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WGC MEXICO CHAMPIONSHIP

February 22, 2020

Justin Thomas

Mexico City, Mexico

Q. Give us an overall view of your round today.
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I feel like I played pretty well. I mean, all day -- very poor on 1, I didn't hit a good shot, so I didn't really deserve to make a par there, but my only other bogey on 18, I just kind of pushed the tee shot, but from there I hit three good shots after that, just nothing worked out. But I played a lot of really, really solid good golf throughout the middle of the day and made some good putts when I needed to and hit a lot of good putts that didn't go in, as well. Definitely a lot more moves than negatives.

Q. You've had so much success here. I don't know how much you looked at the leaderboard today, but when you start seeing red numbers like that, does it feel almost like a track meet and you're used to that, given your record?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yes and no. I mean, this place can play so different that you kind of have to take each day for what it is. You get a day like Thursday, and a couple under goes a long way. But then the golf course was set up the last two days with some pins that you could make a lot of birdies. You know, I felt like you just kind of get it in play or get it on the correct sides of the holes, then you can make a lot of birdies, and I was able to do that making some putts, but didn't really do anything too crazy out there.

Q. Your father has been walking with you throughout the round today. Does he usually come here with you, or is this the first time he's here?
JUSTIN THOMAS: He's never been here before. He asked a couple weeks ago if I minded if he came. I said it didn't matter to me. This is usually a guys' week anyway. Not many wives or girlfriends come. Just usually the guys are going to dinner every night, so he's one of the guys, so it was a pretty easy call.

Q. You said yesterday that your success on this golf course has a lot to do with your wedge game, which is one of your stronger parts. Is there another element, putting or driving, that you would also factor into that?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I mean, I've played -- I'd say I've played well, but the last two years I've kind of more so got hot over the weekend. I don't know, I feel like I've seen the greens pretty well when I've played here. I mean, when I'm driving it, I feel like I am, I can be very aggressive and take advantage of some holes where some people might not be able to. If I drive it like I did yesterday, I felt I drove it pretty well yesterday for the most part, not quite as well today, then just have a lot of wedges and short irons and chips into greens, so just have to try to take advantage of it.

Q. Is there one thing you're going to focus on more than another tomorrow?
JUSTIN THOMAS: No, just go out and play golf and keep doing what we're doing, try to get off to a little better start on 1, but for the most part I feel like I'm playing well, doing all the right things. Just my bogeys this week have been sloppy, so I'd really like to have a clean card tomorrow and not have any of those and just give ourselves a good chance the last couple holes.

Q. 67-66-65, you're trending in the right direction.
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yes, I really, really hope that that trend continues tomorrow.

Q. You've got a golf course out there that a lot of guys are finding it hard on the greens. You've got it dialed in on those greens. You've got the pace of them. It looks like that to us. Is that how it feels to you?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I'm seeing them pretty well. For the most part, a couple of putts that I missed were ones that I felt like were hard greens. They're almost straight, they kind of look flat. When they're those curlers you just have to match the pace with the line, and I feel like I've done that pretty well this week, and that's why I've been able to make some putts.

Q. How does a man like you, a great player, a major champion, a winner of all sorts of tournaments dismiss the bogey on 18?
JUSTIN THOMAS: It's already done with. I didn't hit a terrible tee shot. It obviously wasn't good. But I really hit a pretty good second shot in there, I just couldn't get it up in the air in the dirt. I hit a good chip and hit a good putt. In reality I hit three pretty good shots to make a bogey. Not much I can do now.

Q. Are you happy? Are you going to the range now with your dad or the putting green or are you just going to go home and chillax?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I'm going to go home. I'm going to get some rest and probably get some more tacos.

Q. Only five fairways hit, 2 bit you and that one at 18. But other than that, you were in good position even with missing some fairways?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I didn't drive it that poorly. That's the thing about this golf course; as long as you miss it on the correct side, holes like 10, 15, 16, like those aren't bad drives. I made sure I needed to get it on the right side -- 15 I would have liked it more left, but no, I would think I drove it a little better than five fairways. I must have hit some squirrelly ones. But my two bogeys were really bad.

Q. I always hate talking to somebody when they make a bogey when they finish because it puts a damper on the round, but there's in damper, you're in great position tomorrow to win?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, absolutely. I played great today. We were kind of in between clubs on 1, so I felt like I really needed to cut that 3-wood against the wind, and I cut it all right. I left that face wide open. But I was still in perfect position to make 4, just didn't execute the shot over the tree, and then 18, I really didn't play the hole that poorly. Obviously pushed the tee shot, but I thought it was just going to kind of stay in the rough, and I had a gap. I hit a really good shot, just it's hard to get it up in the air off that dirt. Hit a good chip and hit a good putt. Greens weren't exactly rolling too true around that hole, so I was just trying to hit it with the proper pace to where if it caught the hole it was going to go in.

Q. It took me three holes to figure out the scorpions, your pants. Anything special tomorrow planned?
JUSTIN THOMAS: No, probably just some navy. I told everyone I was going to wear them last week on the weekend, but I missed the cut so nobody got to see them.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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