![](images/spacer.gif) |
Browse by Sport |
|
![](images/spacer.gif) |
Find us on |
![ASAP sports on Facebook](images/fb_icon.gif) |
![ASAP sports on Twitter](images/twitter_icon.png) |
|
![](images/spacer.gif) |
|
![](images/spacer.gif) |
|
![](images/spacer.gif) |
|
![](images/spacer.gif) |
|
![](images/spacer.gif) |
January 5, 2016
Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii
ALEX URBAN: We just have three of the kind of young guys that have won early in the season on the PGA TOUR here this year, Smylie Kaufman, Justin Thomas and Emiliano Grillo. Emiliano, you won the first event this season. It was actually your second professional victory in a row because you had won the Web.com TOUR Championship in your start previous to that, first player to win in your first start as an official member since Russell Henley in 2013 at the Sony Open.
Smylie Kaufman, nice win at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open at the age of 23.
And then continuing his streak, Justin, I know Malaysia was pretty kind to you there at the end; you made a nice birdie streak coming in and won the tournament at the end for your first win in your sophomore season.
I think we'll start just quick opening statements about being here in Hawai'i and how cool it is to be here with some guys that you've played with in junior golf and then I'll turn it over to questions.
SMYLIE KAUFMAN: I'm the oldest. I'll start. This place is pretty sweet. I think we're all pretty happy to be here. Definitely a place you want to come back to. This is unbelievable. The golf course is in great shape. It's cool seeing all these guys. I've kind of watched them on TV. They've seen a lot more of them, but for me it's kind of cool seeing all these top players, and really just excited about getting a chance to compete against them all week and seeing how I stack up. It's good for me to see where my game is at moving forward as the rest of the spring rolls around and trying to build on something. Yeah, it's pretty cool to be here.
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, it's awesome. I think, like Smylie said, especially after being here just a couple days, this is definitely at the top of my list of goals to start the year every year here. It's pretty relaxing, it's a great field and a great course, and I think it's pretty cool, us being here together, the age that we're at and the amount of tournaments we've played together and all being winners on the PGA TOUR is pretty cool. I know we're all excited to get going, and I'll turn it over to Emiliano to talk about that.
EMILIANO GRILLO: You need an answer? Exactly what they said.
No, they said it exactly. It's nice to be here first week of the year. I took three weeks completely off, and I'm excited to see where my game is at and excited to play here in Hawai'i these two weeks, and hopefully I can beat these two guys at the end of the week and hold the trophy again. That would be really nice to start the year.
You know, it's going to be -- I think it's going to be an exciting year for us three, being the first time for us playing the Masters, and I'm really looking forward to a great 2016.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
![ASAP sports](http://www.asapsports.com/webscripts/images/ASAPsportsLogo1.png)
![tech 129](http://tech129.com/images/tech129_logo_small.png)
|
![](images/spacer.gif) |