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CIMB CLASSIC


October 22, 2016


Justin Thomas


Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Q. Just a ho-hum day?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, it was really just terrible golf for the first 13 holes. To be 4-over par out here, it was a very weird feeling. I don't know. I'd been so comfortable and breezed around here so easily, I felt no matter how poorly I played, as long as I just managed everything, I could still shoot 3- or 4-under par, and I just put myself so far behind the 8-ball.

It was great to have that finish. I gave myself a chance, and I know I wouldn't have done that in some of the years past. I feel like that showed a lot of me and I hope that I can ride the momentum into tomorrow.

Q. Is there something you and your caddie said to each other, or something you said to yourself in your brain, just let's go?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I finally started hitting it better. I really was hitting everything solid, other than my tee shot on 11, I was just hitting it left. It was just one of those days where every back break possible is happening; this far a bounce from being in the fairway here or a bad lie there.

I mean, 10 was unfortunate. It wasn't a good drive but I just got so many bad lies on that hole and plugged in the bunker. It's just, I was telling Aaron, that's one of the things that happens when you're playing bad; it doesn't happen when you're 4-under. I started kind of opening the clubface a little bit more going back and I started starting online a little bit better, so going to go hit a couple more and see if I can get it worked out.

Q. Just talk through the finish, clubs, distances on the last five birdies?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, yeah, just hit 5-iron off the tee on 14. And then full sand wedge in there about probably 13, 14 feet and made that one.

Then 7-iron, one of my better swings of the day, I really hit it good. My caddie, Jimmy, and I, we thought the wind, it's the most it's ever blown since I've been here. It was a little swirly and came up just short and I chipped that one in.

I hit 4-iron off the tee on 16 actually. Went through the wind somehow. Went in the bunker and hit a great 56-degree out of that fairway bunker from 99 yards to about same thing, about 14 feet up the hill and made that one.

Then I hit 5-iron off the tee on 17. Hit just a little flatted pitching wedge, same thing, about 13, 14 feet.

Then 18, I just ripped a drive and didn't hit a very good 3-wood. It was kind of a tough pin to get at. Then hit a great chip-in there, which kind of let me down -- my chipping really cost me the first 13 holes or so. And to make that putt on 18 is great.

Q. At least it's a course you know you can shoot 11-under. You've done it before. Is that the mentality tomorrow?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, you don't know. Anirban is playing great. I've played with him a handful of times and it's the best I've seen him play. He just made it look so simple. I didn't realize he made nine birdies until we just finished and I looked at his scorecard. He played great and I know he's going to be tough to catch, but I know there's a lot of other guys and anybody can go low. I just need to try to work off this positive finish that I had and try to keep those negative thoughts and things out on the course from happening, and just try to go have some fun.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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