Tag: Justin Thomas

Categories
European Tour

Rahm and Thomas set to star in Scottish showpiece

Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas tee off at the Scottish Open. (Photo: Getty)
Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas tee off at the Scottish Open. (Photo: Getty)

Two of global golf’s biggest stars are set to light up the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open with Justin Thomas and Jon Rahm – the current World Number Two and Three – confirming their participation in the second Rolex Series event of the 2021 Race to Dubai.

The two former World Number One players bring further star power to an impressive field gathering at the Renaissance Club on July 8-11, 2021 and fans can book their places to take in the action now, with a strictly limited number of tickets currently on general sale at ET.GOLF/ASISO2021

Rahm was crowned European Number One in 2019 as the swashbuckling Spaniard continued to impress on the world stage, and the 26 year old will go in search of a fifth Rolex Series title when he makes his debut in Scotland’s national open this summer.

Major winner Thomas returns to the Renaissance Club after recording a top ten finish on his 2019 debut in the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open. The 28 year old former World Number One is returning to where it all began, after making his first start as a professional in Scotland, the Home of Golf at the 2013 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

Rahm and Thomas join fellow World Top Ten stars Tyrrell Hatton, Collin Morikawa and Xander Schaufele in East Lothian as the tournament once again takes its place in the week before The Open at Royal St George’s.

Rahm will attempt to become the only the second Spaniard to win the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open title since the formation of the European Tour in 1972, after Rafa Cabrera Bello in 2017, while Thomas will look to follow in the footsteps of four fellow American winners – Michael Allen (1989), Tom Lehman (1997), Phil Mickelson (2013) and Rickie Fowler (2015).

European Ryder Cup star Rahm, whose six European Tour victories include four on the Rolex Series at the 2017 and 2019 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open and the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai in the same seasons, said:

“I’m looking forward to teeing it up at the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open for the first time. I always enjoy playing in Rolex Series events, and I’ve had success in them in the past few years, so it will be pretty cool to try to add another title in Scotland this summer ahead of The Open.”

Thomas’s impressive CV includes the 2017 US PGA Championship and two World Golf Championship titles and, like Rahm, the American’s impressive form in recent years led to a Ryder Cup debut at Le Golf National in 2018.

He said: “I can’t wait to get back to Scotland and the Renaissance Club. I have a lot of good memories of playing in Scotland and it would be an awesome place to win a first Rolex Series title. I’ve said before it’s a goal of mine to win on different tours and in different countries, and I would love to be successful when I come back to the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open in July.”

A strictly limited number of tickets are currently available for each of the four Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open competition days at ET.GOLF/ASISO2021

Tickets are priced at £10 for juniors (14-18 years), £30 for concessions and £35 for adults, with under 13s going free. Tickets must be purchased in advance and will not be available on site during the tournament.

A percentage of the tickets available for the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open will be donated to key frontline workers in recognition of their dedicated work throughout the pandemic.

The only official sales channel to purchase tickets for the 2021 Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open is via the ticketing platform Eventbrite. The resale of tickets on unofficial platforms contravenes the European Tour’s ticket terms and conditions and such sales render the ticket void.

(Text: European Tour)

Categories
European Tour

McIlroy aiming to get the job done in Abu Dhabi

Rory McIlory begins his 2021 season with high ambitions. (Photo: Getty)

Four-time Major Champion Rory McIlroy hopes to continue his strong run of form at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship as he starts his 2021 season at the first Rolex Series event of the year.

In ten appearances  the Northern Irishman has finished runner-up three times and third on three further occasions, admitting that he has done “everything but win” around Abu Dhabi Golf Club. The 31-year-old is no stranger to success in the Middle East, claiming four of his 14 European Tour titles in the United Arab Emirates as well as winning the Race to Dubai three times.

McIlroy will begin his campaign in the company of defending champion and reigning European Number One Lee Westwood, and  World Number Three Justin Thomas. The 2017 US PGA Championship winner admits he has been an avid viewer of the tournament in the past as he prepares to make his first appearance in the Middle East.

Former champion Tommy Fleetwood will go in search of a third win in the space of five years at this event. After a near three and a half year wait for his second European Tour title, Fleetwood won the 2017 edition which he then successfully defended the following year. In 2020, he finished runner-up to Westwood.

Rory McIlroy: “It’s good to be back. I started my season in Abu Dhabi from 2008 to 2018 and it’s worked well for me. It’s a golf course I’ve done well at and played well on. I’ve done everything but win here and yeah, I’ll try again and see if I can get the job done.

“I enjoy playing in the desert, this style of golf. Obviously last year was a different year and I really didn’t travel back over this part of the world and play at all. But now with things, it’s still obviously not where we want it to be, but I think we know a little bit more about what’s going on in terms of how the virus is and how it affects you or how it doesn’t affect you in many cases and feel a little more comfortable traveling.

“It’s great to be out here and playing. It’s a great way to start the year. It’s a big event. Got some great players here. Obviously J.T. has made the trip over, as well. The start of our Ryder Cup points starting again, so a lot of guys will want to start well and get themselves off to a fast start in regards to that, too.”

Justin Thomas: “I’m very excited. This is a tournament and a place that I’ve watched on TV many times back home and it’s an unbelievable place. You know, it’s even nicer being on a Troon property for me, a partner that I have and I’m very close with, and it’s an unbelievable course. It’s in immaculate shape.

“It definitely is going to help driving it well. It seems like a course that if you’re driving the ball well, you have the opportunity to make a lot of birdies. The greens are pretty soft and they are in very good shape to where if you put the ball in the right place on the greens, you can make a lot of putts and really go low. That’s kind of been our priority here this week is just figuring out lines, figuring out shots and what I want to hit off the tees.”

Tommy Fleetwood: “I think it’s a great way to start the year. Everybody seems to like coming out to the Middle East just after Christmas and New Year, do some practise, and you come out here and you have some great tournaments to start the year.

“It was never really a course that gave me much pleasure, really. I missed a lot of cuts to start off with and all of the sudden in 2017, things kind of turned around and I started hitting good golf shots around the golf course. I’ve been on a lovely run in this event.”

Text: European Tour Press Release

Categories
Highlights Tours

Justin Thomas: “I’m very confident I’m going to win around this place at some point”

Photo: Getty

Question: Not having a crowd out there, you mentioned it, there was no way you could tell what was happening.
JUSTIN THOMAS: No. I mean, I had no idea. Yeah, that’s the weird part is you know what the guys are doing in front of you from whenever you see your watch. If you happen to turn around and see what the guy’s shots are, but with no crowd, yeah, you have no idea what’s going on.


Q: How would you assess your week as a whole?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I mean, it was far from my best stuff. So to finish fourth, it looks like it’s going to be, with that is a positive. I mean, I keep getting better. I’m very confident I’m going to win around this place at some point. I just don’t know when or if it will happen. I’m very comfortable. I just need to execute a little bit better. This week with the conditions being softer, the course knowledge didn’t come in play as much. You still had to leave it in the right spots, but not near as much when it was this soft. So I wish the tournament in April started tomorrow. I’ll just say that.


Q: A little bit of a slow start today.
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, a little bit of a slow start is an understatement. Yeah, I hit four great golf shots on 1 and made par. Yeah, I mean, you just can’t bogey two in the scenario I was in. No, I didn’t hit the ball very well to start, and any time I had a birdie chance, I didn’t hit a very good iron shot. Then I found a little bit of rhythm on the back nine. It’s just one of those weeks. Stuff didn’t go my way. Kind of ended the week, my ball landed on the fairway, and it’s my first ever mud ball in a fairway bunker on 18. So it was just one of those weeks.

Justin Thomas :”I hit it really solid”


Q: Ball striking‐wise, it seems like you had a very, very good week. Are you going to take that from this week as far as going forward?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, sure. I did a little bit of everything. I didn’t hole anything the last three days, but I hit the ball beautifully yesterday. Like I hit it really solid. I didn’t hit it really close to the hole a lot, but the shots that didn’t go where I wanted, they still were hit really well, and I felt like they were good shots. But it was just the fact of the matter today, I had so many bull pins and so many pins that I needed and I should have hit close to, that I hit to 30 feet. I guess the long way to answer your question, yes, I did hit it well this week.


Q: After a week of seeing it this soft, would you like to see it firm and fast in April?
JUSTIN THOMAS: 100 percent. I’ll take firm and fast over soft any day.


Q: You see D.J. at 20. What do you think? Pretty incredible?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, it is. I don’t think it will ever happen in April, but if we have another pandemic and it plays in April, I think it’s in play.

Categories
Team USA

PGA Tour: Justin Thomas Speaks To The Media Prior To Making 6th Start at The Players Championship

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA - MARCH 10: Justin Thomas of the United States plays a shot during a practice round prior to The PLAYERS Championship on The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on March 10, 2020 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

PGA Tour professional and FedEx Cup number two Justin Thomas addresses the media ahead of The Players Championship, speaking on the May to March change, building his schedule for the year and being paired with friends.

PGA Tour: Justin Thomas previews The Players Championship ahead of making his 6th start on Thursday

AMANDA HERRINGTON: We’d like to welcome Justin Thomas to the interview room here at THE PLAYERS Championship. Justin is making his sixth start at THE PLAYERS Championship, comes into the week No. 2 in the FedExCup standings on the strength of two wins this season. Justin, get your thoughts on coming into the week here.

JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, it’s a place I love. I love the golf course. I think it’s just a very well-designed course, tee to green, forces you to work it both ways off the tee and into the green, and obviously it’s an extremely deep field with all the top players here, so it’s a tournament that when I first came here, I felt like I could have some success at this place, and yeah, came out and practiced yesterday. It seems to be in pristine shape as usual, so I’m excited to get out there today on the course and see how it is.

Q. You’ve had some really good low rounds here and some not so good. When you play well out here, what are you doing right, and when you don’t play so well, what’s kind of been your stumbling blocks out here?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I think honestly, I think it’s a testament to a well-designed course. You look at, obviously Mexico is very different or Riviera, but every day you have those 64 to 67s and you have some 78s, and like that just doesn’t happen every week.

I think it’s because this place rewards good golf and penalizes bad golf. I would think that — I mean, obviously it depends on the weather and you can get some cold, windy and some firm weeks in March, but some of my high numbers have been in May mostly. When it gets firm like that, it puts even more of a premium on hitting the fairway, and those days where I had some high numbers, I was not playing well, and I didn’t really have any control of my ball versus when I was playing well. If you get the ball in the fairway you have a lot of wedges and 9-irons into these greens, and I feel like that’s a strength of my game. I just have been able to take advantage of that a couple times when I’ve been hitting it well.

It’s a place where you can get it going, you just kind of have to stay patient and wait for your spots.

The Players Championship Tee Times and Leaderboard

Q. We always get this mentality that’s kind of like win or nothing else, and I’m just curious if you ever finished like in a top 10 that wasn’t a win but that was a satisfying week for you. Can you get satisfaction out of a non-win top 10, for instance?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Absolutely. I mean, we all say that and we all think that, but it’s not reality. We’re not going to win every week. We’re not going to win — I don’t know the percentages of the top players’ wins in their career, but I can’t imagine that anybody except for one person is above 10 or 15 percent. You have to be realistic in senses like that.

I mean, a week like Phoenix this year for me was huge. I did not play very well. I was not driving it well. My irons were very average. I got it around the course very well and ended up — I had a good Sunday. We got it going a little bit, and ended up finishing third, and I think weeks like that are sometimes more confidence boosting than anything else because realistically I could have won that tournament if I just could have got something going remotely the first couple days, but I just could never — I was never hitting it well enough to make that five, six birdies in a nine-hole stretch or whatever it was. I’d make a couple and then I’d just make some more pars on some easy holes. I just could never get momentum going.

But for not playing very well and not hitting it very well, I think I made four bogeys over four days so managed my game well and got it around that course well. I’d take the win, but sometimes it’s just as confidence boosting.

Q. With the change back to March and the fairways being softer, do you think we’re going to see someone shoot a 62 here? The 63s have both been in March, I believe.
JUSTIN THOMAS: I think Colt Knost shot 63 here when it was in May. I think you can. The thing about it being in March, I’ve never experienced it, I mean, I’ve heard some horror stories from guys in the past of you get in Jacksonville this time of year you can get some cold, cold days, you can get a strong north wind where we’re hitting 6-, 7-, 8-iron on 17. I would imagine if that’s the case then you won’t be seeing any. But if you get weather like it looks like it could be this week, generally one or two of the days they’re going to have the pins set up a little bit easier, someone could get hot and do it. You can do it on any golf course, I think when you give us the soft conditions it’s definitely going to be more likely, but at the end of the day 10-under par, that’s a low score no matter where you’re playing. But I definitely think that it is doable.

Q. It seems like just a blink ago you were considered one of the young guns out here. I want your thoughts on this current crop of young players that come out here and they not only think they can win, they expect to win.
JUSTIN THOMAS: Am I officially out? Am I thrown out of the young —

Q. Yeah, you’re out.
JUSTIN THOMAS: Damn, that’s rough. (Laughter.)

No, it’s impressive, and I think it’s cool what the TOUR is doing this week is pairing Viktor, Matt and Collin together. The fact that those three guys have won already is unbelievable. I don’t think — they probably don’t even realize how impressive it is.

But they also understand how talented they are, and we do, too, and they’re going to be out here for a long time.

You can’t compare their group versus our group or another group or whatever it is. You just kind of have to respect what’s coming out, and they’re unbelievable players, they’re very, very mature for being thrown into the spotlight. I think that’s something that goes very under-mentioned and underrated is that it’s easy to forget that they’re 21, 22 years old, I think at least, and they’re handling all this very well because they’re very much in the spotlight just like any of us are. They’re still playing some pretty good golf and being comfortable out here.

I think they’re going to continue to do great things, and it’s great to have them out here.

Q. This question is from a Chinese fan, so obviously you’re one of their favorites. He wants to know before your round if you’re not mentally ready, what do you do to snap yourself out of it?
JUSTIN THOMAS: There’s plenty of times. You wake up some days and some mornings and you just don’t have it, you’re tired, you don’t feel well. I don’t have a good warmup or whatever it might be. I think those days I rely on my caddie Jimmy. He knows if I’m not feeling well. We know each other so well to where we can figure out just by being around each other for 20 minutes if the other one isn’t in it that day. I’ll just tell him walking to the tee, Hey, man, I need you today, I don’t quite feel well or I don’t have it and we need to stay extra patient today, and we might talk through things a little bit more. Yeah, I don’t know, he does a great job in situations like that, and we’ve actually had some pretty good rounds doing that.

Q. You referred to it a little bit ago about the top 5s and how that top 3 was a positive moment for you. When you look at Rory right now and the run he’s on with all these top 5s, which is pretty remarkable, how do you view that stretch because obviously he’s frustrated he hasn’t won yet, which I’m sure you would be, as well, but where do you weigh that on the positive side versus the negative side, not closing them out when he’s had chances?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I think you definitely have to look at it as a positive. The thing about it is you keep — when you’re as talented as Rory is, you keep putting yourself there, it’s going to happen eventually, and he has the capability to do what he’s done a couple times where he might win four events in six weeks or win a couple in a row. I know he knows that, I know we all know that, and he’s playing some unbelievable golf, but he’s just — it’s cool because I respect Rory as much as I like him. I just respect what he does because he works really hard. He takes it extremely seriously. I mean, I would say, along with myself, he is someone that I see practicing more than anybody else. We put a lot of work in.

I think he had some times there where he was expecting more of himself and he wasn’t sure what he had to do, and he just kind of had to dig it out of the dirt and kind of just get back to the basics and just, not start over, but be like, I need to be me, I need to be Rory McIlroy and get myself back to what made me great, and he’s obviously doing that, and the wins will come.

Q. The guy to chase in the FedExCup at the moment is Sungjae Im. What are your thoughts on him?
JUSTIN THOMAS: He’s unbelievable. I remember the first time I played with him at the CJ Cup, it was really windy, as is often is there, and the way he was hitting his drives, we’d have this huge crosswind and he would hit this little low bullet hold and when it would be the other way he would do the same thing, we’d have a downwind into the green he’d throw an iron straight up into the air. I’ve never seen somebody that young with so many shots. I know it took me a while to learn all those and feel comfortable doing them in a golf tournament, for one, but he obviously is very comfortable doing it, and he definitely plays enough to get comfortable with it in a tournament. It’s impressive. I think every person that I know that has played with him for the first time walks off and is like, wow, he’s good. He knows what he’s doing. He can make his way around a golf course, and yeah, I don’t think we’re — anybody who’s played with him, I don’t think we’re surprised that he’s won, and I’m sure he’s going to win a lot more times.

Q. Regarding the grouping with you and Jordan and Rickie, how hard or easy is it to turn off the friendship when you start off the first tee and get competitive like you need to be? What’s that dynamic like to play with two such close friends?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, it can be tough, but I’ve had some really good rounds with some great friends. You definitely have to find the, I guess, the happy medium of we’re going to talk between shots, and it’s just a matter of, okay, when do I cut that off and I need to get back into my focus, because I have a lot of times that I hit it up there close and I’m kind of counting my putt, it’s like a four-footer and I’m kind of laughing and joking around with the guys on the green and next thing you know it’s my turn to putt, I’m not focused and I miss it. I’m walking off the green going, how many times do I have to do to this learn that I’ve got to stop doing it. But because of that I obviously have learned, and I know that I have to take it into consideration.

We’re going to have fun. I mean, not any more fun than we would with anybody else. We just happen to be some group of guys that are really good friends and hang out quite a bit and we’re out here competing trying to win a golf tournament.

We’re all going to be trying to play as well as we can and beat each other, but in between shots just kind of yuk it up and have some fun.

Q. How hard is it to build your entire schedule for the year, and is it subject to change ever? And also, what did you do the last couple weeks?
JUSTIN THOMAS: In terms of scheduling, it can be tough. I feel like it’s going to take a couple years to kind of figure out. The Florida Swing is very difficult for me at least living here. It’s like there’s so many tournaments I want to play, and there’s so many tournaments I feel like are good for me, but at the end of the day, I need to do what’s best for me, and I need to do what’s going to make sure that my body is in the best shape throughout the year, going to be fresh and ready for the majors, and most importantly fresh and ready for the FedExCup Playoffs, because I felt like last year was kind of strange because obviously I didn’t want to miss a month, month and a half with the wrist injury, but come the Playoffs time, everyone is tired and I’m ready to go. I took a month, month and a half off, and I’m like, all right, let’s do it, let’s keep playing.

I almost learned a little bit from that because it’s like, I don’t need to play. Yeah, sitting at home and watching the Honda and watching Bay Hill and being like, I know that I can do this and I’ve had success at Honda and Bay Hill is a tough course, ball striker’s course, I know that I can compete there. But I can sit at home every week and do that.

I probably did watch more golf than I have in a while because of just how — not entertaining but just how good the golf courses we’re playing. I thought it was enjoyable to watch. I guess that answers the question, I did watch a lot of golf.

It does take a little bit to figure out the scheduling. But no, I took it easy. I didn’t do very much at all. I wanted to get some rest for these next three events coming up in a row, and one of my best friends from high school got married this past weekend in Louisville, so I went home Thursday, got to see my friends and my family that I don’t get to see very often and spend a nice fun weekend with them and then came back Sunday morning and went out and played with dad Sunday afternoon and then came here yesterday.

Q. It’s been kind of an odd start to the year in terms of winning Kapalua, missing the cut at Sony, being there at Phoenix, missing the cut at LA, being there in Mexico. What’s going on?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I hope that trend doesn’t continue now that you say that.

No, Sony was weird. The conditions were so brutal. I don’t know if it just took a lot out of me winning in Kapalua or what it was, but I played poorly, but I didn’t — I just couldn’t get the ball in the hole at Sony. I had a hard time putting in that wind, and the golf course was so different than any year I’ve ever played it where, honestly, I feel like it almost hurt me playing there — not that five times is that many — but playing there as many times as I have, because I’m used to, when you hit it in the rough on No. 1, you’re trying to land it 15 yards short of that green on the right and run it up there. Whereas, you’re in the rough, straight downwind, you had to fly it in the middle of the green because it was so soft that the ball was just going to basically plug where it was. I think it took me about 20-something holes to figure that out, and by that point it was a little too late and didn’t matter.

But in LA I just drove it bad, and when you drive it bad out there, you’re pretty much behind the 8-ball, and I could never get the ball close enough to the hole to make any birdies.

I actually played all right on Friday. I played good enough to post a score well enough to make the cut, but I just played so poorly on Thursday that I didn’t really have much. Just kind of been a little bit of up and down.

Q. Secondly, have you or any of your people sat down or talked with the Premier Golf League, and when do you have to make a decision if there’s one to be made?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I don’t know, in terms of the decision. I’ve tried to keep it as far away from me as possible because I’m focused on playing out here and taking whatever week I have next, focusing on that as opposed to focusing on whatever it is. We haven’t really talked about it. I mean, it’s just something that kind of gets brought up quickly, and I kind of let them handle it. Like I said, that’s not my part. I’m out here to try to get ready to play on the PGA TOUR, and that’s my main focus right now, and once that opportunity ever presents itself to actually sit down and talk about it, then we can.

Q. Davis Riley is having a great start to the year on the Korn Ferry TOUR. Can you speak to your relationship with him and following his progress and what stands out to you and impresses you with his game?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, Davis is a stud, man. He’s one of the guys when I’d go back and visit the guys at school, I just hit it off with him so well. He kind of reminds me a lot of myself. He’s a good player, but he’s laid back, he’s easy going. He’s a great teammate. Got along with all the guys. I just really, really like him. I do. I kind of wanted to take him under my wing a little bit and try to help him as much as I could, whether he wanted the help or not, just present it to him that I’m here to help if he wants. He’s impressive. I mean, there’s a handful of guys or a group of guys I feel like in college and amateur golf, there’s obviously going to be a lot of kids that come out and are very successful, but he’s someone that you sit and watch hit balls, and it’s like, that’s a different sound than everybody makes, it’s a different ball flight than everybody makes and he just needs to stay focused and keep doing what he’s doing. Whatever he’s doing right now is working pretty well and hopefully he’ll have continued success and we’ll have a lot of years out here together.

Q. From this point on until through the TOUR Championship, the schedule seems a little unrelenting. You’re never more than a few weeks away from a really big event. How do you go about compartmentalizing to avoid burning out from THE PLAYERS through the TOUR Championship?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, it’s a good question, but I think I just try to take everything I’ve learned over the past five years from it. It’s like, I don’t play more than three in a row. Nobody, including my caddie, wants me to ever play four in a row. It just doesn’t bode for a good Justin. Not fun to be around. Using the Mondays through Wednesdays how I need to use them and using the off weeks how I need to use them, and I feel like I’m definitely young enough and do the proper training to where I should not get burnt out. Certainly there’s going to be weeks where maybe you’re a little bit more excited when you get to the course or tee it up on Thursday than others, but that’s why I do what I do. I came out here and I wanted to play professional golf so I could be playing all these tournaments and playing from THE PLAYERS to the TOUR Championship. There’s definitely — it definitely beats the alternative of not having to worry about burning out, that’s for sure. That’s what I do all of my work on the off weeks and training for, so that doesn’t happen.

Q. Speaking to your pairing, the spring break reunion tour this week, can you just talk about that pairing, and can that be advantageous playing with buddies? Is that something that can be a help during a tournament, first two rounds of a tournament?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, it’ll be a good time. We’ve had a lot of rounds of golf together, probably more fun rounds than competitive rounds. I don’t know. At the end of the day, we’re going to play well because of us, not because of the people we’re with. I mean, there’s obviously times where you’ll have everyone in the group is 4- or 5-under, you can kind of feed off each other. Sometimes the group is a little bit flat. But at the end of the day, if we all get off to a good start, then we might play well. It’s not like I’m going to play great today because I played with Jordan and Rick. I would like to hope that I have a little bit more confidence in myself, that I’m a good enough player to play without them. But that being said, it is nice knowing — I was going to say it’s not like I can really catch up with them. I pretty much know everything about them already, and vice versa, but it’s just — I like their caddies, I like their families. It’s easy for us. It’s something we’re very, very accustomed to.

Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida

March 11, 2020

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

Categories
Team USA

PGA Tour: Justin Thomas Talks Successful Track Record at the WGC Mexico Championship

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - FEBRUARY 20: Justin Thomas of the United States plays his shot from the second tee during the first round of the World Golf Championships Mexico Championship at Club de Golf Chapultepec on February 20, 2020 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images)

PGA Tour professional Justin Thomas speaks with the media following an opening round 67 at the WGC Mexico Championship and in a tie for second position, 2 strokes off the lead.

PGA Tour: Justin Thomas recaps opening round 67 at the WGC Mexico Championship

Q. Justin, what is it about this course you like so much?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I don’t know. It’s a different course. Leish and I were talking about it today. I’ve never played a place — I felt like today was tough. I’ve never played this place with this kind of wind. It just doesn’t get this windy here this often. But you can go so low, but man, if you’re not playing well, you can shoot over par in a heartbeat. It’s pretty tough to manage your score, but I feel like we have a pretty good idea how far the ball goes, and that helps.

Q. When you guys teed off there was nothing and then all of a sudden it kicked up. When that happens, how much do you have to change your game plan out there?
JUSTIN THOMAS: You have to change it a lot because usually at altitude the wind doesn’t affect it too much, but when you’re hitting 6-irons from 240 over water, you’re like, well, I hope it — is it going to affect it, is it not. I hit a sand wedge today, Jimmy and I were posing looking at it, and it landed like 10 yards short of the green. Like it wasn’t even close. It took us a little bit to kind of figure out that the ball did not go very far into the wind, but man, it goes downwind.

2020 WGC Mexico Championship Full Leaderboard

Q. You’ve played all over the world. How much do you enjoy representing not only you and your brand but also the PGA TOUR, playing here in Mexico and everywhere else you get to play in front of fans like this?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, it’s awesome. Jimmy and I said, it’s really cool. I want to meet this kid; I’ve met him but I don’t know him very well. He’s followed us around the last two years. He knows Jimmy’s name, he yells at Jimmy, he yells at me, he looks like a TOUR pro out there, so I feel like I have some sort of relationship with this little kid just from playing in this tournament. But we get a lot of support from everybody, and it’s great that we decided to come here to Mexico City.

Q. How would you assess your round out there today?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I played well. It was a little difficult to start it felt like with this wind. It wasn’t something that we’re accustomed to out here, all of us. It’s usually very, very calm. If anything you’ll get maybe a five-mile-an-hour breeze. But took us a little bit to adjust, but when I missed the green I felt like I missed them in good spots and got it up-and-down, made a couple key putts and really felt like I did everything I needed to do.

Q. With the wind, how did that make the course harder?
JUSTIN THOMAS: It’s really tough just because I think 7 is a perfect example. For some reason that back tee, seems like no matter where the pin is, it’s just a perfect 6-iron, and my 6-iron here goes about 230 to 235 and the pin is in the back today. I think it was 230 — it was 241 and we had 208 front, and the 7-iron goes 215, and usually at this altitude the wind doesn’t do very much, but when it’s blowing that much, you’re like, is it not, because long is bad and what do we do and I can’t come up short because then it goes in the water, and it really was just a guessing game.

I hit a wedge shot on 5 that — I mean, I flagged it and it landed 10 yards short of the green. It wasn’t even close. It took a little bit to get used to, but once we did, I felt like we had somewhat of an idea.

Q. Does it help that you’ve had some success here, when you have to deal with something like that, it’s easier to figure it out a little quicker than maybe guys who haven’t played here?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I hope so. That would be an advantage for me. At the end of the day, the most important thing is hitting the ball consistently because if you hit it differently, you hit down on it, you hit it high, hit it low, your yardages are going to change, and I feel like that’s something we’ve done is we just try to stick to just playing golf and our numbers that have worked the last three years.

Q. How much is it to have validation after Genesis to come here and put a good opening round together and put yourself — seems to be at this tournament again.
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, it’s good. It just yet again proves what a fickle game golf is. Two places that are as totally different as they may seem, I feel like are similar golf courses in terms — if you play well it rewards good golf, but you can shoot over par pretty quickly. You’ve got the zoysia fairways, the kind of kikuyu type rough, poa annua greens, so you really have to be patient out there, and it’s kind of something that I try to learn a little bit from last week. I didn’t play that poorly on Friday, I just couldn’t get the ball in the hole, so it was nice to see some putts go in.

Q. How do you define patience out here?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Just waiting for your time. I feel like at some point over four days, hopefully a couple times I might reel off four, five, six in a nine-hole span, and you just kind of have to wait for it. There’s a decent chance it doesn’t happen, but you have so many wedges, and if you have control of your ball you can get it in good spots. I mean, I’ve had two 62s here, and you can get it going. It’s just tough sometimes because of the altitude and playing the yardages correctly and making them on these greens. So many short clubs, you just kind of have to wait for it I feel like.

Mexico City, Mexico

February 20, 2020

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

Categories
Team USA

PGA Tour: Justin Thomas Recaps Top 5 Finish at Waste Management Phoenix Open

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 02: Justin Thomas plays his second shot on the second hole during the final round of the Waste Management Open at TPC Scottsdale on February 02, 2020 in Scottsdale, Arizona. on February 02, 2020 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

PGA Tour professional Justin Thomas speaks with the media following his final round at the Waste Management Phoenix Open in which he secured another top 5 finish.

PGA Tour: Justin Thomas recaps final round 65 at 2020 Waste Management Phoenix Open

Q. Birdie four of your last six maybe the highlight birdieing 16 with the Kobe jersey on. What was this week like for you with what happened a week ago?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I mean it’s always a fun week here in Phoenix, somehow it gets crazier every year with the fans and the amount of people here. But, no, I mean, it was, I guess, a somber week, if you will, it just is, a lot of us playing with heavy hearts. A lot of my good friends from the West Coast area are big laker fans, big Kobe fan and I just kind of became a Kobe fan, just for being a fan of his and loved the way he went about everything. I have a couple Kobe jerseys so it was a no-brainer for me to bring them and wear them on 16.

Full Leaderboard: 2020 Waste Management Phoenix Open

Q. Good week, good finish for you today. What was going right for you today?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I hit it a little bit better today. I really, to be perfectly honest I don’t feel like I played very well this week. I got it around really well and I managed my game tremendously and sometimes weeks like this can give me more confidence than winning, as crazy as it is. I mean obviously I would have rather won, but to not have my best stuff, really drive it very, very average, iron game not very sharp, and not really have a hot putter once this week and still to hopefully be able to squeak a Top-5 is pretty good.

Q. I know you’re a big sports fan. Who do you like tonight?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I don’t know. I love watching Mahomes play so I’ll probably be pulling for the Chiefs. Good buddies with Gary Woodland so I couldn’t do that to him, so I guess I’m going to go with the Chiefs.

Q. Do you think you’re feted to win this thing one of these years?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I feel like it’s definitely a good course for me. I feel like if I would have played well this week I would have had a really good chance to win. I just kept getting it around, I never once got hot, I never either could make some longer putts or could hit it close enough multiple times in a row to get anything going. So I was very, I’m very, very pleased with how this week turned out for how I felt like I played.

Q. Something click today?
JUSTIN THOMAS: No, I mean I didn’t do anything special today. I hit a wedge in there close on 2 and I made a good putt on 5 and I hit a wedge in there probably 12 feet on 6. And then all my birdies on the back nine were pretty easy, they were short range. I just felt like I did everything I should have done, I mean this course you can birdie, I mean 10 to 12 holes out here, 15 holes, it’s, you just, it’s hard to get it going when the greens are get a little bit firmer like this and they tuck some of the pins but I just felt I could never really get anything going to go low.

Q. Was there any point on the back nine where your focus shifted from trying to put a good number up to potentially trying scare the leaders?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Absolutely, I thought when we were on — I thought when I was walking up 14 I saw the leaders at 15, which I was just couldn’t believe and I was at 11. And I was like, man if I somehow can make about — I had a 35- or 40-footer — I was like if I can make this and eagle either 15 or 17 and birdie 16 and 18 and we can post 16- or 17- they got to at least look at it. That’s all I wanted. And I was — I bombed with that tee shot on 17, that just was bad, I would at least like to have a look at eagle there. But overall I can’t be too disappointed with the last six holes.

Q. Is the zone a thing in golf? I cover a lot of sports, basketball, a guy gets hot they stay hot. Does that happen here?
JUSTIN THOMAS: It didn’t happen today but it definitely happens in golf. I think any of us will tell you that when you get rolling — I mean a round like today, I don’t want to say far from, but it definitely wasn’t. When you get in that 7-, 8-, 9-, 10-, 11-under range and you’re just borderline unconscious it’s a pretty cool feeling. It’s hard to explain.

Q. Curious what you thought of the crowds this week as compared to previous years and not just 16 but the whole experience.
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, it gets crazier every year. You expect that, you know you’re getting it, so it’s not like it’s a surprise, at least it isn’t to me. And, I mean everybody has their bad stories and their good stories. Fortunately I thought this week it was fine, you’re always going to have a lot of noise and a lot of drunk people yelling stuff, but I guess that’s the Phoenix Open, that’s what it is from time to time, but, no, I mean, it was great, 16 was awesome as always and very, very enjoyable experience.

Q. And how does it compare to other tournaments, like just the size of the crowd?
JUSTIN THOMAS: It’s not even close. You can’t relate this to any other tournament that we play because it’s different. I think I would say 70 percent of the people here maybe don’t come even for the golf they just come for the fun and hospitality and the tents. And there’s a lot of people out here for golf but when you have however many hundred thousand people that’s a lot of people.

Q. Did you and Tony talk about Kobe at all, you both wore jerseys.
JUSTIN THOMAS: No.

Q. He’s your Presidents Cup teammate and all that, he’s vying for the win here. What are your thoughts on your game now, are you a little surprised that he hasn’t picked up a W since 2016?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, we were talking about that today because he obviously handles the pressure really well. I mean, look how he’s played in the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup and that’s, I mean, personally, I think the biggest pressure you can get. I mean, I felt stuff at the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup that I’ve never felt in a tournament before. So he’s handled that tremendously. So I mean it’s, the thing is you can’t, I mean, no offense, but you got, you’re going to be hard on him because he has been there and hasn’t won, but it’s hard to win, there’s only one every week and you never know when he might go on a little spree and win three or four of six or seven events. Or he might not. That’s the thing that, I hate to say it, but the thing that sucks about this game and the thing that’s great about it is you just have to stay in the right frame of mind to let it happen if it comes.

Q. How much fun is it for big hitters like you to play this course as the second longest driving average on TOUR?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, it’s fun, it’s I feel like I have a little bit of an advantage, I would say mostly into the greens. But when you hit 50 percent of your fairways like I did this week it’s not too much of an advantage.

Scottsdale, Arizona

February 2, 2020

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Team USA

PGA Tour: Justin Thomas Talks Olympic Games Ahead of Waste Management Phoenix Open

HONOLULU, HAWAII - JANUARY 10: Justin Thomas of the United States plays his shot from the fourth tee during the second round of the Sony Open in Hawaii at the Waialae Country Club on January 10, 2020 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

PGA Tour professional and major champion Justin Thomas addresses the media ahead of the start of the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Thomas talks the importance on becoming world number one as well as his desire to compete in the 2020 Olympics.

PGA Tour: Justin Thomas meets with the media prior to the start of the Waste Management Phoenix Open

THE MODERATOR: Justin, thanks for joining us for a few minutes. Getting ready to make your sixth start in the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Coming off a third place finish last year, coming into the week as the FedExCup points leader and with two wins already under your belt this season. That’s a pretty good for an entire season, let alone just the beginning of a season. So with all that said just some thoughts on being back here this week.

JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I’m excited to be back. This is a course that I enjoy. I feel like it sets up well for my game, if I can execute properly. I got a good couple weeks rest and I was able to put some good work in there at the end of last week getting ready for here and feel like we’re doing some of the right stuff at this point. I feel like when I take two weeks off sometimes I have a hard time getting back into it or get focused or make some sloppy mistakes, so I need to make sure that I don’t do that starting up tomorrow.

THE MODERATOR: You had a chance to get out and see the course. Is it pretty much what you remember, still setting up well for you?

JUSTIN THOMAS: It’s always in great shape. I think that’s something that’s very underrated about this place. It’s obviously a great tournament, a great field, but the course is always tremendous. The greens are always rolling very, very true. The fairways are all — I mean, it feels like there’s not a blade of grass out of place. It’s very nice. Greens are maybe just a touch softer than usual. But, no, it’s always in great shape.

THE MODERATOR: Open it up for questions.

Q. Can you imagine a scenario in which you would not compete in Tokyo if you’re one of the first four?
JUSTIN THOMAS: No. There’s — no, no scenario for me.

Full Leaderboard: 2020 Waste Management Phoenix Open

Q. What did you think of Brooks’s comments that the Majors and the FedExCup playoffs are more important? Do you get a sense of is that a majority view still or —
JUSTIN THOMAS: I hadn’t heard those comments. That was the first I heard of them. But it’s tough. I mean, no offense, but I feel like it’s a very uncomfortable question to be asked because there’s no right answer. No matter how you say it, you’re going to be ridiculed for it or say your priorities aren’t in line. I know one thing, I’m very content with winning any of those and I plan on trying to win all of those, but it’s something that’s, it’s just different. It’s once in every four years and you have the opportunity to do it. But then again, I’ve never competed in one, he’s never competed in one, so maybe our thoughts will change if we go play in it. But, no, it’s just, it’s very, you can’t really compare it to anything because it’s in its own, I think.

Q. Any thoughts on the competition out there this week with guys being overseas and in different places?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I mean, the field’s tremendous. It’s always great. It’s, I think that’s another thing that’s very underrated about this tournament. I think that it gets all the wrap of being the Waste Management and No. 16 and it’s a party, it’s out of control, but I mean, every year this place brings an unbelievable field and some of the top players in the world. So it’s something where, yeah, it would be great to win this tournament and be awesome just to kind of be in the realms of history of the Waste Management, but you’re beating a lot of really, really quality great players if you win this tournament. So that’s something I think that possibly doesn’t get talked about that much, which is, obviously, overshadowed by some stuff going on here this week. But it’s a great, great event with an unbelievable field. So I feel like every year it produces a really good tournament with a lot of big names up at the top come Sunday.

Q. I want to talk about, I guess, Kobe’s impact on you. You said that you’ve never cried for another man that you never met before. Just wanted you to just share your thoughts and what you’re going to do with your rounds going forward. This is the first tournament coming back since the tragic news, so.
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I mean, it’s weird. I was actually I was talking to Brian about it a couple days ago. It’s just, it’s weird because I’ve never met him. I’ve always wanted to meet him, but it’s just for someone to have an impact on somebody that I’ve never met, never been around, is bizarre. And yeah, it’s crazy, it’s sad. I think what really got me is just how he lost his life just being a dad and being a great dad and the fact that his daughters are never going to be able to spend any time with him anymore was just like, for me, just really hard to kind of comprehend and deal with.

And yeah, I mean, in terms of playing this week, it’s a golf tournament, it’s not like I’m going to try any harder or do anything differently. I mean, I have the stampings on my wedges. I was getting new wedges anyway so the timing worked out well to put some stamps on there for him. Just, I’ve always been a huge fan of his. I’ve always loved watching him play, just loved hearing about his work ethic and stuff that he did on and off the court and how he just always worked harder than everybody else, and it’s probably the reason — I mean, obviously, he’s freakishly talented but why he was better than everybody else because he was going to work harder to get there and just kind of will himself to be a winner. And that’s something that I hope to do when I’m out there playing, when I have a chance to win the tournament, I want to have that Mamba mentality, if you will, to try to close it out.

Q. Justin, Jon Rahm can get to world No. 1 for the first time with a win this week. Can you speak to how big of a goal that was for you and how satisfying it was when you got to No. 1?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, it’s a huge goal. It still is for me because I’ve lost it. But it’s a tremendous honor. I think it’s always something being, always really cool being a part of something that not very many people have done. You’re just, he’s going to be another name to that list if he gets that and whoever gets it next that hasn’t done it will be added. So it’s, it’s pretty cool walking around. I mean, I it for all of two weeks or whatever it was, but walking around, it’s like, I’m better than every single person on this planet in golf. That’s a pretty satisfying feeling. I’m very confident and I feel that when I’m playing well I do feel that about myself, but I unfortunately have a 4 next to my name and Brooks has a 1. So there’s three people that are better than me right now and Jon has the chance to be at the top of the top and that’s a pretty cool feeling.

Q. Could you talk about the actual difficulty level of playing the 16th hole when there’s nobody there versus playing it when there’s 20,000 people there, because the hole doesn’t look super hard and yet, you know, it’s a tougher shot than because of the situation?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I’ve never played it when it’s empty, so I don’t know that sense. But I mean, I feel it’s very similar to like the 17th at Sawgrass. If I went and played 17 at Sawgrass, I mean, I would feel like I would birdie it every other time. I mean, it’s a wedge, 9-iron at the absolute most, potentially a sand wedge or a gap wedge, and to a relatively big green. Yeah, when you have windy days or it gets firm it’s tough. But the thing about 16 here is that just the green is tough. It’s not, it’s not a flat green, it’s not all the same. You have a lot of subtleties and you have that false front, and then when that pin’s front left, it kind of falls off to the left to where if you have anything with left spin it goes down in the bunker and then you’re short-sided, and then if you have the right pin, it all falls away. So, you know, every fan wants to see us hit it in there inside of five feet and make birdie. But in reality it’s kind of a sneaky tough hole if you get certain pins, because you never know where wind is, you’re blocked out by everything, so you’re really are kind of guessing what wind direction it is and if it switched at all from 15, then have you no idea. And it’s just, it’s an interesting hole and an interesting experience because when you have that much adrenaline you wish you could just tee a driver up and hit it as far as you can, but sometimes you have to kind of hit a little feathery 8-iron in there to a back pin with not much room for error or whatever it might be. So it’s quite an experience.

Q. Did you hit a memorable good shot in there?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I’ve hit a couple good ones. I almost made an ace a couple years ago, hit it to about a foot. Made birdie on Saturday one year. I had pretty good success my first couple years. I haven’t played it great the last couple years.

Q. Have you hit anything that caused the crowd to really —
JUSTIN THOMAS: I 4-putted, so that was pretty.

Q. Did you get booed, though, or no?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Are you kidding me? They boo a par. I 4-putted.

Q. A 4-putt, they might have had some sympathy at that point.
JUSTIN THOMAS: Oh, no. There’s no sympathy on 16 here.

Q. Players were e-mailed earlier this week about the Premier Golf League and I’m just curious to get your thoughts, not so much on the e-mail itself but more about the concept of that. Have you looked at it at all, does any element, are there any elements of it that intrigue you in any way?
JUSTIN THOMAS: You know, I feel like I’ve heard more about it from other people than I have itself that’s bad. And, sorry, Jay, but I haven’t really read the e-mail that in depth. I know I have it, I’ve seen it, but just to be perfectly honest haven’t really taken the time to sit down and just read it thoroughly and check it out. I’m, I feel like I’m out of the, a lot more so than I wish, a little bit out of the loop of what’s going on with all that. But it’s also a good thing I’m focused on what’s going on now. I mean, if that does happen, if it, I don’t know if it happens in four months, if it happens in a year, if it happens in five years or whatever it is, but at the end of the day I just need to be focused on trying to play well at the Waste Management and that’s what I’m doing. But who knows what will happen going forward, but I need to figure out what’s going on a little bit more before I say anything, I feel like.

THE MODERATOR: All right, Justin, thanks for your time good luck this week.

JUSTIN THOMAS: Thanks.

January 29, 2020

Scottsdale, Arizona

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

Categories
Professionals

PGA Tour: Justin Thomas Revisits Last Week’s Victory and Previews Sony Open in Hawaii

HONOLULU, HAWAII - JANUARY 08: Justin Thomas of the United States looks on during the pro-am prior to the Sony Open in Hawaii at the Waialae Country Club on January 08, 2020 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

Sentry Tournament of Champions winner Justin Thomas recaps his 12th PGA Tour victory last week and gives a look ahead to this week’s Sony Open in Hawaii.

PGA Tour: Justin Thomas talks Tournament of Champions and Sony Open in Hawaii

THE MODERATOR: We would like to welcome Justin Thomas into the interview room.

Justin, thank you for joining us for a few minutes.

JUSTIN THOMAS: Uh-huh.

THE MODERATOR: Fresh off your victory last week in Maui. I know you’re hoping history repeats itself this week going back to back.

If we can get some comments on the win last week.

JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, it was a bizarre ending I think, to say least. It was probably fun to watch on TV, but not so fun to deal with at times.

No, it is great. I feel like I’m going to be able to build a lot on that last week and a lot of learning experiences and feel like I can really take a lot from it. Yeah, very easily and in all reality should have lost the tournament. To be able to come through and hit some good shots when I really needed to and make some putts to kind of stay in there and get it done.

THE MODERATOR: You holed out for eagle on No. 9 in the pro-am. I know that’s a hole that means a lot to you. Just comment a little about this golf course and how much you like it.

JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, it’s a cool course. It’s so, so different this year than it always is. It’s always really firm and fast. The greens are usually pretty firm, and I don’t think I’ve ever played greens as soft as these this week.

So it’s going to be a lot different. I’ve never seen the wind blow like this and it’s supposed to blow like this every day. I thought I was going to get a little bit of a break after last week, but looks like we’ve got more wind and rain.

Luckily I had a little bit of a week head start, so hopefully it’ll help.

THE MODERATOR: All right. Start with Doug.

Q. What’s the difference of wind here versus last week in terms of playability on the golf course?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I think —

Q. A whole different golf course.
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, yeah. Last week was more trees, so you kind of get some holes where you’re a little bit protected. But then, again, you also — as crazy as it is, you kind of have to factor for once a ball gets above the trees, or you’ll get the holes that are very exposed, like the second shot on 10, tee shot on 11, 12, 13, and then get some holes back in trees where they aren’t as exposed.

Whereas here it’s all flat. It’s not really that much protection. It’s pretty constant throughout the course. So I would say last week you have a lot more — the ball moves a lot more. It just feels like a lot stronger wind, although it was gusting over 30, 35 last week, where I don’t think it’s going to quite get to that here.

That wind at Kapalua is just very strong.

Q. All things relative, which is the harder course to face this kind of wind?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I would say here. It’s going to be harder here. I mean, the fairways are just so big here. There are so many birdie chances, four par-5s.

Full Leaderboard 2020 Sony Open in Hawaii

I mean, even with last week, you know, three of the four days it blew really, really hard, and, I mean, I easily could have gotten to 17 or 18 under par still.

I think if it blows like that here — I’m not good at guessing scores — but it could be anywhere from 8 to 15. It’s tough to say, but the greens being very, very soft is going to change a lot.

If you got wind like this in normal conditions, it would actually be a very difficult test.

Q. Obviously it wasn’t easy last time, but very mental grind. You spoke about playing in the wind. That’s going to make it tougher to do what you did a few years back, right, to back it up?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yes and no. I mean, it’s just — I mean, I’m not going to shoot 27-under this week, if that’s what you’re saying. I hope I do, but I wouldn’t think so with this wind.

But I also have played in it for a week and I’m maybe a little bit more accustomed to it; whereas guys, you know, they live in cold, been hitting indoors, or maybe they go out west where it’s in Palm Springs and it’s not blowing at all, I mean, that is a big difference in getting used to it.

I definitely have a little bit of an advantage maybe having a week of it. Yeah, I’m probably also a little bit more tired than some of the other guys. For good reasons, so not complaining.

Q. To review, what was your attitude coming into the playoff, and how did you keep, I guess, a positive perspective when you had to go into it?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I mean, my mind frame was that I was given a second chance. I said to my dad as I was walking, he just asked, Do you need anything, from him. I was like, Yeah, I’ll take a mulligan. He goes, You were just given one. I think when he said that it did sink in. Yeah, I was. I was very, very lucky to be in that playoff or for Xander to have the wind pick up on his putt and 3-putt to give Patrick and myself a chance. So it was a mulligan in itself, so I tried to telling myself that.

I just felt like if I just kept making birdie — I think the 18th hole is a weird hole as a playoff, especially when you’re trying to beat daylight. It’s a very long hole and hard to walk. You’re just going to make a lot of 4s. I just kept trying to tell myself, Don’t be a hero and make a 3. If you keep making 4s I think I’ll eventually outlast somebody.

If someone makes 3 and beats me, then so be it.

Q. Xander was talking about attitude and improving his attitude. He thought of all the guys out here, Webb might have the best attitude. I think he said strokes gained plus 50 or whatever. Where would you put yourself?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I mean…

Q. Would you have a strokes gained plus?
JUSTIN THOMAS: For sure. I mean, attitude isn’t necessarily if you don’t swear and you’re just happy-go-lucky all the time. My attitude is good because I’m a fierce competitor and I have all the confidence in the world that I can beat everybody else.

That’s my attitude. It’s not — yeah, if I make a bogey I’m not going to be smiling walking off the hole and high fiving people, but I’m going to be like, okay, we need to make some birdies to get back in it.

Q. And turn it around.
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah. So attitude is a very relative term in terms of if there was a strokes gained stat. Yeah, Webb is one of the nicest guys on the planet and he does have a great attitude and he is also competitive. I mean, best of both worlds.

But in terms of how we act and what we say on the golf course, Webb and I are probably a little bit different.

Q. Tiger be more like you?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I guess. I don’t know. I mean, similar in the sense we probably do some things that don’t look that good on camera that we’re not happy or proud about that we have done, but I guess it is what it is.

Q. This is a weird one to ask you. The last two years the winner at Mayakoba has won here. Is there any reason off the top of your head you can think what that coincidence might be?
JUSTIN THOMAS: No. I mean, there is wind there. There is a little bit of wind here. I don’t know. It’s short. Yeah. You got to make a lot of birdies, I guess. Greens are — I don’t know. Greens are faster here. No, I don’t know.

I mean, the two very good players that did it, it’s not too crazy of a coincidence, but I hope that’s not the case this year.

Q. With all due respect, when we spoke to you after the win you sort of didn’t look like a winner because you had been through the grind. Have you taken the time you spoke about I guess for it to sink in what you did last week? Do you feel extra proud again?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I’m proud, but it’s over with. I mean, I’m just focused on trying to play well this week. I’ll have two weeks after this week to enjoy it, if you will, or if I want celebrate it. I stayed there Sunday night and was able to have a couple drinks with my family and just kind of relax and sit down and just not have any stress or anything for the next day.

Once Monday night came around, it’s done with and I need to figure out — my dad and I were talking about what we needed to this week to get a little bit better and what we need to do to feel like we have a chance to win this week.

Q. And generally speaking, do you think you celebrate your wins enough? Some guys say they forget to sometimes.
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I’ve always been someone to celebrate a win, whether it’s enjoying it with people or doing something or buying myself something that I wouldn’t buy myself. I mean, I have always been someone that I do that. I’ve always said, okay, my next win I’m going to buy this or…

It’s like I’m not going to do it until I do that. I just feel like it’s very, very important to reward yourself when do you something well or you accomplish something because you did something good. You deserve it.

Q. What will you buy?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I haven’t yet. I think I’m going to get a car.

Q. What’s the last thing you bought yourself? To the guy who has everything.
JUSTIN THOMAS: What was the last thing? Well, the car was that one. I just haven’t had time to mess with any yet. I don’t know. I mean, like I got my girlfriend a watch or do something like that. I got my dad a car one time. I always want to do something to where I feel like it’s, okay, I accomplished it and I want to do it.

I built a man cave in my house one time.

Q. Urinal in it?
JUSTIN THOMAS: It does have a urinal. (Laughter.)

Q. I’m just curious, when you think back to 2017 here, why do you reference 27-under instead of 253?
JUSTIN THOMAS: That’s a good question. Easier for me to remember 27-under. Less math. I don’t know.

Q. So we don’t need to go down this road.
JUSTIN THOMAS: No, we don’t. I don’t know. I guess obviously it’s the same, but it is different, because if you look at a 72-hole record you say it as 253 not as 27-under, so that is a good point. I might start doing that, but…

Q. You don’t have to.
JUSTIN THOMAS: I don’t know. I guess it’s just because that is what my total was in relation to par. Yeah, not sure. I think that’s what it is. Yeah, it’s just like a lot.

Q. (No microphone.)
JUSTIN THOMAS: Birdie. Yeah. It is. I’ve never like — imagine that. What did you shoot this week? Yeah, 272. I don’t think anybody has ever done that. Maybe.

Q. (No microphone.)
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I shot however many under. Yeah, exactly. So I guess I don’t know.

Q. What did you shoot yesterday, 2-under or 68?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Probably 2-under. Like I don’t even know what I shot last week. I shot 15-under, but it’s like I would never say…

Q. (No microphone.)
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, exactly. It’s never like — so it’s weird.

Q. (No microphone.)
JUSTIN THOMAS: There you go. I don’t even know what that is.

Q. Yeah, just wondering, I’m from Central Ohio, and when I was assistant pro back in the ’80s, your grandfather would always kick my butt. Just wondered if this course reminded you of his course in Zanesville?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yes.

Q. And how is your grandfather doing right now?
JUSTIN THOMAS: He’s good. Yeah, I played Zanesville a handful of times. I was pretty young. I remember like the 1st hole that kind of went down and couple holes coming in, but a lot of the middle is pretty blurry. I do remember it was an awesome golf course.

Yeah, he’s good. Just entertaining as always. I talked to him on the way to the course Sunday before I played. He said I’m hitting it good. Just like always, just need to make some putts and this and that. Yeah, he’s great.

Q. I talked to Wahlberg. Said you guys are good buddies. Kind of give us a little synopsis of his golf game. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen it before today.
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, we’ve played a couple times. He’s always fun to be around. I really enjoyed just playing with him, because I’ve always heard from other people in the film industry how hard he works. It’s kind of cool to ask him questions and pick his brain, just kind of how he goes about it.

He didn’t play great today, but he’s always had his own method. He aims way left and comes across and hits it pretty far because he kind of d-lops (phonetic) it a little bit. But he can get it around pretty good. One thing you’re always going to have when you play with Mark is it’s going to be fast. You never have to worry about slow play. He gets it around there pretty good.

He’s a very, very impressive guy. He takes everything he does, whether it’s a business or a movie or directing very, very seriously and works hard. So it’s cool.

Q. Favorites movie of Wahlberg?
JUSTIN THOMAS: That’s tough. He’s got a lot of good ones. Yeah, Shooter is a good one. I don’t know. Just depends on the mood. I mean, Ted is hysterical and there is a bunch of good ones. He’s got a good list.

Q. Xander was speaking last week, and he said that when he was young there were times where he didn’t tell people he was a golfer because it wasn’t necessarily cool. Now, you grew up through the golf world and always liked it. Was there ever a time where you felt that as a kid, that pressure of this isn’t the coolest thing to be improved in, I should be a basketballer or a footballer?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I never had that. I loved it so much. I’m not saying that Xander didn’t, but I don’t know. I just didn’t care. It’s just what I wanted to go out and play golf with my dad and grandpa. I was watching Tiger and all these guys and just thought that looked so cool. Going to golf tournaments just seemed pretty cool in my eyes.

I definitely understand. I know what you’re saying. You definitely would get some looks and some comments in grade school. You play golf? People probably call you a loser or whatever it is. It is what it is. I’m sure I didn’t really care.

Q. I guess that comes to that, how do kids, per se, be strong mentally in that scenario? They’ve got people like you look up to now. Any advice you give people, be true to yourself or something like that?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I really don’t think that’s something that’s that common. I don’t think anybody is getting judged because they play golf. It is up and coming and there are so many — it’s in such a great state, the game is.

Yeah, I feel like the amount of young players coming out is great, but I don’t think there is anything that — kids are never getting judged. I don’t really think I ever did. I might have. I don’t know. When you’re a kid, there is always something that you can make fun of other kids for.

I don’t know. I think just telling them to enjoy it. That’s what my parents always told me. They didn’t care what I did, as long as I had fun with it then they would support it.

Q. Matt Kuchar is the defending champion here. He’s been out 20 years now. Do you have a favorite Matt Kuchar moment or story that maybe he interacted with you?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I got a lot that I can’t share.

Q. That you can share.
JUSTIN THOMAS: I don’t know. I mean, it’s bizarre. I feel like you have those guys you play with a lot, like I’ve played a lot with Jordan, Rory, a lot Tiger, who I just get paired with the first two days.

I think last year with Kuch was like the first time I’ve ever gotten paired with him the first two days, and then again this year. I don’t know. He’s just one of those guys I haven’t played with a lot, but every time I do it’s just unbelievable how good he is.

You know, he reminds me of kind of like a Zach Johnson where he plays his game, and doesn’t matter what the course is, he is probably going to hit every fairway. If he can’t, does have a good club, can’t get there or whatever it might be, he always leaves it in the right spot and he always gets it up and down.

It’s just really impressive to watch them pick their way through a golf course and how well they do it week in, week out for such a long period of time. I mean, Kuch is so funny. His humor is one of a kind.

Q. Is he in the middle of team rooms or does he sort of sit on the side and just sort of…
JUSTIN THOMAS: No. He’s in the middle, but he’ll just always say something like in the middle, out of nowhere that you’re like, It’s only Kuch. You know, him and (indiscernible) are both great assets to the team rooms and the teams for many reasons. The entertainment is definitely high.

Q. Since I’m asking about other players, how much have you played with Sung Jae Im, and what are your impression?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I played with him enough to know he’s really, really good, freakishly talented. Good at pretty much every asset. Played with him in Korea last year, and he has unbelievable control of his ball.

A place like this this week with this wind — well, he plays well every week — but I would think he will play well because he just hits it so solidly and consistent.

Q. You’re not playing 35 times a year though?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I am not personally, no.

Q. This is a big year with a lots things. Where do you put the priorities for the rest of the season with the Olympics and the majors?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I mean, priority right now is the Sony Open. That’s all I’m worried about. Obviously majors with the Olympics are extremely important, but all I’m trying to do is prepare for the next event and try to peak at the right times of the year. You want to be peaking around the majors. Hopefully try to make the Olympic team first and then hopefully play well there. And then for the playoffs. I mean, there are a lot of different times you want to be playing well, but most importantly just staying healthy and rested throughout the year so that when I do tee it up I’m ready to go for that certain event.

Q. Does the Olympics have as much importance as a major for you?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I’ve never played in it so I don’t know. I mean, it’s very important. I would love to be a part of it. In terms of winning it, you’re comparing apples to apples I think. Both extremely important.

THE MODERATOR: Let’s take one more.

Q. I ran into Matt yesterday, and I don’t cover the TOUR a lot, but the very first time I saw him I guess subliminally with popped into my head was the tipping controversy in Mexico. Do you think that was overblown and unfair to him and the reaction that he’s kind of dealt with on the road sometimes is not fair to the person that he is?
JUSTIN THOMAS: That’s just kind of between them and everything else.

THE MODERATOR: All right. Anything else? Justin Thomas, best of luck this week.

Honolulu, Hawaii

January 8, 2020

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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Professionals

PGA Tour: Justin Thomas speaks on his Tournament of Champions victory

KAPALUA, HAWAII - JANUARY 05: Justin Thomas of the United States reacts on the 14th green during the final round of the Sentry Tournament Of Champions at the Kapalua Plantation Course on January 05, 2020 in Kapalua, Hawaii. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)

Post tournament interview with Tournament of Champions 2020 winner Justin Thomas talking his 12th PGA Tour victory.

PGA Tour: Winner Interview Tournament of Champions Champion

RACHEL NOBLE: We’d like to welcome 2020 Sentry Tournament of Champions winner Justin Thomas to the interview room. Justin, thoughts on how that all played out.

JUSTIN THOMAS: I don’t really know, to be honest. My adrenaline is kind of wearing off, so I’m tired, I don’t know what happened, but all I know is I played — I mean, really 16 I feel like I didn’t play that poorly. I hit a great drive, just the wind got it, took it a little farther and a 70-yard bunker shot is not exactly easy, but I played 16 holes about as good as I could have played them in those conditions. I felt like I had total control of the tournament. I was doing everything well, and just kind of got between clubs on 17, made a great putt there for par, and then 18 was a terrible drive that left me on a steep, steep downslope and hit the wrong club, but we got lucky to where we had a chance and even more lucky that we were given more chances, and fortunate enough to get it done.

Q. Talk about that final shot you hit.
JUSTIN THOMAS: In the playoff? Yeah, I had 113 hole, and we just — it was kind of a — that pin is so weird because you can do so many different things, and that’s kind of what I said to Jimmy. The wind was kind of quartering down and off the right so I either needed to hit something high and cutting that flew the slope to have some spin or I needed to hit something driving with a little bit more left to right on it to land up on that top shelf and roll down. I just felt like — although it was actually funny, the first thing Jimmy said was, “What do you think is the safest?” I said, We’re 113 yards, I need to make birdie; I’m not worried about what the safest play is, like we need to make 4.

Just for me I felt like my best chance was going to be to hit a cut sand wedge and we were trying to fly it about eight short, so that was playing I felt like about 95, so I just tried to hit a 95 cut sand wedge, and it looked like it was pretty close to going in.

Full Leaderboard Tournament of Champions 2020

Q. Loft on it was what?
JUSTIN THOMAS: 57 degrees.

Q. They say that you can learn more from a loss than a win, but I feel like this might be a win that you’ll take a lot away from. Can you speak to that?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, you should take something from every round, but yeah, it just was such a bizarre way for it to finish. I mean, something about this place I seem to have the tournament pretty well under control, and then I hit it in a hazard, on 15 and 17 I did it. But as long as it ends up the way it did, then I’m fine with it. But yeah, it was — I feel like I’ll be able to — once early next week or after next week, I’ll be able to kind of sit back and maybe think of some stuff we could have done differently.

Q. As a huge positive, 12 wins now, the most for anyone who’s currently in their 20s on TOUR, and I think you just took over Jordan’s spot there. Talk about the accomplishment of having so many wins.
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I mean, personally it’s not an accomplishment getting to 12. It’s an accomplishment winning today, but I’ll have fun with my family and celebrate it tonight, and next week we try to get 13.

Q. Curious about the pitch shot to the right of the green on the first playoff hole I guess it was. Of the three guys, you looked like you were least likely to —
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I was definitely in the worst position. I was praying that that ball stayed in the fairway so I could get my hands on it. I didn’t have a very good number on the second shot. It was a 3-wood — if I just pured that 3-wood, if I hit it like that it had no chance, and I couldn’t get a 5-wood there. So I tried to kind of cut a 3-wood, which is hard to do downhill, ball above your feet, and I hit it on the screws. So when it went over, it just — we went back there and I saw where it was, and I was like, you know, Jimmy, what do you like here, what are you thinking, and we kind of both agreed that we felt like a sand wedge was going to be best because less bounce and it wasn’t going to dig as much, and it was very grainy and wet. I had the wind to my advantage where as long as I hit it hard enough to the left the wind was going to take it down, and man, when it was rolling I thought it had a really good chance to go in. But it was one of the better shots and definitely the best chip I’ve hit this week.

Q. Earlier in the week we sat here and you talked about, yeah, I definitely should have won more, I’m a little disappointed. Here you are winning more. I guess I’m trying to just gauge how that feels in light of what you said earlier in the week.
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I mean, right now it’s — I don’t know. It’s been a pretty bizarre last two hours. But yeah, I mean, kind of like Ben said earlier asking about the winning and losing, I feel like I’ll be able to really take a lot from this once I figure out what it was or whatever it might be. But yeah, I mean, it —

Q. Winning is winning?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Exactly, yeah. It’s always nice no matter how it’s done.

Q. Two things on 18 in regulation, a nice moment to reflect on. On the second shot you had, did you hit a bad shot or was it a bad lie?
JUSTIN THOMAS: It was a really bad lie. It was the wrong club. I should have hit a 5-wood. It just — I had no chance to get it to the green. The only good thing about a 3-wood was that it was going to cover more if I slightly pulled it, not hit it as far left as I did. But I mean, as steep as — the thing is the farther down you get it, the flatter it is. I hit that drive so bad and so far off the toe that I didn’t get it far enough down to be flat. It just was — with a one-shot lead that was so stupid. I would have been better off hitting a 6-iron than a 3-wood. It doesn’t make sense.

If I just would have made 4 there I would have won the tournament in regulation. Obviously if I made 5 I would have, but standing on 18 tee, I’m like, we make 4 we’re probably going to win this thing, and boy, I botched it up pretty badly.

Q. I know some things take a while to digest, but after you missed the eight-footer and you’re off to the green with head bowed and hat off, are you already digesting the pain of throwing one away?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, for sure. It’s so weird. Xander had to go through the same thing I did with the wind on that putt. It really is not a hard putt. It’s probably the two easiest putts that you could get to that pin. Xander’s was probably straight, maybe left edge, and mine was right edge, something like that. But because of that wind, you know, the wind kind of picked up on mine and went low and the wind stopped on his and that’s why his broke. Same with Patrick’s putt on the last hole. There’s no wind there, that thing goes in the dead center. It’s just — I don’t know. I really don’t know how I won today. I got very fortunate.

Q. After what happened on the last in regulation, were you at all worried about your second shot on the final playoff hole?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I wasn’t worried. I don’t like that second shot. I fat it once a year. I fatted it like twice this year. Something about it, it’s just — I like working the ball left to right, and you need to work that thing right to left, and for me if I try to draw it, my miss is going to be a little bit behind it, and then when you’ve got a huge slope behind you, it’s really behind it. I mean, I had a perfect 5-wood number and a perfect lie, I thought, in the last playoff hole and I fatted a 5-wood again. I don’t know what it is about that hole, but apparently I need more than a one shot lead, I know that.

Q. Along those same lines, have you ever played the same hole four times in a row in a tournament that you ended up winning or even ever?
JUSTIN THOMAS: No, definitely not. I know it was the worst hole we could have possibly played to try to beat daylight. We picked a 680-yard par-5 with the wind blowing 30. I think a 200-yard hole we could have got in maybe five or six times. I was saying that to Jimmy, walking down the last playoff hole, I was like, man, this is a pretty bad hole to play when you’re trying to beat daylight.

Q. You won this tournament back in 2017, arguably your best year, you won the PGA that year. How do you feel after winning this tournament this year compared to winning it in 2017?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I don’t know, I mean, they’re very different. I was in a little different stage of my career then. Not that one win was better than the other or felt better. They’re both tremendous accomplishments and huge for me, but that was a long time ago, and they were both done differently. This one was a lot more stress and a lot more hard-fought. So I’m probably a little bit more tired, a little bit more exhausted after this one. But they both ended with the correct result, which is nice.

Q. Should we expect a 59 on Thursday?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I hope so. Tell me where to sign, I’ll take it right now.

Q. I know you have to digest it, but you hopefully will push this through —
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I’m not — I haven’t thought about anything next week yet. I’m just trying to figure out where I’m going to stay tonight because I missed my flight and I don’t know what’s going to happen. Hopefully I’ll be able to find a room around here, and we’ll get there tomorrow, and then once tomorrow gets settled then we’ll worry about Sony.

Q. This may be a little bit repetitious, but what’s the emotion because you don’t seem — like I’m sure you’re happy you won, but is there more other emotions like relief and so forth that are sort of mixed into that?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, it is. It’s just a lot. It was really hard today. If you went out there and played 18 holes in that, like you’d be tired at the end of the day just for how hard it was.

Q. And the 40 extra shots.
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I wasn’t going to bring that up. But trying to win a golf tournament and the grind and then just the emotions and how I was winning and then I was barely winning and then I was losing and then I barely got in a playoff — just that takes a lot out of you. I probably don’t seem as elated as I might be or as I would hope to be.

But it’ll just take a little bit. Once I get back to the hotel hopefully with my family, I’ll be able to enjoy it a little bit and we’ll talk about it. But yeah, relief is definitely a word that comes to mind. But still very happy.

Q. You’ve had obviously a nice run since it started in Malaysia, but just curious, as much as you won, do you think it’s underrated the fact that you’re guaranteed coming back next year? Do you think about stuff like that?

JUSTIN THOMAS: Absolutely, yeah. I mean, I was stressing last year. I only had five or six events left to try to get in, and yeah, there’s no — that’s the first thing I said to Jimmy on 18 after we won, I said, “We’re coming back.” I mean, I don’t know. I guess everybody feels differently about this event because some guys don’t come, families, whatever it might be, but man, I love starting the year here. It’s a pretty nice feeling.

Q. I know you’re in the moment, you’ve still got a big putt left, but as a competitor what’s it like when you hear someone scream out “cheater” after Patrick hits?JUSTIN THOMAS: Did someone do that?

Q. Never mind. I retract the question.
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I didn’t hear.

Q. You didn’t notice that at all?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Uh-uh.

Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii

January 5, 2020

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports