Justin Thomas Calls One-Stroke Penalty On Himself In Third Round Of RBC Heritage

The overnight leader breached a rule on just his second hole of the day as his bid for a first win since 2022 suffered a setback

Justin Thomas talks to a rules official at the RBC Heritage
Justin Thomas was given a one-stroke penalty after an incident on the second hole of the third round
(Image credit: Getty Images)
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Justin Thomas is bidding for his first victory since the 2022 PGA Championship at the RBC Heritage.

After setting a course record at Harbour Town with a 61 in the opening round, Thomas was still in control of proceedings heading into the third round following a 69 on Friday. However, he suffered a setback on just his second hole of Moving Day when he was assessed a one-stroke penalty.

The trouble came after Thomas decided to remove some loose impediments from a waste area, causing his ball to move very slightly. The 15-time PGA Tour winner was aware of the potential rules breach and discussed the issue with a rules official. Following a review, Thomas was hit with the penalty, turning a birdie into a par.

That could prove costly as, soon after, four-time PGA Tour winner Si Woo Kim joined Thomas at the top of the leaderboard. The South Korean began the day two back of the leader, but while Thomas failed to improve on his 14-under for the tournament following his penalty, Kim, playing in the same group as Thomas, drew level with two birdies to begin his round.

Si Woo Kim takes a shot at the RBC Heritage

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The pair then remained neck and neck through the remainder of the front nine, with each making birdies at the fifth and the ninth. Then, on the 11th, Thomas' eventful day took another turn when he faced a shot out of shallow water on the 11th. Not only did his attempt to get out of trouble leave him wet, it didn't do much for his chances, as he made bogey to hand Kim the lead.

By the end of the third round, Thomas was still well in contention, although he begins Sunday's action a shot back of Kim.

The incident involving Thomas was not the first breach of the rules on the PGA Tour on Saturday. In its opposite field event, the Corales Puntacana Championship, five-time PGA Tour winner Ben Crane was disqualified after he played the wrong ball during the third round and failed to correct it before playing his tee shot on the following hole.

Mike Hall
Mike Hall
News Writer

Mike has over 25 years of experience in journalism, including writing on a range of sports throughout that time, such as golf, football and cricket. Now a freelance staff writer for Golf Monthly, he is dedicated to covering the game's most newsworthy stories. 

He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game. 

Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course. 

Kevin Cook’s acclaimed 2007 biography, Tommy’s Honour, about golf’s founding father and son, remains one of his all-time favourite sports books.

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