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THE HONDA CLASSIC

March 2, 2019

Justin Thomas

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

Q. Nice round, let's get some comments on your play.
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I played well. Trey and I had a lot of fun out there. That's the first time I had ever played with Trey in competition. We've played millions of rounds, practice rounds and college and practice rounds out here but never in competition. We both played well, and it was really solid. I just kind of had a little bit in the middle there where I didn't play particularly well, but I hit a lot of really good putts that just didn't quite go in. It could have been a 5- or 6-under pretty easily today.

Q. Lots of people wondering what's going on with your hand. More tape today. What did you do last night and this morning? How does it feel?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I just got some treatment, pretty much up my whole arm. It's no different than it was yesterday, it's just more preventing where it was. Just like exactly like I felt just when it happened, went all the way up my arm. The more tape you can have on it, the better, although I don't look that great. But yeah, it felt fine. Just the shoulder is a little bit sore, but that helped it out.

Q. That dead arm sensation has kind of gone away?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, it's off and on. It just gets in random places that it hurts. It's like I told Trey when we were walking down 18, it was nice -- probably just kind of kept my mind off of golf. I was just kind of worried about that, and coincidentally I played pretty well.

Q. Did you think it might get to the point where you might not go or something like that?
JUSTIN THOMAS: For sure. If it hurt -- it doesn't matter if I'm in 1st or 60th. If it hurts, if I have the potential to injure myself further or if I'm going to hurt myself as the season goes on, I mean, it doesn't matter the position you're in, I would have to withdraw. I've never done that before. I would hate to have to do that, especially at a place like this where you can go shoot 5- or 6-under and jump a lot of people. But that's just not my nature to quit.

But that being said, my health is always going to come first. It never got bad enough where it was a very, very serious debate, but there was definitely times where I thought about it the last couple days.

Q. You're sure it can't get worse then?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Everything can always get worse, so I'm sure it can. I just hope it doesn't.

Q. You talked yesterday about the dead arm feeling, getting punched in the arm. How do you know how that feels?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I mean, I'm pretty weak, so it doesn't take a whole lot to give me a dead arm. So I would say pretty much about anybody that's hit me that's as weak as I am, it doesn't take much.

Q. After the triple, the double, you had a putt that you almost birdied today, right?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I hit a great shot. The ball just started going really far at the end of the day. I hit a really good shot. I thought I hit it really close, and I hit a really, really good putt, as well. It just didn't take the break that I thought, and I hit it the perfect speed that I wanted, but yeah, it was nice to get my tee shot on land today.

Q. Are there any specific clubs or specific swings where you start to kind of feel that sensation of the dead arm more?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Not really. The swing doesn't hurt, which is nice. It's just more random things, if I pick something up that's a little heavy. It really is every once in a while, getting my glove, just kind of bending it random weird ways. But again, we'll get some more treatment and assess it this afternoon, and if for some reason it's too bad where I can't play, I won't, but luckily I have a lot of day left today to relax and rest it, so treatment will do me well and I'm be fine.

Q. Yesterday you didn't know if you were going to make the cut. What did you do the whole afternoon and when did you find out that you actually made it on the number?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I had a pretty good idea that I was going to make it, although the conditions weren't very tough. Pretty sure 3- or 4-over is usually about the cut here. It's a very hard golf course no matter how easy the conditions were for this place. I had a pretty good idea I was going to make it. It took a little bit, but actually Trey came over and his family. We were going to have dinner at our house anyway, or my house, and he came over, we just hung out. I had someone come over for some treatment, and yeah, we just hung and watched some TV and made some steaks and relaxed, and yeah, we were pretty excited when we got the pairings.

Q. What are the leaders facing out there? What are the conditions like?
JUSTIN THOMAS: It's good. I mean, this place is -- it's about as -- I mean, it's the least windy I've ever seen it, so in terms of that, it's definitely the easiest that it's going to play in wind terms, but it's getting hot, it's getting a lot firmer.

The ball started going so far there on that back nine. I thought Trey and I hit a lot of great shots that were just traveling farther than they were this morning when it was very thick air, not quite as warm. But yeah, the pin locations are difficult, but with the greens being a little bit firmer, you just kind of have to be on the correct side of the fairway or the correct side of the hole to have access. There's plenty of birdie opportunities if you play well, but that's the thing about this place, if you don't play well, you're just trying to make par.

Q. Any concerns that this could linger for a while?
JUSTIN THOMAS: If there is, then I won't play.

Q. Do you remember last year on Sunday, I know you had your own work to do, but do you remember Tiger making a move at all on Sunday and what it was like for you to actually see Tiger Woods competing in the same tournament you were competing in?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, you know, he might argue he was competing, but he was pretty far back. I'm just joking, just giving him a hard time.

It was cool. When I was going up 3, he was teeing off on 9, and pretty much any crowd Luke and I had we had lost to his group, so it didn't really feel like the final group of a big tournament because everyone was out watching him. Rightfully so; I'd probably do the same. But yeah, I mean, I had a feeling that once he started playing more, he would get there. But yeah, it was cool to hear the noise for sure.

Q. Probably the first time in your career that would have happened where you were going to win, you were contending, and there was Tiger Woods sort of in it?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Probably. I mean, his event at the Bahamas he got off to a good start last year and played pretty well, but yeah, I'd say so. I really don't remember.

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