AT&T BYRON NELSON

May 14, 2022

Justin Thomas

TPC Craig Ranch

Quick Quotes

Q. What do you make of how the course has played and how you handled conditions out there so far?

JUSTIN THOMAS: The course is playing very easy, I think it's very obvious and apparent of that. A lot of tees moved up, a lot of bullpens and the greens are getting a little firmer, which is making it a little more challenging and putting more of a premium on hitting the fairway.

But you know what you're getting into when you come here, it's very open, a lot of short clubs and with the groans rolling this well you know if you're putting it well you can make it from about anywhere. So you just kind of have to just keep your head down and just keep trying to make birdies.

Q. The bumpy first nine on Thursday and then you turned the corner. What do you think changed this that stretch?

JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I would say bumpy is an understatement, it was just flat out bad. I drove it very poorly on Thursday and, I don't know, I just, I think after three weeks off, I was just a little rusty, I think I had a hard time kind of getting back into it, which is why I'm here, I'm here to kind of knock off some rust and get my game trending in the right direction going into the PGA next week.

Q. Specifically today was the 64 as clean as the card says it was?

JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I drove the ball well today, the fairways I missed were very, very close. It was very stress-free. I had a couple putts on the back nine I felt like I could have made, but I just am not doing anything special. I'm far from my best stuff, I'm managing my game well and understanding that if I don't have a club that I like or if I am not feeling comfortable and a tee shot maybe take a little less or make sure I miss it on the side that is a good angle into the green or the pin or whatever it is. So, yeah, so sometimes it's fun when you're able to be in contention in a tournament without your best stuff and that's where we're at right now.

Q. Jordan is hosting you this week, how has that been?

JUSTIN THOMAS: It's great. They're some of our closest friends, him and Annie, we love hanging out with them and especially now with their baby. And we're having a great time and it definitely feels like a very relaxed competitive week, if that somehow is a thing.

Q. How is heat a factor?

JUSTIN THOMAS: Well I live in Florida so this isn't -- I mean this is hot, but it's not -- everybody, when I first came here they're like, Oh, sorry about the heat. And I'm like, You're fine, this is nothing. So I would like to think and hope that it plays to my advantage. I take my conditioning and my training very seriously to where I can get in shape for times like this to where my energy level stays high and I continue to play at a high level throughout the course of the week.

So maybe tomorrow come the back nine I'll still have that same energy, same fight and adrenaline and try to go win a golf tournament.

Q. Given the vulnerability course what would you say, what lead is, how many stroke lead is safe?

JUSTIN THOMAS: I don't think there is, because the bigger the lead you have the harder it is to play sometimes. I mean, I think sometimes when you get a 5-, 6-, 7-shot lead you start playing defensive and I mean literally someone could go shoot 13-, 14-under here, it's extremely doable. It's just, I mean I did absolutely nothing special today and shot 8-under. And I feel like I get a hot putter and kind of get my irons dialed in and knock some in close you very easily could shoot 10-, 12-under. So I don't know if there is a lead that is safe, but it's definitely easier off the tee to hold a lead out here than others, I would say.

Q. Every hole a birdie out here right now?

JUSTIN THOMAS: Most. I mean like 15 was tough today. That was a very tough pin.

The par-3s are set up tough. 16 or, 17 is short, I mean it's a tricky little pin but obviously it's a wedge. You definitely can birdie all of them, but some of them are easier than others.