PNC CHAMPIONSHIP

December 17, 2022

Justin Thomas

Mike Thomas

The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club

Quick Quotes

THE MODERATOR: Welcome back, congratulations on a great round today and finding yourselves back at the top of the leaderboard again. You can talk about your round?

JUSTIN THOMAS: It was good. We played solid. I would say probably didn't hit some wedges or irons as close as we would have liked but fortunately I think we both feel pretty good on these greens. And if I'm lucky enough to give my dad the right read, it seems like he makes it, and if not, I'm able to learn enough to knock it in sometimes. So it was a good day.

Q. Charlie came up here and said the crew of the four of you guys plus the caddies are like a big family. Do you agree with that sentiment?

JUSTIN THOMAS: Charlie said that? Wow.

MIKE THOMAS: We always thought we were -- he was working his way towards being in the family but apparently he's in (laughter).

JUSTIN THOMAS: No, for sure. For sure. I'm glad to hear -- yeah, I didn't even know if he honestly liked us, so I'm glad to hear that he said that.

Q. Were you walking them in --

MIKE THOMAS: It just looked like it was going in, so I went to go get it.

JUSTIN THOMAS: Pretty well said.

Q. Was there any particular moment out there with Charlie and Tiger where your relationships -- any shade thrown?

MIKE THOMAS: Well he had a snoopy hat on so I called him "Snoopy" all day.

JUSTIN THOMAS: It's all day. It's not there's nothing that's anything in particular. We are just four friends going out and playing golf, and you know, Charlie definitely hit his fair share of putts pretty hard today, so I made sure, I think both of us, to remind him of that. He hit some really, really good putts and shots, as well, so it was good.

Q. The eagle --

JUSTIN THOMAS: I would say the one on 14. Just because where we were on the fairway, the tree was in a perfect -- for me to get a 5-wood, I wanted to turn it a bit more but I couldn't. That 5-wood is kind of like a 250 club and I just felt like if I just caught it perfectly on the screws, I could get it a little bit flatter to fly there, and I just hit it like exactly how I would have liked to before I hit it.

And then again, my dad hit a good putt but I was able to learn from it and knock it in.

Q. Have you ever hit from a golf club that had screws in it?

JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, yeah, for sure. Like Persimmon? Yeah.

Q. How old were you?

JUSTIN THOMAS: Well, I mean, like, I've done it this year. Like I have one. I've never used one in competition if that's what you're asking.

Q. Seems like Tiger is hitting it pretty good, especially all he's been through lately even. Can you just talk to that? Do you see that? Any difference from when maybe you might have played with him away from the tour?

JUSTIN THOMAS: No, I think he said that at Hero. He can hit any shot he wants and obviously some days are different than others. He said it himself: He has plenty of speed. He 100 percent hits it farther than I do with the driver right now, and when he's feeling well and moving well like he was today, he can do anything he wants.

So it's nice that he has a cart and is able to enjoy this week.

Q. Is two strokes enough for tomorrow?

JUSTIN THOMAS: We'll let you know tomorrow afternoon.

Q. How much fun was, it toward the end of the turn where there was a couple of 20-, 25-foot putts on top of each other?

MIKE THOMAS: It's always fun. We certainly root for them when we are out there, too, but you also kind of feed off each other. Balls start going in the hole, it's always fun.

Q. You guys have played a lot of golf with Tiger and Charlie over the years. Why do you think they are such a good pair? Why do you think they work well? Is it their games?

JUSTIN THOMAS: Why do they work well? I mean, they are both good (laughter).

MIKE THOMAS: That would be the first reason, yeah.

JUSTIN THOMAS: I mean, they are father and son. Yeah, they know each other's games and they are both really good at golf.

Q. Who had more fun out there?

JUSTIN THOMAS: I would say we had about two shots more fun today (laughter).

MIKE THOMAS: I had a blast. I'm sure he did, too. It's just fun to play golf.

Q. Father, son, has to be an absolute blessing?

MIKE THOMAS: No doubt.

JUSTIN THOMAS: I would say each year you would feel a little bit different but it doesn't. It just fun every time we tee it up.

Q. Were you encouraging the driver off the deck?

JUSTIN THOMAS: I've played with him, obviously forever and I've seen him do it. So it was never a concern. It was just unfortunately where we were, on downslopes on both of them so that made it harder. But he's got faith in me, so that was okay.