For a golfer of Justin Thomas‘s caliber, the win at the 2025 RBC Heritage was long overdue, a fact that the World No. 6 is well aware of. After his victory, Thomas couldn’t help but express his joy, saying, “That was as fun as I thought it would be.” However, for Andrew Novak, who has yet to secure a win, the day was not as bright. Despite this, Thomas seemed unfazed by the awkwardness that often arises between rivals, a contrast to the tension witnessed during the green jacket ceremony between Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler, as we will see soon.
Recently, Justin Thomas sat down for an interview on the Pardon My Take podcast, and the host couldn’t help but ask the RBC Heritage winner how he dealt with post-win awkwardness with fellow golfer after an intense playoff. In reply to the interesting question, Thomas replied, “It was kind of like a blackout moment. Like, I’m a little unconscious of… kind of celebrating and what’s going on. And then it’s just, like, ‘Oh, God, I have to take my hat off. Like, shake this guy’s hand now.’ I just said, you know, ‘Great play this week,’ and, you know, ‘We’ll see in a couple weeks.’ Like, that’s pretty much all it is.” The RBC Heritage win for Thomas was just not another title-clinching moment, but a message to the golf world that Justin Thomas is not a thing of the past and that he still can and will continue to be a better player. A win after 3 years is no joke for sure. But talking about this unbelievable moment, Thomas got sidetracked and started reminiscing about an incident that had involved another golfer, Jordan Spieth.
The story starts at the 2015 John Deere Classic playoff match between Jordan Spieth and Tom Gillis.“There’s a funny story a handful of years ago. Jordan Spieth was in a playoff with Tom Gillis, who doesn’t play professionally anymore. And Jordan beat Tom in a playoff and, for the whole year, Jason Duffner was grilling Jordan. He’s, like, ‘Man, you just ruined Tom Gillis’s career. He would have had a two-year exemption. He would have been Mali Kapulua. He would have taken his family there. They would have been swimming with the Dolphins at the Tournament Champions, but you had to beat him in a playoff and ruin his life.’”
There is no documented record of the story; however, the playoff match was indeed very tense. At that time, Gillis was searching for his first PGA Tour title. Both golfers finished the tournament at 20 under par, but the playoff took a turn when they reached the 18th hole for the second time. Gillis found himself in trouble; he drove into the rough and then hit his second shot into the water. This costly mistake cost him the chance to win his first PGA Tour title. Since then, Gillis has experienced several close losses, with his most recent appearance at the 2024 Ally Challenge. So, did Spieth “ruin” Gillis’s career? Well, the answer is subjective! While Thomas may not have faced any awkwardness during his win, the golf world recently witnessed something similar during the Masters.
Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler share an awkward moment at the Masters
For Rory McIlroy, the 2025 season has been remarkable, and he solidified his position this season with his winning putt in the playoff match during the Masters. With that putt, Scottie Scheffler’s hopes of defending his Masters title were dashed. Although Scheffler did not have the opportunity to don the green jacket for a third time, he still had the responsibility of placing it on McIlroy. However, the moment turned out to be a bit awkward, according to the fans.
After celebrating his Grand Slam win with friends and family, McIlroy went to Butler Cabin for the televised Green Jacket Ceremony, where he became emotional during his interview with CBS’s Jim Nantz. On the other hand, Scheffler sat quietly next to him, holding McIlroy’s green jacket over his arm. Once the interview concluded, Masters chairman Fred Ridley called on Scheffler to put the green jacket on McIlroy. As the two golfers stood up, they struggled to put McIlroy’s right arm into the jacket. Once the jacket was finally on, Scheffler stepped back and quickly exited the stage without even shaking McIlroy’s hand. A similar incident happened between Tiger Woods and Mark O’Meara during the 1998 Masters.
Would Justin Thomas have felt similarly if there had been a similar ceremony during the RBC Heritage? We say unlikely, but let us know in the comments below!
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