The Presidents Cup has entered Day 3, with Team USA desperately trying to claw its way back from a four-point deficit after the International team swept Friday’s session. However, the Americans’ efforts have not gone entirely smoothly. Two-time major winner Justin Thomas, in particular, found himself in a difficult situation on Saturday morning.
“🚨 ONE OF US 🗣️,” NUCLR Golf wrote on X while sharing a clip of Thomas from the event. “Welcome to Saturday at The Presidents Cup, courtesy of Justin Thomas. 😳.”
On the opening hole, playing alongside rookie Jackson Koivun against International Team members Min Woo Lee and Sungjae Im, Thomas pulled his opening drive left, leaving the ball barely in bounds near a boundary fence. The fence and the rough prevented him from taking a conventional right-handed swing.
This forced him to attempt his second shot left-handed from the thick rough. However, the shot advanced the ball only a few feet. He played his third shot left-handed as well, with better results. Fortunately for Thomas and Team USA, Koivun came to the rescue. The 21-year-old struck his second shot to within 10 feet of the hole and sank the putt, giving the American duo a 1-up lead.
Professional golf is a game of near-impossible perfection, where players routinely execute flawless shots that the average fan could never replicate. However, when a pro hits a catastrophic slice into the woods, chunks a chip shot two feet in front of them, or three-putts from close range, they suddenly look like an weekend golfer struggling at a local public course.
And this often leads fans to chant “one of us” lightheartedly, as in Thomas’ case. Regardless, this isn’t the first time Justin Thomas has attempted a lefty shot. At the 2017 Tour Championship, his ball sat against a tree with no room for a right-handed attempt. So, he flipped a right-handed iron and punched it lefty back into the fairway, saving a stroke.
Moreover, in the final round of the 2020 WGC-Mexico Championship, a drive nestled against a tree forced him lefty again. He took a few swings and punched the ball about 40 yards through a gap, earning widespread praise as one of the day’s best shots before double-bogeying the hole. Away from tournament pressure, he’s also messed around lefty for fun.
In 2019, ahead of the BMW Championship, he joined Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth for left-handed practice swings. During the 2020 COVID break, he and Fowler played a full 18-hole “Lefty Championship” at Michael Jordan’s Grove XXIII course.
In any case, as Day 3’s four-ball session moves forward, Team International currently remains in a 7-3 lead.
This comes after Thomas partnered with Koivun on Day 1 and delivered a dominant 4&3 win over Corey Conners and Nico Echavarria, securing the first U.S. point and extending Thomas’s perfect Presidents Cup four-ball record to 7-0. Meanwhile, on Day 2, Thomas teamed with Cameron Young but struggled badly, failing to make a single birdie in a 3&2 loss to Adam Scott and Christiaan Bezuidenhout.
Regardless, when fans discovered Justin Thomas’ attempt on X, they quickly started sharing their opinions.
One user wrote, “☠️ JT going lefty.”
Someone else didn’t quite agree with NUCLR Golf’s caption. “ONE OF US is the most dangerous thing you can say about a two-time major winner,” the user commented.
Another chimed in, mocking the situation. “This is why you should always cut your grass,” the user posted.
The next user decided to be honest. “I wouldn’t have gotten out in two,” wrote the user.
Meanwhile, this user took a sarcastic approach. “Welcome to President’s Cup Saturday, where JT shows us first-hand how to play golf just like us,” the user commented.
That being said, Justin Thomas’ left-handed attempt appears to have amused some fans. However, only time will tell whether Thomas and Koivun can close out the match before the afternoon foursomes get underway.