Justin Thomas had been flying high at the RBC Heritage Open. On day 1, he tied the course record in South Carolina, carding an impressive 61 for 10-under par to take the lead of the signature event. He then displayed solid golf in round 2 and finished top of the leaderboard. But day 3 had something else in store for JT, a dirty surprise; you may call it.

At Hole 11 at the Harbour Town Golf Links in South Carolina, Justin Thomas found his ball was in a muddy creek midway between the tee and the green, and he decided to take his shot despite it landing in a tricky situation. Even the commentator had his misgivings about the shot he was going to attempt.

We could hear them saying, “This is risky right here. I am not sure I love this idea.” Thomas squatted next to the creek and swung his club, and the ball soared up only to land just a few meters away from the creek. But the mud from his lethal swing was everywhere, with Justin Thomas himself catching the brunt of it. This forced him to comment, “Didn’t really seem worth it after all that.”

It did not. He could have had a much cleaner exit from the creek if he had chosen to take a penalty after declaring the ball unplayable. Even the commentator agreed with Justin Thomas, stating, “Exactly.” The slow-motion replay did not do the two-time major champion any favor either.

The broadcast also stated that mud was “good for the complexion,” after a huge chunk of it hit his face. It was a tumultuous day on the course for the 31-year-old. Thomas had a rough start to the day’s proceedings after he had handed a penalty during the second hole. Thomas’s tee shot landed in the waste area, and he was removing some loose gravel and other obstacles when his ball moved ever so slightly. While the rules official did confirm that the University of Alabama alum was allowed to remove the impediments as it was a waste area, the movement of the ball forced him to hand a penalty to Thomas.

The 15-time PGA Tour winner ended up scoring a birdie on the second, which became a par because of the penalty. He, however, did not have the same stroke of luck on the 11th hole, where he carded a bogey after his muddy shot. Several fans joined the broadcast team in making fun of JT’s mud shot.

Fans mock Justin Thomas after errant muddy shot

At the ongoing Corales Puntacana Championship in the Dominican Republic, South African Garrick Higgo was in a similar situation. His ball had landed in the jungle, and instead of taking a drop, he went for it with a swing. The thick bush made it difficult to impart momentum, with nearly half of the club disappearing under the foliage. However, Higgo’s shot stayed true and hit the fairway, allowing him to save par. Maybe Justin Thomas took inspiration from that. Needless to say, it did not work in his favor. “Every golfer has that one moment where we fully believe we’re about to pull off the shot of the year… and then reality humbles us instantly,”  one fan tweeted on X, referring to Justin Thomas’s belief that he could have done this shot differently.

Another fan implored Justin Thomas to use his brains over brawn in this situation. In the video, Justin Thomas is also seen removing a signboard next to the creek with the help of his caddie so that he has the angle to take the shot. The fact that everyone was helping him out made one fan call them out, stating, “I love how everyone thought this was a good idea,” in a clear, sarcastic tone.

The extra effort did not seem to work in Thomas’s favor, forcing one fan to state, “I mean, think for a second?” More fans had advice for Justin Thomas, which he could have used before he committed to the shot.  One fan did not like the lay of the ball at all. “Once it’s below the water level it’s not worth playing.”

On the outside, the ball might be only half-submerged, but it creates a lot of complications. Because a huge chunk of it is inside water, while Thomas swings his club, a lot of momentum gets lost during the time, the club is inside the water because of the viscosity. This reduces the impact on the ball, and Thomas should thank his lucky stars that the ball landed safely outside rather than rolling back in. One fan also had a bit of afterthought in his comment, stating, “Take the drop.”

What do you think of Justin Thomas’s attempt out of the muddy creek? Do you think he should have taken the drop and kept himself clean?