Justin Thomas’ tee shot on the 11th hole landed far right of the fairway on Saturday during third round of the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, South Carolina.

The former Alabama All-American decided to the play the ball from where it came to rest – barely in a pool of muddy water.

After he played the shot, Thomas said: “Didn’t really seem worth it after all.”

That’s because Thomas advanced the ball only a few yards and got splashed with a spray of muddy water in doing so. He could have stayed clean with a drop and had his ball in about the same position.

Thomas recorded a bogey on the par-4 hole – the first of his two bogeys on the back nine during a 2-under 69 on Saturday.

Thomas and his caddie pulled a sign out of the ground to allow the golfer to address his ball after his tee shot on the 11th.

Thomas already had been assessed a one-stroke penalty in the third round for causing his ball to move while removing a loose impediment on the second hole. Thomas’ tee shot had come to rest in a waste bunker, and the penalty was assessed after he alerted a PGA Tour rules official. Thomas took four shots to finish the hole but had to record a par 5 on his scorecard.

Thomas will enter Sunday’s final round tied for second with Andrew Novak at 14-under par, one shot behind leader Si Woo Kim, who moved to 15 under with a 5-under 66 on Saturday.

Thomas opened the third round with a two-shot lead after tying the course record with a 61 on Thursday followed with a 2-under 69 on Friday.

A 15-time winner on the PGA Tour, Thomas is seeking his first victory since the PGA Championship on May 22, 2022.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.