FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — “I don’t think there’s anyone else on our team that would have handled that round like that.”
Those were the words of a member of the backroom European staffer to Mike Thomas, the father of Justin Thomas, on the back of the 18th green, after his son and Cameron Young lost a marathon battle with Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry that bubbled with tension throughout.
Moments earlier, before hugging his teammate, McIlroy shared a close embrace with Justin Thomas after the American conceded the hole and the match.
Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas hug after match.
Vaughn Ridley
They had been through a lot.
Starting the afternoon session with a five-point deficit, the Americans needed a good start and Thomas led out the side in fourballs with Young. The New York crowd was ready to do its part and was loud from the first tee shot.
The heckling, largely aimed at McIlroy, started early and grew. By the time the match reached the fourth green, we had our first real incident. After Thomas made a birdie, Lowry and McIlroy both set their sights on eagles with putts of 15 and 20 feet respectively.
As McIlroy stood still over his ball, the heckles did not stop. An obscenity was shouted from beyond the green and the Northern Irishman backed off his putt. He settled himself once more and missed.
Lowry’s turn. He lined up his 15-footer and rolled it right in the center, immediately stepping towards the heckler, some 30 yards away, and offering back the same obscenity.
Shane Lowry reacts after making his putt on the fourth hole in Saturday fourball.
Scott Taetsch/PGA of America
Tensions were high.
A hole later, another American fan shouted as McIlroy took his stance. I won’t repeat what was said but it was enough to visibly upset both Jani and Jill Thomas, Justin’s mom and wife, respectively.
On the sixth hole, Lowry drained another great putt for birdie and again set off in the direction of a group of fans that had delayed play again on the greens. This time Lowry walked where Thomas was walking, and Thomas shrugged as Lowry in a celebratory rage, didn’t even notice him.
Shane Lowry and Justin Thomas talk to the match referee.
David Cannon
It’s that incident that makes what happens next so surprising. He had a decision to make. Fight fire with fire, or help temper crowds that were already pushing over the edge.
After seeing what happened on the sixth green, I messaged a colleague “Keep your eyes on JT”, thinking he would start holing putts and choose the former.
The U.S. team did start holing putts. From two down after six, they levelled the match by the ninth. Yet Thomas, whilst celebrating his own putts, was actively playing the role of a Long Island police officer, raising his arms to quiet the crowd on nearly every green.
Justin Thomas attempts to quiet the crowd.
Vaughn Ridley
On the 10th hole, specifically, he walked off the green to talk with a fan who heckled the Europeans as they walked onto the green.
For 10 holes, the match remained incredibly tight, with Europe never leading by more than a hole until they clinched the match on the final green.
Throughout, despite holing putts of his own and clearly trying to the lead the team and the fans, Thomas was constantly doing what he could to temper a rowdy, late afternoon home crowd.
It wasn’t only a backrookm staffer who noticed.
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This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
