Early action on moving day at the U.S. Open in Brookline, Mass., has produced some frustration among golfers — particularly Justin Thomas.
The two-time major winner started the day 1 over par and six shots off co-leaders Collin Morikawa and Joel Dahmen; he lost another shot on Hole 4 and was none too pleased United States Golf Association officials didn't allow him a relief drop after his ball landed inches within a fairway drain.
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Thomas gave a truly fantastic on-air quote as part of his profanity-laden rant after the miss.
"That's what pisses me off because so many people would lie about being able to hit that," Thomas said. "But it's just like, 'I'm not gonna hit it.' ... F—ing bulls---."
Thomas' shot landed in the bunker, about 50 yards from the hole. His third shot on the par-4 hole landed about 12 feet from the pin; he got a decent par attempt, but his ball landed roughly a foot away from the save. He bogeyed on the hole to go 2 over.
Here's Thomas' full reaction following his missed. Warning: Strong language.
Can’t even blame Justin Thomas for being mad here. Good on him for having integrity.
— Amanda Rose (@AmandaGolf59) June 18, 2022
However, you know Patrick Reed wouldn’t have this issue 🤣 pic.twitter.com/diDxuIxcIX
Why didn't Justin Thomas get a relief drop?
The rulebook is fairly explicit about when players are able to take drops.
Players may be granted relief when hitting into a normally playable area that’s been temporarily altered, such as ground under repair or a mound made by a burrowing animal. For example, when the course is wet a ball hit into the fairway may become embedded in the ground. Pursuant to Rule 25-2, the golfer may lift and clean the ball, then may drop it without penalty in a playable location. The ball must be dropped as near to the original location as possible, but not nearer to the hole.
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Thomas' argument is that the drain was an unnatural addition to the course, so he should have been able to take a drop. The drop technically could have been assessed as relief in Thomas' case, as he was neither out of bounds nor in a hazard area.
The official ruled that the position of the ball did not affect his stance or ability to hit the ball, and therefore declined his request. Thomas' frustration, therefore, was with golfers who claim they can hit balls they clearly can't.
Thomas bogeyed on the sixth hole to go 3 over for the tournament; he has yet to place higher than eighth in a U.S. Open in his career.