Justin Thomas denied free drop after tee shot lands near drain during third round of U.S. Open

BROOKLINE, Mass. — As Justin Thomas prepared to hit his opening tee shot in the third round of the 122nd U.S. Open at The Country Club on Saturday, an announcer introduced the two-time major champion as Justin Thompson.

It wasn't the last time Thomas would get a bad call from the USGA.

On the par-4, 385-yard fourth hole, Thomas ripped his tee shot 320 yards down the left side of the fairway. Unfortunately for him, the ball stopped a couple of inches from a drain. He asked a USGA rules official for a ruling on a free drop.

«To me it was around a drain and very clearly, in my stance and my ball was sitting differently than it would be if that drain was not there,» Thomas said after the round. «I called an official to get a ruling on it, and in the spirit of the game, (I told the official) I wasn't going to hit the drain. I felt like I very easily could have told her that I was going to and gotten a free drop, but I wasn't.»

Since Thomas said he wasn't going to hit the drain, the official ruled that he wasn't getting relief.

In a statement to ESPN, the USGA said: «During the discussion, Justin was asked if the drain was going to interfere with his swing, to which he replied it was not. Because there was no interference from the drain, Justin was not provided relief.»

Under rule 16.1a(1) of the Rules of Golf, a player is afforded relief if «interference from an immovable obstruction exists when the ball touches or is in or on the obstruction, or the obstruction physically interferes with the player's area of intended stance or area of intended swing.»

«The Rule goes on to state that if the obstruction is close enough to distract the player but does not otherwise interfere, there is no relief under the Rule,» the USGA