It was a tough-fought battle to the very last hole! At one point, Justin Thomas had taken a formidable lead, creating a 2-stroke deficit against the field. He had nearly broken the losing streak and was on the verge of winning the 2025 Valspar Championship. But two bogeys in the Snake Pit brought his score down to -10. Viktor Hovland capitalized on the moment as he scored 3 birdies and 1 bogey in the last 5 to go two strokes up and win the title at the Copperhead Course.

Justin Thomas was upset with himself. His brilliant comeback in the last two rounds didn’t get him the win. But the gentleman that he is, Thomas walked to the room Hovland was in and shook hands. The beautiful moment was caught by the crew of the Golf Channel and shared on Instagram.

“Justin Thomas congratulated Viktor Hovland at the scorer’s table after his Valspar Championship win🤝,”  the post read. The amazing gesture was welcomed by the fans, considering both were desperate for a win. Thomas hadn’t won a title since 2022, while Hovland has failed to win since 2023. Yet, their respect and love for the game defined their honorable actions.

While most fans were enjoying the moment, some brought up another individual into the conversation – someone who has been criticized recently for his disrespectful actions. Remember the incident with Collin Morikawa? He also let the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational slip out of his hands. Unlike Thomas, after losing to Russell Henley in the final round, an upset Morikawa signed autographs and rushed out of the scene.

The golf community was infuriated. Criticisms toward him poured in for not giving interviews. Explaining his side of the story, Morikawa said that he didn’t owe anyone anything. His statement received further backlash as fans tore him apart for his attitude.

So when they witnessed Thomas acting so graciously after his loss, fans couldn’t help but bring Morikawa back into the conversation. And the comments?

Top Stories

Phil Mickelson Shuts Down Journalist’s Attempts to Get Information About Insider Trading Allegations Against Him

LPGA Star Issues Statement After Being Disqualified from $2M Golf Event: ‘Disappointed’

Exclusive: Megan Khang Talks About the Contrast in Perception Between LPGA and Male Golfers

PGA Tour Pro Quietly Equals Scottie Scheffler Record Despite Zero Victories So Far

LIV Golf Star Taunts Rory McIlroy’s Character Over His ‘Peculiar’ Comments on Format Change

Netizens still haven’t forgotten the Collin Morikawa episode

Collin Morikawa’s shocking incident was still fresh in everyone’s mind. Justin Thomas’s gentlemanly behavior reignited that fuel as they berated the former once again.

One fan said, “Colin, you taking notes?”, suggesting that Morikawa should learn professional etiquette from Thomas. However, shaking the winner’s hand is a lot different from getting interrogated by the journalists. Another fan had the same thought in mind as they mentioned how “Morikowa can learn some things from JT.” Hopefully, the 6x PGAT winner is paying attention to this.

Thomas waiting to congratulate Hovland is perhaps what created the best impression. They commented, “Collin Morikowa would have been half way home.” We can’t really blame the fans for this statement, as that is exactly what the Californian did at Bay Hill Golf Club.

Someone went on to question both Morikawa and Thomas. Their comment read, “He saw what happened to Collin after his stupid actions and remarks and said I don’t want that backlash.” While the reasoning does make sense, Justin Thomas has always acted respectfully even after losses. So we’re not sure if we can vouch for the fan’s views.

But most fans kept calling Thomas a “Class act”, something that has been missing from Morikawa’s comment section.

Think Collin Morikawa can really pick up a few social presence tricks from Justin Thomas?