Justin Thomas penalised for moving ball during third round at RBC Heritage
Justin Thomas gets penalised a shot in the waste bunker, but he's still in the hunt for a first PGA Tour title since August 2022.
Justin Thomas was penalised a shot for causing his golf ball to move in the waste bunker on the par-5 2nd in the third round of the RBC Heritage.
Thomas, 31, was trying to move some tiny rocks around his ball in the waste area but he called a rules official over because he felt as though he had caused his ball to move.
There was unfortunately no close up footage of the incident, and so it was all down to Thomas to determine whether he felt he had caused his ball to move.
"We tried to find footage but no one has anything," the rules official told Thomas as he trudged down to the green.
"So I feel like, hate to say it, you said what you were doing with your actions caused your ball to move.
"You still feel that, moving those pebbles so close to the ball caused it to move?"
Thomas replied: "Yeah. That's fine. One shot yeah?"
The rules official confirmed: "Yes."
Despite the one-shot penalty, Thomas still went on to save a par.
Watch what happened here (scroll right):
Thomas held a two-shot lead starting the third round.
But he soon found himself level by the 2nd hole after his playing partner Si Woo Kim opened with a pair of birdies.
Kim kept his foot down and surged into the outright lead with two more birdies on the front nine.
The South Korean added another two birdies on 13 and 15 but he would make his only bogey of the day on 18 when missing from five feet.
Kim carded a 66 and it leaves him at 15-under par and one shot clear of Thomas, who birdied 18 for a 69.
Thomas is joined in a tie for second alongside Andrew Novak, who matched Kim's round of 66.
Maverick McNealy went round in a brilliant 65 to nudge himself up to 13-under par in solo fourth.
England's Tommy Fleetwood posted a 68 to lie 12-under par in a tie for fifth alongside 2023 Open champion Brian Harman.
World No.1 and defending champion Scottie Scheffler carded a 68 to move to 11-under par alongside Russell Henley in T7.
Scheffler is looking to become the first player to successfully defend the RBC Heritage since Boo Weekley in 2008.
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