In a dramatic and ultimately character-defining moment during the third round of the 2025 RBC Heritage, Justin Thomas received a one-stroke penalty after inadvertently causing his ball to move while in a waste area on the par-5 2nd hole at Harbour Town Golf Links.
Thomas, who began the day with a narrow two-shot lead over the field, found himself facing an early challenge as his playing partner, Si Woo Kim, opened with a flurry of birdies. But it was an incident at the 2nd that truly changed the course of the round — and perhaps the tournament.
As Thomas approached his second shot, his ball had landed in a sandy waste bunker. In preparation for his next play, he began clearing away small loose stones around the ball — a legal action under the rules of golf. But as he carefully moved one of the stones, the ball shifted ever so slightly. Thomas immediately paused, stepped away, and called in a rules official.
With no close-up video evidence available, it fell to Thomas’s honesty and his own assessment of the situation. Without hesitation, he admitted he believed his action had caused the ball to move. Under Rule 9.4b of the Rules of Golf, a player is assessed a one-stroke penalty if they cause their ball to move, even unintentionally, unless they are on the putting green. Thomas accepted the ruling without protest and played on.
“I moved the rock, and the ball moved. It’s as simple as that,” Thomas told reporters after the round. “I didn’t mean to, but that doesn’t really matter. I knew the rule, and it was the right call.”
The penalty cost him a stroke on a hole where he was hoping to gain ground with a potential birdie. Instead, he walked off with a par — which felt more like a bogey in the context of the momentum shift happening around him.
Golf fans and commentators were quick to praise Thomas for his integrity. In an era when the scrutiny of every shot is heightened by slow-motion replays and social media, moments like these serve as reminders of golf’s unique culture — one where players often call penalties on themselves, even when no one else sees the infraction.
“He did exactly what the game asks of you,” said Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee. “That kind of honesty is what separates golf from many other sports.”
Though Thomas’s lead was trimmed and his round impacted, he remained in contention heading into the final day. He finished the third round with a 1-under 70, bringing him to 13-under for the tournament — just one shot off the lead shared by Si Woo Kim and Collin Morikawa.
The 2025 RBC Heritage is shaping up to be a thrilling Sunday showdown, and Thomas remains in the thick of it, looking to secure his first PGA Tour victory since the 2022 PGA Championship. The penalty may have hurt his scorecard, but it strengthened his already-respected reputation.
In a sport where character is often tested more than talent, Justin Thomas once again showed he has plenty of both.
