It wasn’t the best day on the course for Justin Thomas at Quail Hollow on Thursday. He shot a 73 (+2) in the opening round of the PGA Championship, placing him in a tie for 73rd.

Thomas got off to a rough start, going +3 through the first three holes. He finished the front nine at +4. While his play improved on the back nine, a bogey on the 18th left him with a 34 on that side and a 73 overall.

Despite the ups and downs, Thomas delivered a highlight-reel moment on the 16th hole. From just under 37 feet off the green, he chipped in for birdie, moving to +1 at the time and drawing attention from fans and fellow golfers alike.

Chip-in birdie from off the green?!⁰⁰All @JustinThomas34 could do was smile 😁
pic.twitter.com/GMcStme9Y9

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 15, 2025

Here’s how golf fans reacted to the shot:

One fan said,  “16 has been brutal to the players. Good to see someone get one back.”

A Justin Thomas fan was excited, “Love it! GO JT!!!”

“Congrats, JT!” cried out this fan.

This fan was extremely impressed with the shot, “Insane. Great chip”

Golf fans know a good shot when they see it, as one wrote, “So pure.”

This golf fan was impressed, but even more impressed with a later shot: “His shot on 18 was better.”

Thomas, who turned 32 in April, has two major wins to his name, both at the PGA Championship. His most recent victory at this event came in 2022. In total, he has 16 PGA Tour wins since joining the tour in 2013 after playing college golf at the University of Alabama.

He finished tied for 36th at the 2025 Masters in April. The U.S. Open, however, has proven more difficult lately, with Thomas missing the cut in the last two editions.

At the top of the PGA Championship leaderboard after Day 1 is Jhonattan Vegas, who closed out late in the afternoon with a stellar 7-under 64. He holds a two-stroke lead over Cam Davis and Ryan Gerard heading into Friday.

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