Justin Thomas, Annika Sorenstam’s son — and one of the week’s funniest gestures

Thanks, Will McGee. 

Now we’re crying, too. 

What got you the most on Sunday at the PNC Championship, though? Was it McGee’s walk down 18 at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, hand-in-hand with his Hall of Fame mother, Annika Sorenstam? That was good. It was year two of Will and Annika at the event for major winners and their relatives, and the 12-year-old likes the tournament better than desert. But it was coming to a close. And his head was down. But then Annika raised his hand, and the fans cheered, and well, yeah, that was something. 

But did Will’s next shot get ya more in the feels? That was good, too. You knew something was coming. The kid seems to have a flair for it. From the right greenside bunker, the lefty lofted one up, it dropped about short of the cup, and it finished about a foot away. Even mom couldn’t match that. But there was more here. Will stepped out of the bunker. He took off his blue hat. He waved it. Dad Mike McGee, working as a caddie, smiled. Mom smiled. Dad hugged him. Mom hugged him. We all wanted to hug him. 

But did Will’s ensuing birdie putt hit you harder? That was also good. You knew where this was going. He placed his ball down. He picked up his marker. The tears fell. But he brushed them away with his right hand, tugged at the back of his hat and dropped his ball in for a four. Dad hugged him. He shook hands with the other players and caddies. He hugged mom. He cried again. Whew. 

Or did Will and Annika’s live interview on NBC do the job? After just one question from announcer Cara Banks? They turned on the camera lights, and maybe you melted. 

“Will, I don’t know anyone that embraces the spirit of this championship more than you. Just your second year, you’ve been holing some huge putts, waving to the crowd. Just describe this experience for you this week.”

Amidst some red eyes, he managed this:

“Um, it’s the best week of my year. 

“It’s so much fun being able to do it with her. 

“Thank you, PNC, for everything.”

Oh, man. 

Mom was next. 

“I can see tears in your eyes. I know it was an emotional walk down 18. Was it emotional for you, Annika?”

“It is. It’s so much fun. We have a good time together. Obviously he wanted to do a little better today but I think just walking together and having a good time, and I was walking pretty fast on 18. He said, ‘Slow down, Mummy, I want to enjoy this moment. I think that’s kind of what we did all week.”

Those final handful of words crackled. 

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“Those are happy tears, right, Will?”

“Oh, yes. Yes.”

Good, good. Because you’ll love what came next. Here’s saying it was the funniest gesture of a week full of ’em. 

On the range, ahead of the round, Justin Thomas walked over to Will. Thomas thought the kid needed help. 

He then helped stuff golf balls into his pockets. 

And why?

Jump to the 52-second mark below:

Laugh. Cry. Laugh and cry. Why not?

We’ll end, though, with this exchange, between reporters and Will. It’s another good one. . 

“Who is your favorite pro this week apart from your mom?”

“Tiger was really nice to me this week. He’s always really nice. But he was super nice this week, so I wasn’t expecting that.”

“I saw you chatting to him in the bunker. Did he tell you anything good?”

“We were just talking about stuff.”

“Did he give you any tips?”

“Just to have fun.”

“And you did?”

“Yeah.”

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Nick Piastowski

Golf.com Editor

Nick Piastowski is a Senior Editor at Golf.com and Golf Magazine. In his role, he is responsible for editing, writing and developing stories across the golf space. And when he’s not writing about ways to hit the golf ball farther and straighter, the Milwaukee native is probably playing the game, hitting the ball left, right and short, and drinking a cold beer to wash away his score. You can reach out to him about any of these topics — his stories, his game or his beers — at nick.piastowski@golf.com.

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