TRAVELERS CHAMPIONSHIP

June 24, 2023

Justin Thomas

TPC River Highlands

Quick Quotes

Q. Justin, what's kind of clicked for you the last two days?

JUSTIN THOMAS: I just played well. I haven't necessarily tried to do anything different. Just obviously a little more confidence.

Just obviously more confidence, but am actually having fun playing golf, which is something I haven't been able to say for a while.

Q. Anything changed since last Friday at the U.S. Open?

JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, just my scores by about 50. No, working on the same stuff with my golf swing. I felt like -- I mean, it just was such a bad week, like I said, I legitimately felt like it was a fluke.

That honestly hurt a lot less than it did at Augusta missing it by one, bogeying the last hole.

It just was honestly so bad that it was easier to put behind me. I felt like I was working on the right things in my swing, and like I said, just in such a better headspace this week.

Q. When you left LA last week, were you, okay, I want to get right back out and play or maybe -- you knew you were going to play. Were you excited about...

JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I'm not in a position right now where I can't play. I'm very, very fortunate this many years into my career I've never had to add events at the end of the year for Playoff purposes, but that's where I'm at, and I'm just trying to make the most of it.

So I also feel like I got to keep plugging, keep going. I've felt very close for a while. Just have had literally nothing to show for it. And you never know. I'm one round away tomorrow from kind of completely changing my focus and outlook on the year and the rest of the year.

Yeah, just got to kind of stick with that.

Q. Talk about the crowds out there, especially when you made chip on four, how they got behind you. How does that help you?

JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I had a feeling they were going to be pretty loud this week, just because over the years they've been a great fan base at this tournament, and then with it being an elevated event and even bigger, more star players, I knew they were going to show out.

We get very lucky with the weather so far today at least, knock on wood.

Yeah, they were nice and rowdy out there.

Q. J.T., when you hit that bomb on 8, you just had a look your face. Can you describe that emotion and what you guys were communicating?

JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I was laughing at Gary because we were very close to each other and on a very similar line. He asked who was away and I was like, it's you 100%, and I thought it was me. I said, it's definitely you. It's not me.

It turned out I was closer by two inches, to I was glad I mate the right decision. He gave me a perfect read and we jokingly argued about who was away so they could give the other one the read, and it worked out in my favor.

Q. What number do you think it'll take tomorrow regardless...

JUSTIN THOMAS: I mean, you can't really say regardless because it's going to depend on where they're at. They're going to the easier side, it's soft. I mean, you can just make so many birdies out here.

Fortunately for me, I've left quite a few shots out there the last two days. I could have shot five or six shots better today easily.

Q. So 60 easily is what you're saying?

JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, but it's golf. You shoot 56 and you say you should have shot 55.

Just got to keep doing what I'm doing and hope I get a hot putter and see what happens.

Q. What did you do right after LA? What was the mindset? Just want to chill for a day?

JUSTIN THOMAS: I really wanted to practice just to hone in and kind of work on the stuff I was working on.

As funny as it is, I did nothing Friday night. Didn't feel like it. Went on over the to Spieth's RV. Brought some dinner over there, had a drink with them, and went back to the hotel.

Woke up the next morning ready to have a full day and just kind of tweaked my back a little bit and shot my plans for the rest of the day.

So I was pretty upset with that, so because of that I had to take Sunday off and it may have been the best thing for me to just get away from it.

Q. Your last few starts have come at pretty difficult courses. How nice is it to be at a place where you you can play offense and make birdies?

JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I think the thing about both the last two places, if you drive it well you can play a lot of the offense. I've driven it terribly so I've been about as defense as you can possibly be.

Yeah, just really tried to just get the ball in the fairway. Whatever I feel most comfortable with on the tee, driver, 5-wood, 3-wood, whatever, just put it in play and go from there. I feel like I've had a good strategy on that throughout the week.

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