Justin Thomas explains why he had to hug Rory McIlroy after brutal PGA Tour round

Jun 6, 2026 - 17:00

Justin Thomas joked that he and McIlroy both ‘needed a hug’ after a difficult round of golf at the Memorial Tournament.

Rather than shaking hands on the last green as players usually do, close friends Thomas and McIlroy shared a warm embrace at the end of the second round at the Muirfield Village Golf Club.

Rory McIlroy at the Memorial Tournament — McIlroy found himself T19 after round two of the Memorial Championship

The two stars were paired together for the opening two days of the PGA Tour event, and were made to battle incredibly tough conditions.

Play was heavily affected by gusty winds, with both of the major winners struggling to adapt.

McIlroy carded a two-over par 74, which included a double-bogey, two bogeys and a birdie in his last six holes.

And Thomas had an even harder time of things, as he recorded a round of 75 to make the cut right on the number.

View Tweet: https://x.com/MemorialGolf?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

The American holed a six-foot par putt on the 18th hole to make it through to the weekend, and it was clear that both he and McIlroy were relieved to put a gruelling day behind them.

Well aware of the punishing conditions he and his playing partner had faced, McIlroy walked up to Thomas with his arms outstretched.

Both players then shared a hug, before leaving the green together as the pair lived to fight another day at the Memorial Tournament.

Foes to friends

After coming through a tough day on the course, Thomas explained that his and McIlroy’s unexpected hug had been a natural reaction.

The 33-year-old said: “It was a mutual hug.

“We just looked at each other and I think we both were like: ‘We need a hug’. He probably realized I needed one, maybe more.

Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas hug after round two of the Memorial Tournament — McIlroy was the first to congratulate playing partner Thomas on making the cut at the Memorial Tournament

“It was a grind. It was a different grind for him, but, yeah, we were just battling out there.”

‘Hardest round of golf’

Thomas was quick to stress just how tough the playing conditions had been on day two of the Memorial Tournament.

It wasn’t just the three-time major winner who struggled, with several big names failing to make the cut – namely Jordan Spieth (+6), Bob MacIntyre (+7) and world no. 14 Ben Griffin (+7).

With winds gusting between 20-25mph, Thomas reflected on round two: “I can’t put into words how hard that was.

“That was the hardest round of golf that I can remember – major, non-major, it was just insane.

“The wind wasn’t really the direction it was supposed to be, or kind of forecasted to be, for like half the day and that usually isn’t something that happens when it’s at 20, 25 mph. It was just hard.

Justin Thomas at the Memorial Tournament — Thomas is still chasing his first PGA win since victory at the 2025 RBC Heritage

“You don’t have a bail out on half your shots out here so you have a lot of shots over water and you’re like: ‘Well, I hope it’s helping or I hope it’s not hurting’.

“But everybody’s dealing with the same thing, but, man, it was brutal. “

Thomas and McIlroy’s positions on the leaderboard after round two gave a fair idea of the challenges facing them out on the course.

After finishing with three-over 75, Thomas sat five-over par and T47 heading into the weekend at the Memorial.

Meanwhile, McIlroy found himself T19, 10 strokes behind the leader JT Poston, who sat at nine-under par after round two.

This is only the third tournament the six-time major winner has played since winning the Masters in April and it is his only warm-up event before the US Open at Shinnecock Hills, which gets underway on Thursday, June 18.