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RBC HERITAGE

June 21, 2020

Justin Thomas

Hilton Head, South Carolina

Q. Justin, tremendous final round, but based on your reaction from that putt on 18, it was that close to being one shot better here at the final round of the RBC Heritage.
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I would have liked it a little better. It's obviously hard when you take a little break and having to go back out there. I didn't look at the leaderboard once today, so I didn't know exactly where I stood. I had a pretty good idea. I knew I needed to birdie the last two to have a chance, at least that's what it felt like.

But, yeah, I had a really good putt on 18. It would have been nice if it had gone in.

Q. Even so, after the first round, 72 and plus 1, did you think you'd have a shot at being in contention this week?
JUSTIN THOMAS: You wouldn't think so. I know I have the firepower to do so, especially on a course like this, short with so many wedges and short irons. I think that's a strength of mine. To be honest, if I had putted worth a crap the last three days, I would have been about 30 under.

I was glad to see some putts fall today. I kind of changed a little bit up in the setup. It was just nice to finally see some good shots work.

Q. You just mentioned you finished last week and you started this week. What's the biggest difference between those two rounds and the last three rounds?
JUSTIN THOMAS: The Sunday rounds?

Q. Yeah, the Sunday rounds last week and the first round this week.
JUSTIN THOMAS: I think last week on Sunday, I got a little impatient, and I was trying to force it. I think I wanted to win so bad. That's why -- I mean, I was in a lot different position this week. That's why I didn't scoreboard watch today. I got so wrapped up in who was where last week and what I needed to get to and what I thought I needed to get to instead of just going out and trying to make birdies, which is what I feel like I do best, and that's what I did today.

Obviously, making some putts helps with that, but I really, really feel like my game is in a good spot. I was glad to make some putts today to finally have something to show for it.

Q. You have a lot of competition in South Florida. Clearly, you've been playing a lot of games during the three months of quarantine. Did you really have a sense that you'd come back sharp and be in the top ten?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I hope I hang in the top ten. It seems you drop pretty quickly when you're not playing out here, with how the course is. I put in more preparation and work than I ever have before just because you don't have an opportunity for three months to get in a routine like that. I'm definitely in the best shape I've ever been body-wise, and I worked really, really hard at that. I just try to be patient with the golf and practicing there.

But I felt like, when it was time, we started working again. My dad came down, and we did a little bit of work, just to feel like we were -- there's no reason to be peaking over quarantine or peaking before we're starting to play. That's what we're working for. We're working to peak sometime here in the next couple months.

Q. Were you surprised at all by the drive on 18? It went 320.
JUSTIN THOMAS: I was. I obviously wouldn't have hit it if I would have thought driver, if I'd have thought it went there. That's a bummer. I got very lucky that it stayed up, but I like my chances a lot more from a flat lie on the fairway. I felt like, with how I was hitting it, I could have gotten inside 10, 12 feet, no problem.

I still would have had to make the putt, and I still don't think 18 would have been enough, but it at least would have been nice to know it had a better chance than 17, that's for sure.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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