VALSPAR CHAMPIONSHIP

May 1, 2021

Justin Thomas

Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead)

Quick Quotes

Q. Are you happy with how you played today?

JUSTIN THOMAS: I'm happy with how I played. Again, I'm not pleased with the score the third day in a row. I'm playing way better than I'm scoring, which is frustrating, but also a little reassuring that if I can just finally start making some putts I feel like I can play well. It's never a good taste in your mouth when you bogey 18, but I played well today.

Q. It seems like the putting is the thing that has to turn for you before you're happy with everything?

JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, if I'm putting well this week I'm winning this tournament without question. I was last in the field going into today and I don't think I gained a whole lot of ground today. I'm hitting the ball well. The hard part about that is you give yourself more chances you're going to miss more, unfortunately. But just -- I feel like I didn't quite roll it as well today as I did the first day and yesterday wasn't quite as well, but, I don't know, it just, I feel like once I can see a couple fall in from that mid-range it might open up a little bit.

Q. Next major is coming up, how much are you thinking about that?

JUSTIN THOMAS: Not too much, because I don't know the course very well. It's hard to prep for it if I don't know the course. I feel like once I get there I'll be able to do that. But I have a tournament to finish up tomorrow and a course that I love next week in Charlotte, and then an off week to do some prep. So that's what I'm worried about, I'm worried about tomorrow.

Q. How much is the heat affecting things out there?

JUSTIN THOMAS: It's hot. The ball is going really far. Downwind, it's going. It's fun, it has that summer feel again and the fans and get a little bit of adrenaline going, so you have to factor that kind of stuff in. But, yeah, it's definitely warm.

Q. Do you recall a recent event like this where you've had such a disparate split between how well you're hitting the ball and how much you're struggling on the greens?

JUSTIN THOMAS: Not a specific event but I've done it plenty of times, yeah. Fortunately, I've had it where I've hit it well a lot of events, but I don't feel as bad over my putter as I have in some of those events. I just have -- I'm struggling reading the greens. I'm not factoring in the grain enough or I am factoring it in too much, could be over thinking it, I don't know. I made at least a couple today versus the first two days I literally made nothing -- well the first day and yesterday I made absolutely nothing. But, yeah, just having a hard time reading them.

Q. You talked earlier about having to kind of decompress coming out of the Masters and take a couple weeks off. In the past when you've done it has the putter been the thing that when you lay off for 20 days or whatever it was, is this in the past happened where the putter is the thing that takes a little bit of time to get used to getting back?

JUSTIN THOMAS: Not necessarily. I haven't picked up on that in the past. Usually it's just, it's kind of the touch, it's the wedges. I mean, my wedge game has not been very good to my standards this week. I'm hitting a lot, a lot of wedges to 10, 12, 15 feet and I feel like I hit a couple inside five feet kick-in range a round when I have that many. But it's coming back, I'm starting the ball on line a little bit better today and I had a couple squirrely ones, but the golf course is playing a little harder and, I mean, I had a chance to shoot 7 or 8-under pretty easily out there, but so, yeah, it's not in the past, no.

Q. This is kind of the blueprint for THE PLAYERS probably not as dramatic where you shot a 71, 71 then you really made your move on Saturday and here probably not as close to the leaders, but you did make a move from yesterday and Thursday. Does that give you, do you look back at that and that give you -- when you're looking at tomorrow a little bit of --

JUSTIN THOMAS: I'm not going to be four back going into tomorrow, I'm probably going to be closer to 8 to 10 to 12. I would love to be four back going into tomorrow, that means that those guys are going to play pretty poorly out there and then, yeah, I would be able to channel a little bit of that. But I know if I drive it well I can go shoot 9-, 10-under out here. I know I can. I just got to get the putter rolling, I got to be able to make some putts. But that being said, I can't worry about what everyone else is doing I just need to go try to have a great round tomorrow and a respectable finish and move on to next week.

Q. Next week is Walker Cup. What are your memories from that event and what do you expect with it being Seminole?

JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I have a lot of great memories of the Walker Cup. It was my last amateur event. A lot of -- we had a great team. We beat up on them pretty good, if I remember right. A lot of really close friends on the team. But it's a very, very special week. I mean, I -- any amateurs or college players that I've gotten to know that ask me advice on if I think they should turn pro or stay for the Walker Cup I tell them to stay for the Walker Cup. Professional golf's not going anywhere, having a Walker Cup on Your Honor resume is pretty special. If you're playing well, turning pro six months later and missing or three months later and missing a couple TOUR events isn't going to kill you over the long span of a career. I wish I was home, I would love to go watch it and spectate, but hopefully they can get some firm fast conditions, because that makes Seminole pretty entertaining.

Q. Next Sunday also Mother's Day. We hear a lot about your father's role in your golf game, but can you share a story or two about what your mom's contribution to your success?

JUSTIN THOMAS: I can't think of -- I've a lot. I mean I'm a mama's boy, I'll be the first to admit it. She's everywhere, everyone out here knows her. She's been very, very impactful in my life, my career, my golf life, took me to all my junior tournaments, drove me all over the place, dealt with me as a probably a little annoying teenager. I cherish all those moments with my mom and definitely do now out here as well. We have been fortunate to have some fond memories together on the professional level and hopefully can create some more and one in particular on Mother's Day next week.