	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

THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

March 13, 2020

Justin Thomas

Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida

Q. Can we just get your immediate reaction to the breaking news that the Masters isn't going to be played on its usual date?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I'm bummed. I mean, like I said yesterday, selfishly I want to play, but this is way, way beyond that. You have to take a lot of other factors and measures into consideration here. And the safety and health of everybody else involved in the tournament is the number one priority. I know they don't want to cancel or postpone it and they know we don't want them to do that, but at the end of the day, there's nothing we can do about it, and that's just the reality right now.

Q. I know it seems so insignificant in the grand scheme of things at the moment, but I suppose it is the sensible decision to postpone it until a later date and play with fans at Augusta and that's what the incoming Masters champion would deserve?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I hope so. That's my favorite tournament of the year, so I obviously have hopes that we'll get to play it, and whenever we do, we do. I don't care if it's 25 degrees and nobody is there, I'm going to go play it with a chance to win the Masters.

But again, that is down the road. And at this point I'm just worried about trying to get home right now and figure out what I'm going to do for a couple weeks and wonder what I'm preparing for next. It's just a wild, wild time right now.

Q. Does this feel surreal to you?
JUSTIN THOMAS: It does. I just didn't know something like this was even possible. It's not funny, but on the range yesterday, I just went and hit a couple balls after I finished, and I said to Jimmy and my dad, I'm like, Man, I'm really, really starting to play well right now. I'm excited for these next three weeks. And I texted them both last night and said, Well, so much for that good feeling that I had.

But no, like I said, it's in the best interest. It's what needs to be done. But it's just something like this, you know, you look outside and how beautiful it is, and you never think something like this could happen.

Q. Take yourself out of where you are in the golf space. How concerned are you about yourself, your family, and your loved ones?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, it's something I think I honestly need to read up on more. It's hard to probably grasp it. You can read and go so deep into it to where you can almost kind of freak yourself out, but then you can read some stuff where they say it's not a big deal. But at the end of the day, doing all the precautionary things that you need to do, I mean, I'm probably more so worried for family members. I know age has a big thing to do with it and where you're at in terms of age group. I want my parents to stay safe. I want my immediate family to stay safe, all my friends -- and healthy. So like you said, in the grand scheme of things, getting some golf tournaments canceled or postponed or suspended or whatever you want to call it is really not a big deal at all.

Q. When the news came down last night about the cancellations, did you feel like there was a chance that the Masters was in jeopardy?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I felt like there was no chance we were going to play the Masters. I think it's something -- it's so soon. And obviously I wanted to, but I didn't think we were going to, to be perfectly honest. But then again, you have days at Augusta where it looks like there's going to be a tornado and it's perfectly sunny. Some freaky things seem to happen around there. So I didn't know what was going to happen, but it's definitely for the best decision and what needed to be done.

Q. I know you were out early yesterday morning before any of these decisions had been taking place, but how much did yourself and Rickie and Jordan discuss the possibility of all these cancellations?
JUSTIN THOMAS: A little bit. I mean, I'm staying in a house with Rick this week and Jordan came over for dinner last night, and we talked about it, but again, there's nothing we can do. And that's the hard part about it is that all we can do is really just kind of look at our phones and wait to get an update or wait to hear from the commissioner or the PGA TOUR staff. I mean, at the end of the day, we were -- both Rickie and I were in bed getting ready for our round today, then get a text, and next thing you know we're trying to figure out how we're going to get home.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297