TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 21, 2025

Justin Thomas

East Lake Golf Club

Quick Quotes

Q. How big was the par on 18?

JUSTIN THOMAS: Birdie? Yeah, I probably wouldn't have had a very good taste in my mouth if I didn't make birdie there. Yeah, I feel like it definitely put a cap on a really solid day.

Q. You said earlier in the week when asked about your Ryder Cup position, you said you felt better. Is it in your mind, and if so, how do you keep it out?

JUSTIN THOMAS: It's not. It's not. I feel like I learned a lot from two years ago, the amount of pressure I put on myself for that, and I was playing golf tournaments to try to qualify for a team and get points as opposed to just trying to go win the golf tournament.

I feel like I did a great job with that last year with the Presidents Cup. I wasn't overthinking it. I wasn't out here on Sunday with putts on 17 and 18 thinking about points like I was in '23.

Yeah, I just am trying to take care of my job, and I feel like if I do what I can and should do, then it shouldn't be an issue.

Q. I think it was 8 and 4 when you played your first Ryder Cup, 8 qualified and 4 picks. Do you have a preference? Does it matter in terms of stuff like this, people speculating and someone is going to get left out, blah, blah, blah? Does it matter for the team?

JUSTIN THOMAS: It probably depends who you ask or it depends on the year.

Q. I'm asking you.

JUSTIN THOMAS: You're asking me? Okay. I don't know.

I bet the majority of teams wouldn't have been much different. I remember when it was 8 and 4. There's always controversy over the last picks. That's never going to change. So I think obviously with adding two picks, it just provides for more potential controversy.

But I think I would say most years probably the first eight, maybe nine on the points list have been on the team about every year, I would think. I don't know that for a fact.

So I don't think it's changed too much, but it is funny with how it is different. You get a year like this, you have so many guys that have a chance for those last ones that I don't know it necessarily would be less stressful for Keegan and the vice captains if it was four versus six.

Q. Do you get a sense having been on two losing teams, and I bring that up for a reason, because it's just pure mindset when those matches are over and you don't win, if it doesn't happen this year, it's all going back to Keegan one way or the other, isn't it?

JUSTIN THOMAS: It is.

Q. Should have played, shouldn't have played?

JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, obviously it's more so this year with it being a captain that has every right in the world to be playing on the team. But I've felt that way every team, that the captain is damned if he does, damned if he doesn't, with his picks, with who he sends out when, with the pairings.

I get it, it's all very important stuff, and I have yet to see anything on our end of like an, oh, my gosh, this captain lost us the Cup.

Every losing team I've been a part of, we've played pretty crappy so it's unfortunately been our fault. But it's a very, very tough spot for the captains to be in because it's almost like they can't win in that situation.

Q. If the roles were reversed would you pick Keegan based on what he's done over this two-year window?

JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I would.

Q. Do you understand people from my side of the pond thinking that's too difficult?

JUSTIN THOMAS: For sure. I'd say all of us from this side of the pond would say the same thing. It is, it's a lot. I think Keegan would say the same. I don't think he would say it's easy by any means. But I have myself, whatever other captains, automatic qualifiers have all the faith in the world that whatever he decides to do is going to be in the best interest of the team.

Q. Counterintuitive, but did it feel different today teeing off without the starting strokes?

JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, definitely. Yes. It's a weird feeling and I didn't enjoy it. I felt like if you're -- I mean, I remember the first year we had starting strokes, I started at 10-under and I hit the first fairway and had 9-iron in and my mind was just in not protect mode, but just -- to just like, fairway, green, par, fairway, green, par, and I had this 9-iron and I hit it like 35 feet past the hole in the middle of the green and I go up there and I'm like, what am I doing? There are 72 holes left in this tournament.

So I had a hard time with that. And then on the other end, starting at even, if you're not under par on the front nine it feels like your week is over. It's nice to be a normal tournament.