	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

SONY OPEN IN HAWAII

January 13, 2017

Justin Thomas

Honolulu, Hawaii

ALEX URBAN: We'd like to welcome Justin Thomas to the interview room here at the Sony Open in Hawai'i.

You set a PGA TOUR record today, lowest opening 36 holes on the PGA TOUR at 123, one better than the 124 set by three previous players, most recently by Jason Day at the 2015 BMW Championship.

Obviously you're playing pretty well through a couple of rounds. Just talk about your round today and your play through two rounds.

JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I played well today. I really hit a lot of quality shots I felt like, especially to start the round, which was key to kind of get me calm and get me in a good zone.

Yeah, all my bogeys today were terrible, they really were. The 3-putt on 8 was just not -- losing my concentration, and 13 was a terrible iron shot and then 17 was just a mental mistake. Those bogeys really -- when I was on 18 tee, I was pretty hot. I was pretty fired up; the fact that I had given up shots when I felt like I shouldn't.

So to end up with an eagle like that was huge and to give me two more shots for the lead was big.

Q. After you won last week, you mentioned that you had not gone on from wins as well as you would have liked. Obviously the 59, and you set this record. What's the big difference that you were able to do that?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Probably playing better. I'm comfortable. I like this golf course and I'm playing well. I think that's the biggest difference more than anything. Some of the times I got in contention last year, I wasn't playing that great. I just kind of -- they were harder courses and I just kind of weaseled my way in the hunt, which you can do.

But a day like today, I felt like I didn't -- although I hit a lot of great shots, I didn't necessarily have my best around the greens or everything like that. So it was nice to shoot a round like that today.

Q. You've never had to deal with coming off a 59 before. Did you do a reset today before you came out today?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Not really. I never -- I don't know, it didn't get into my head, as probably other people felt like it would have, or even I. I didn't know how I was going to feel today or how I was going to feel last night. Obviously I was happy and in a great mood.

I didn't feel too much today. I just felt like it was another round of golf and I need to try to build on my lead and see how low I could go today, sort of thing.

Q. What's the more impressive round to you, from the standpoint of obviously yesterday you played pretty well.
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yesterday. Besides 8, it was about as easy as it can get. I never had any grinders for par. I never short-sided myself, except that once on 11. But really, I made it really easy on myself yesterday.

Q. Being patient, something you talked about in the past --
JUSTIN THOMAS: I was very patient today. After almost making it on 7.

And then 8, just a terrible bogey, I could easily could have lost my patience there. I hit a great drive. Hit it to 7-iron, easy birdie, and then that led to four birdies in a row. So that's the kind of thing that if I wasn't patient or in the right frame of mind, I wouldn't have been able to reel off those four in a row. I think that I was probably more patient today. I mean, it's pretty easy to be patient when you're tearing it up like I was yesterday.

Q. Can you just comment on the 123 and how that feels, and obviously you want to finish the job, but these records you keep notching up.
JUSTIN THOMAS: It's great. It's just like yesterday, any time you can get your name in the record books or in history it's -- I'm very excited about that. But like you said, I have two more days to go. So I just need to put it behind me and get ready to try to shoot low this weekend.

Q. Did you hear anything in the gallery today in regard to yesterday?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I actually didn't. Make a couple things like before I was warming up or something, but nothing that I heard.

Q. 18, can you talk about the second shot to the green?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I had 197 front, 212 hole I think. I knew it was a jumper. The main thing was just trying to get it between those two bunkers, because I knew if it did that, it was going to go up somewhere around the green and just 2-putt, birdie and get out of there.

I was kind of torn between a 7 and an 8. Like I said, I knew it was going to jump and had some topspin. I just tried to kind of punch a 7 to make sure it stayed low to where if it did jump a lot and flew on the green, which I think it did, it would land soft; or if it landed short, it would bounce up.

It came out perfect, and I had a pretty good read on the putt. Really just kind of like yesterday again. It was pretty similar to my line and gave me a little confirmation there and I had a great putt there.

Q. Jordan was saying on TV that he's got a lot of the same positions and lines as you, I assume around the green, and it's kind of frustrating to see someone making all the putts and making it look so easy. Do you find that funny coming from him?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I was going to say, now he knows how a lot of people felt (laughter). I said that to Jimmy today. This is probably the best I've seen Jordan play. I think even the putts he's missing -- he's hit a couple putts that aren't good, he's hitting a lot of great putts that just aren't dropping.

I feel like this weekend he's going to post an 8- or 9-under one of the days, if he keeps hitting it like this. I mean, he's giving himself too many opportunities and he's obviously put a lot of hard work in the off-season on his ball-striking, and it's paid off, for sure.

Q. At what point do you start thinking about winning?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I think if you're playing well, it will jump in and out throughout my mind, I'd say the whole week. It did last week some. You don't really I don't think start thinking about it consistently until probably Sunday if you're in it.

Q. You mentioned Jordan, how well he's playing. Where does this rank for you in terms of how well you're playing, not necessarily this week, but just this year?
JUSTIN THOMAS: It's definitely the best of my career. I think I haven't -- I definitely haven't shown the world my best golf. I haven't even shown the world great golf, or consistent, great golf. I understand it's tough to get everything clicking, and everything isn't clicking for me. I mean, everything's good, but that's just -- rounds like yesterday happen when everything's clicking. I think I'm getting more confident and I'm improving, too. I'm doing a lot of hard work with my dad and putting coach, Matt Killen, this off-season to work on my weaknesses. I think I'm just trending up and hopefully -- wanting to show everyone in the world what I have.

Q. Feel ready to show --
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I hope to show a lot more to everybody the rest of my career. You don't know what's going to happen. I may never win again and I may win 60 times. It's just something you just don't know. We'll see in 25, 30 years.

Q. (Inaudible.)
JUSTIN THOMAS: I have no idea. I was just reminded out there -- not reminded. I was told.

Q. Kind of goes back to the 59 talk earlier, but it's one thing to win and then the next week -- does it do anything more to lead the way you're leading, after what you did yesterday.
JUSTIN THOMAS: I haven't thought of it that much. I'm really just -- it sounds crazy and real clichÃ©, but I'm just taking it as golf. Each round is just another round of golf. Each hole is another hole. I'm just focused on getting my ball in the best position I can off the tee to have a boring club in my hands to leave it in a good spot on the green and try to make the putt. Really trying not to think of anything else other than that. It's worked out well my last six rounds, so hopefully it will continue.

ALEX URBAN: Thank you, Justin.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297