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HNA OPEN DE FRANCE

June 28, 2018

Justin Thomas

Paris, France

Q. A round of 1-under par. What do you feel about the way you played?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I played well today. It's a very difficult golf course. I mean, my two holes over par were with 4-irons off the tee, so just really kind of stupid mistakes on those two holes. You know, two holes where you're looking if you get in the fairway, the potential to make a birdie.

I fought really hard out there. I gave myself a lot of birdie putts, hit a lot of quality tee shots, which is what you need to do out here.

Q. When you look at this golf course, you see a lot of play on the PGA TOUR where distance is a big asset. It's a bit different around this place. Is there anything that this reminds you of on the PGA TOUR?
JUSTIN THOMAS: There really isn't. Jimmy and I have been trying to think hard about it, and it's very unique. It's very its own. There's a couple drives out there that are similar to courses on Tour, but as a whole, it's very long and narrow with trouble on both sides. It's very unlike a lot of the stuff we play on Tour.

Q. Being out there, the vibe, obviously you don't get to play The European Tour very often, but many of the players, Tommy Fleetwood very familiar how. How is the vibe compared to what you see week in, week out on the PGA Tour?
JUSTIN THOMAS: It's different but it's still the same. I love the fans over in Europe. They are so respectful and they really appreciate good golf shots. Not that the fans in the States don't but it's so much fun going to The Open Championship is hitting a 7-iron or 8-iron to 30 or 40 feet, and they know it's a great shot and I felt a very similar vibe here.

We never get claps when we hit the fairway off a tee shot and I think they know how big of a deal it is when you hit a fairway out here, so you get claps. My time here has been so enjoyable here thus far. It's definitely had a welcoming feeling.

Q. That might feel a little different in September in terms of the clapping. Just finally in terms of the rest of the day, how you see it, the wind seems to have picked up near the end. How much more of a challenge was it when the wind started picking up?
JUSTIN THOMAS: We had a little bit of a challenge with the wind coming in, but for the most part this place played very benign for how it can.

Like you said, the wind picked up, but this golf course, I can't imagine how it has the potential to play in September. I think all of us will be happy to know that this will be a match-play and not a stroke-play event. You get a cold, rainy, windy day out here and you can post a pretty high number.

You can't really take any shots off. You really have to take each and every shot and execute really well.

Q. There was one shot you wanted to get back on the last there but what are your thoughts on today's round?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I played well today. I hit a lot of really quality shots and hit a lot of good drives and iron shots into greens. I really just had two bad swings that cost me three shots on 13 there and then on 5, two holes I'm hitting 4-irons off the tee and if I get it in play, looking to make a birdie and I make bogey and double-bogey on those two holes. As a whole, I felt like I played solid today.

Q. You got the French fescue a couple of times?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I felt I was pretty unlucky on 5. There was a lot of really good lies around where my ball was and mine obviously wasn't a good tee shot. For all the potential lies that I had around where my ball was, my seemed to sit down pretty heavy but that's going to happen, especially in this fescue. Yeah, you have to just try to hit the fairways.

Q. Speaking of the fairways, are there many tee shots where you're on the tee looking down there and it just looks pretty straightforward or is it pretty challenging?
JUSTIN THOMAS: It's very challenging. You take a hole like 1, for instance, you're hitting a 4-iron straight downwind and it's a very big, generous fairway, but it still makes you think you've got water on the left and you have rough and fescue on the right. Like I said, you can't take any shots off out here. You really have to stay focused and kind of keep in the zone if you will.

Q. Where do you think you might stand at the end of the day?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I don't know. I'm not too worried about where I'll be after round one. I'm pleased to get the first round under par, especially at a difficult place like this. If the wind keeps up like this, it's going to play hard this afternoon, but you know, I'll be in good shape.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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