MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 11, 2025

Justin Thomas

Quick Quotes

Q. The assessment of the week, the relief of being here for the weekend, and how was the course?

JUSTIN THOMAS: For sure. You always have a chance to win as long as you're here for the weekend. I feel like I'm playing pretty well. Did a lot of really good things today. Was obviously a very tough day. The wind really picked up and got very swirly on that back nine. Felt like I hung tough and fought hard.

Would have obviously as always liked to see a couple more go in and shoot a little bit lower, but we've got a chance, so just try to go shoot a low one tomorrow morning.

Q. What's particularly tricky about having a different guy on the bag this week?

JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, it's little stuff. I'm so, so lucky that it worked out that Joe was able to help. They have so many great local caddies here, and Jeff, who I used, he was going to be an unbelievable caddie for me this week.

It's just the little things of I know Joe well enough that I didn't have to really tell him or explain to him a lot of stuff of how I like it, or more importantly, my golf game.

He's seen me play a lot of golf that especially how I play, it's a lot of feel and kind of seeing stuff, hitting 5-woods from 230 and stuff to where some people may kind of be a little wary, but Joe is just like, scoot over, you've seen me hit this before. But just getting the comfortability.

But it's been very easy.

Q. Do you think this is a course that rewards that feel that you have in your game like maybe Sawgrass does?

JUSTIN THOMAS: It definitely can if you use it properly. I think, yeah, it definitely requires some creativity and using some slopes. The only difference here is the greens were quite a bit softer today.

But man, you just have such, such small areas to land the balls here versus Sawgrass or if the greens were really soft here.

I see the shots and feel like I can kind of use different contours and whatnot to get it close to the holes, but you have like the size of this platform to land it on versus other places.

Q. Through 36 holes, does it feel like it's playing remarkably different than the Augusta National that you know from years past?

JUSTIN THOMAS: I mean, it played way different than yesterday. It was very windy and it was gusty. It was like a lot of stop, start and kind of different direction kind of things.

I know it always gusts here, but when it's blowing 15, 20, it doesn't start and stop that often. So that was change. But it was hard yesterday. They obviously -- this place is so good at getting the golf course in the condition or setting it up properly and not letting the weather get away from them, which is a surprise to nobody.

But I feel like with how the weather looks this weekend, it's going to be very challenging.

Q. A lot of guys talk about their golf swings and they talk about being an athlete, feeling athletic. What does that mean? How do you be an athlete?

JUSTIN THOMAS: I think it's just -- I would describe it as trusting myself or my ability. You know, like 10 tee shot is a great example. I probably couldn't tell you exactly where I'm aiming. I couldn't tell you how far right I'm swinging, about a swing path or a club -- the club angle, whatever the hell it is.

I know I'm going to aim right and I'm going to shut the facedown and I feel pretty good that it's going to turn right to left. It's easy for y'all or anybody watching to be -- obviously it is impressive. It is good. But it's also we've done this so many times that we react and we know without almost knowing.

It's like how many putts I've hit or we hit to where you just kind of give it one of those and it's just somewhere out there.

Yeah, it does take some skill, but I've hit 5000 of those. It's all muscle memory, I guess.

Q. You don't have an aim point on 10?

JUSTIN THOMAS: I mean, I have an idea, but I'm just trying to get it turning. The wind today is as easy as a shot can play. Joe bet me 100 bucks I was within four yards of the left edge of the fairway, and that was the easiest hundred I've ever made.