VALSPAR CHAMPIONSHIP

March 23, 2025

Justin Thomas

Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead)

Quick Quotes

Q. J.T., from where you were on Friday where coming off the 9th green thinking maybe you didn't even make the cut to being right here today, and then obviously the emotions of the last round, can you sum it up, what your feelings are, the good and the bad?

JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I mean, it's probably hard to sum it all up right now, I have a little hurt from the end there. No, I mean, I told you here, I felt like if I made this cut I was going to have a chance to win the tournament. And I had a really good chance. I probably would have, if -- I would have felt like if I shot that before the day started it would have been good enough. I mean Viktor obviously played an unbelievable round as well, birdieing 16 and 17, you know, he played great, he earned it. Yeah, I have a lot of positives to build on.

Q. The 16th is the hardest hole on the course, is the tee shot an awkward one for you possibly?

JUSTIN THOMAS: Not really. I've always hit driver there. It's, you know, it's one of those things, do you deviate from a game plan that got you there? I don't really like 3-wood because my miss when I'm trying to cut a 3-wood like that is a heel and then it's not covering that water there. I mean, that's kind of what I felt like was worst-case scenario. If I don't cut a driver it's in the rough, or if I double cross it big time like that, like I can chip it out and still make 4, all I'll have is a wedge in and the worst case, barring an extremely bad break I can make 5. So I felt like, you know, it was tough, and I understood the situation with a couple-shot lead, it's like, what do I do, but, you know, like I told Rev why would I do anything differently. I didn't feel like it was necessarily a stupid play. I think I could have made 5 just as easily hitting a 3-wood or 5-wood. I would say it was more the putt not going in on 17 and bogeying 18 that hurts more.

Q. What did you have left on 18 there, what was the shot like that you had the second shot?

JUSTIN THOMAS: It was just a bad lie. It wasn't a good drive, so I can't expect much. Yeah, it just was a bummer. I obviously would have loved some kind of lie to -- I mean, I hit a pitching wedge as hard as I possibly could and it went about 120 yards or so. I would have loved -- I mean, obviously the moral of the story is hit a better drive, hit it in the fairway there. But I felt like trying to just hit something hard and try to land it somehow in that rough and get really lucky. I could hear from the roar that Viktor had birdied 17, so I felt like I needed a 3. And then I felt like the short bunker wasn't an easy shot, but I felt like realistically more doable than the back edge of the green kind of thing if I flew it on. So I hit such a good bunker shot there I really thought it was going to be so good. It must have just landed a couple feet short. And then I hit a really good putt. So it sucks bogeying the last hole, but just look big picture.

Q. At the beginning you said when you left Friday you thought you really had a good chance to maybe win the tournament. Why was that? What was happening those first two rounds or even that day that made you feel like, hey, I can come from however far back that was?

JUSTIN THOMAS: Well I think that's the most biggest thing is I wasn't that far back. I knew unless someone went way away that's just how this golf course is. You don't get -- nobody gets to 10-, 12-, 15-under through two rounds. So I knew there was a pretty decent chance I was going to be within five, six, maybe seven shots. And I've made that up in one round, so I know I can do it in two, especially at a golf course I like and I feel like I'm playing really well. So, yeah, it just was kind of all those things into one.

Q. Is there any good that you'll take -- what is the good that you'll take from this week?

JUSTIN THOMAS: I'll take a lot of good. Way, way more good than bad. I mean, today was awesome. I felt so comfortable. I really the only -- I felt like the only nervy swing I truly felt was the wedge on 16. That was the only one I felt was it was just, I was uncomfortable a little bit and kind of in the moment. But I rebounded really well with a nice bunker shot and a nice putt. One of my best swings of the day with a 5-iron on 17, and somehow that putt didn't go in on 17 as well. So I'm very, very proud of myself. It sucks not winning when you're that close and have a great chance, but I just hopefully put myself in the same position in two weeks at Augusta and finish it off better.