MEN'S OLYMPIC GOLF COMPETITION

August 2, 2024

Thomas Detry

Le Golf National

Press Conference

Q. On the 18th green, French speaking fans, how do you find the atmosphere?

THOMAS DETRY: Not only on the 18th green but yesterday. It started on 1, we were talking me and Stephan Jaeger how cool this feels. We don't even have that feeling at the majors standing on the first tee Friday morning having so many people cheering your name, carrying the flag. It's very special. So yeah we got off to a good start and we kept making birdies. It was a fun day.

Q. This is a course you know well and you've played many times on the DP World Tour and as a junior. This round is particularly special for yourself.

THOMAS DETRY: Best round ever, I think, out here. What did I do well? It started, I played good golf yesterday, and I was struggling on the greens. Left a lot of putts short. So we did some work yesterday with my coach trying to bring some flow with my stroke and visualising a little bit more.

I made a great putt on 1 and that got me going for the day. Just golf is a weird game. It just works sometimes.

Q. For you personally, 2024 has been a great year, great results in the majors. To make a medal, podium finish?

THOMAS DETRY: Yeah that would be a little bit of me redemptio for qualifying for The Open. I didn't play The Open which was a bit of a blow. Felt like I had a great season going, and I felt like I wanted to be there and compete at Troon but hopefully I can keep this form going and be in contention all the way until Sunday.

I think everybody has the same feeling in the Olympics in golf. It's not particularly something you put in your schedule as a target. We have kind of Signature Events or majors or National Opens, that's kind of our target.

I think the closer we got to the Olympics, the more we realised how big this is. Seeing how many people are here, it's like the Ryder Cup, I want to say. There's people everywhere. It's incredible. Even for Friday -- on a Friday morning, it doesn't get that busy at The French Open or any events. It's nice.

Q. For you, it would mean a lot personally. Do you have a larger sense of what it would mean? It's hard to step outside yourself?

THOMAS DETRY: We are a small country. We only have three medals. We only have 14 million inhabitants.

Q. 5,000 golfers maybe?

THOMAS DETRY: Something like that. I mean, that's stretching it. So we don't have that many golfers. So yeah, adding another metal would be incredible. Golf would be even better. That's the goal. That's what I would be here for. You don't come to the Olympics to finish top 10. Sometimes in majors that's what you play for. Out here today I felt like I put myself back in contention and I'm here to reach my target.

Q. Fourth place and 60th place are the same?

THOMAS DETRY: Exactly right. There's no difference.

Q. Does that affect your approach? Do you play more aggressive?

THOMAS DETRY: Yeah, definitely. Sometimes in major, obviously there's points and money or whatever you want. There's nothing of that here. We play for a medal and for bringing our Belgian flag as high as possible. Hopefully I can keep it going.

Q. Slightly ran done but Tom Kim has to win a medal to avoid military service.

THOMAS DETRY: I heard that.

Q. Can you imagine?

THOMAS DETRY: Yeah, this is like life-changing. I thought Ben An and someone else won something a couple months ago and got out of it -- or the Asian Games, they won it and got out of it, right.

Q. You have a few opportunities?

THOMAS DETRY: It's career-changing. I can't believe there's still no exemption because all they are doing is representing their countries all around the world. I feel like their countries should give it back to them to not have to do that military service. My opinion.

Q. Did the course feel easier today with the overnight rain?

THOMAS DETRY: Yes and no because some is of the holes, we had a lot of back flags today, a lot of back flags which made it play much longer. You think of hole No. 4, hole No. 5, they are short holes but you're usually coming in there with like wedges max and suddenly back flag on 5, you're sitting 7-irons, 8-irons. I don't think it was particularly easy. We had lots of rain last night. So the course will be soft the next couple of days. The rough is up. I didn't hit it much in the rough which helped.

Q. Do you think the course may be the first 14 holes are gettable, and 15 and 16 are easier, but the last four, especially 17 and 18.

THOMAS DETRY: Yeah, the last four, you really have to commit on every single tee shot. I did that really well today. On 18, hit down the right rough and you almost had no chance of going for the green. So it's almost like an empty bogey.

I hit my best tee shot of the day on 18. Smoked a drive. Aimed at the water and faded in there. It was really a nice, committed golf shot. You just have to play it that way.

You are right, there is a couple of holes that you can get at but it quickly bites. If you start missing a drive in the rough, get a bad lie, it can quickly start adding up to bogeys.

Q. I don't think I'd want to play 17 and 18 with a one-shot lead?

THOMAS DETRY: Exactly right. Let's hope we've got a ten-shot lead by then.

Q. Does it feel special for you, being from a neighboring country with all the French speakers around? Extra atmosphere for you?

THOMAS DETRY: 100%. There's so many French-speaking people out here. I feel like they kind of support me as much as they support their French compatriots. Lots of Belgians, as well. Definitely it felt something extra.