around his ball. It was then that Thomas’ ball moved a little.
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Thomas then called an official of the rules, who confirmed that Thomas was indeed in a waste zone, not a bunker, and was authorized to eliminate loose obstacles. However, if Thomas had moved his ball, it would be a penalty at a time.
“My ball has moved a fraction because there are just things around him, and I was moving rocks,” Thomas told the manager.
The manager replied: “Do you feel like you’ve moved?”
To what Thomas replied: “I think it.”
Thomas continued the hole in Birdie, from 3 feet, although the penalty hit his scoring on a peer.
