Why was Justin Thomas penalized one stroke in RBC Heritage Round 3? Reasons explored

Justin Thomas was leading the 2025 RBC Heritage after the first two rounds. However, his momentum was slightly halted after he was assessed a one-stroke penalty early in his third round on Saturday, April 19.

The incident occurred on the par-5 second hole at Harbour Town Golf Links when Justin Thomas's ball rested in a sandy waste area near the green after his tee shot. As he was preparing for the second shot on the hole, he began removing loose impediments, and his ball moved slightly.

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The 31-year-old then explained the situation to the rules official, Robbie Ware. He was warranted a one-stroke penalty. Talking about the incident in the press conference, he said (via ASAP Sports):

"It's kind of a sandy area, I guess, waste bunker. There's just a bunch of rocks and pebbles in there, so I was just moving them like all of us would do in that situation. I guess this one I was moving, I thought was more in front of my ball."

"I don't know if it moved maybe something that was underneath my ball or whatever, but it looked like my ball had kind of just gone down maybe more so than rolled over because, when Robbie came, I was explaining the situation to him, he added.

Thomas scored a par on the hole. He said that despite the penalty, he had hit a solid tee shot, followed by a great 4-iron, chip, and putt. He said that he told his caddie, Joe Grainer, that saving a par would still be a good result and emphasized that there was too much golf left in the tournament to let the incident affect his day.

Justin Thomas scored two birdies on the 5th and 9th holes of the front nine. He scored two birdies against two bogeys on the back nine to finish 2-under 69 in the third round. After 54 holes, he is tied for second with Andrew Novak at 14-under. Min Woo Lee is at the top of the leaderboard with 15-under.

Justin Thomas' RBC Heritage Round 3 Scorecard

Here's a look at Justin Thomas' scorecard in the penultimate round of the 2025 RBC Heritage (via PGA Tour):

Hole 1 (par 4) - 4
Hole 2 (par 5) - 5
Hole 3 (par 4) - 4
Hole 4 (par 3) - 3
Hole 5 (par 5) - 4
Hole 6 (par 4) - 4
Hole 7 (par 3) - 3
Hole 8 (pat 4) - 4
Hole 9 (par 4) - 3
Hole 10 (par 4) - 4
Hole 11 (par 4) - 5
Hole 12 (par 4) - 4
Hole 13 (par 4) - 3
Hole 14 (par 3) - 3
Hole 15 (par 5) - 6
Hole 16 (par 4) - 4
Hole 17 (par 3) - 3
Hole 18 (par 4) - 3

About the author

Rohit is a Golf writer at Sportskeeda who specializes in PGA Tour coverage. With a Bachelor's degree in Journalism from Delhi University and a Master's degree in Global Studies from Ambedkar University, he has always been passionate about writing on varied topics.

Rohit has over 4 years of prior work experience under his belt. He prioritizes thorough fact-checking of every article he pens with the aim of providing readers with the most accurate and insightful content.

Rohit's favorite celebrity sportsperson is Novak Djokovic; he admires his determination in the face of challenges and fighting spirit. Rohit is an avid reader and when he's not busy reading and writing about the latest developments in the vast world of pop culture and sports, he can be seen absorbed by a book. He also loves playing chess.

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Edited by Tushhita Barua