MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 8, 2022

Justin Thomas

Quick Quotes

Q. How did you feel 28 hours ago compared to how you feel now?

JUSTIN THOMAS: I don't even know how to describe that. That was far and away the most pissed off I've been after a round in a really, really long time.

I don't know. It was just one of those weird days yesterday where I just couldn't get focused. I couldn't get into the round. I just couldn't get into the moment, which is sad and a bummer on the first round of the Masters.

But I'm really proud of myself. I very easily could be going home right now, and not only am I not, but I'm in a really good spot going into this weekend.

Q. Just how good was today's round based on the conditions and how the course was playing?

JUSTIN THOMAS: It was really good. I played beautifully. I felt like I mentally applauded my way around the course very well. Cleaned up nicely. Whenever I got out of position, I felt like I kind of got it to where I could get up and down or two-putt, and made one mental mistake there on 10, which led to my only bogey.

I hit a lot of good iron shots in there that I could have made a couple of more birdies, but I'm very, very pleased with the day.

Q. Is this golf you couldn't have played three or four years ago in these kind of conditions?

JUSTIN THOMAS: I'm getting better and better at it. We have a lot of windy days in Jupiter, but I definitely am not -- if it's like it was at Sawgrass, I don't think anybody in their right mind is actually going to go play a practice. I can't say that I would do that, but I have practiced a lot in wind like today. I did even last week. It was really windy.

I know that as good as the greens are, although it's very difficult to putt in the wind on these greens, that I can get it on the green. If I drive it well, I have a lot of scoring clubs to where I can make some birdies, so I just tried to stay patient and just kind of keep plodding along.

Q. What does last night look like for you? Are you trying to avoid all Masters content? Are you trying to go to bed early?

JUSTIN THOMAS: I try to avoid it usually anyway. They've got to talk about something. They're just going to keep talking and talking, and eventually something is probably going to get brought up that either is wrong or I disagree with or I don't really want to hear. I stay away from it.

I like watching highlights in the morning to see how the course is playing and stuff, but I went home. Jill definitely knows now to kind of -- she asked if I need my space or if I want to talk about it, and I just needed to be left alone for a little bit yesterday.

Q. How did you release the anger?

JUSTIN THOMAS: I played fetch with my dog for llike 45 minutes, and Jill was out there with me. I just kind of sulked and pissed and moaned for about 30 minutes and had some dinner and went to bed. All good.

Q. Can you describe what you mean when you say you had trouble getting into the round?

JUSTIN THOMAS: It's weird, man. I couldn't get focused. I couldn't get -- I couldn't get in the moment. I couldn't get present. I just -- all I could think about was anything other than what I was doing.

It sucks when you are playing a place like this because you can't do that. You're just looking to see what other people are doing. You're looking at the leaderboards. You are looking a couple of holes over. You're thinking about why did I screw up two holes ago instead of just focus on what you are doing like I did today.

If it was that easy to just kind of flip the switch and get back into it, I obviously would have, but I tried and tried. I just felt like I held it together as much as I could through 15 holes and then just bogeyed two of the last three. Just one of those days.

Q. Does that happen to you?

JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I'm sure it happens to y'all too. You just wake up some days, and you don't want to do anything, and I unfortunately had to go play the first round of the Masters. It's bad timing, but at the same time it is what it is, you and have to deal with it.

Q. Are you surprised to see Scottie at 8-under?

JUSTIN THOMAS: No. If I played how I should yesterday, I should be right there with him. This place, I love it because you can make so many birdies and you can -- even in conditions like this, if you plot your way around and know how to get it around, you can make a lot of birdies. It exposes you when it gets this windy if you don't have control of your ball.

He clearly has control of everything right now based off the last couple of months, so I'm not too surprised, but yeah, I would appreciate it if he would stop going too far away.

Q. What is it specifically about Augusta that means you can make so many birdies, but, obviously, the course can play really challenging?

JUSTIN THOMAS: You have four par-5s. We don't have that very often. They're all reachable. That's four very realistic birdie opportunities, potential eagle opportunities. You have some short holes as well. You have a lot of undulation and turning the green that you can use to get close to a lot of pins if it's set up that way.

Tomorrow probably will be set up a little bit harder. It generally is on Saturday just to kind of separate the field a little bit and then Sunday you see a lot of fireworks.

I just have to go out and try to get in a little bit of a zone and frame of mind like I was today and just try to plot my way around and make some birdies and try to get closer.

Q. What do you make of what Tiger has been able to do here through two days?

JUSTIN THOMAS: It's awesome, man. Obviously I think the world of the guy, and I'm sure y'all are in the same boat. If he is playing, he is the GOAT. He is going to play great, but he actually does it. It's like, wow, it's unbelievable.

I'm pumped for him. I'm happy for him. I've seen how hard he has worked and seen all the things he has done behind the scenes. Yeah, it's very, very impressive for him to make the cut and be playing as well as he is.

Q. He said the other day that if we had seen what his leg looked like, we would have been horrified. He said some of the guys came over and saw it. What was your reaction when you saw the leg?

JUSTIN THOMAS: Horrified is definitely something I would say.

Q. Are you going to let him know you got him back after he got you yesterday?

JUSTIN THOMAS: There's a lot of golf left. Thanks, guys.