LIV GOLF HONG KONG

March 6, 2026

Thomas Detry

Hong Kong Golf Club at Fanling

4Aces GC

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Let's welcome to the media center tomorrow's Detry of 4Aces. You're right near the top of the leaderboard. Please take us through today's round, how you felt out there.

THOMAS DETRY: I felt really good, pretty much like yesterday. I didn't know what to expect when I teed off yesterday morning. I got here Wednesday morning so I had a bit of a nightmare getting here with all the travel through the Middle East, but I made it and got off to a good start yesterday and I guess I just kept playing well, kept the momentum going that I had yesterday.

My first hole today I think I holed a 35-footer or something like that. So that just put me straight back into it, and then I was just cruising.

Q. When you're coming into a tournament with unique travel and don't have necessarily the opportunity to practice or see the course the week of the event, how did that change your mindset and preparation when you were approaching yesterday's round? What was your mindset stepping up on the first hole?

THOMAS DETRY: Well, weirdly, a bit nervous because I was sort of nervous that I wasn't properly prepared, but I managed to take a good week off the week after Adelaide and do some great work with my coach last week, and actually, I haven't touched a club since Saturday.

All that conflict in the Middle East actually in a way was beneficial to me because it sort of forced me to leave the clubs behind and not touch a club for a couple of days. I feel like it had a beneficial side effect on me, in a way.

Q. Looking ahead to the weekend, obviously you're right there near the top. With two more rounds to go, what is the approach knowing that scores are quite low, and it seems like no one let their foot off the gas today?

THOMAS DETRY: Yeah, the course is amazing, but all that rain often softens it up a little bit, and it's just very gettable. There's wedges on pretty much every single hole. All the par-5s are reachable. Even though I overheard it might be a little bit windy tomorrow, I think it's going to be a birdie fest, and you've just got to keep going really. There's only one rule: Keep making birdies.

Q. Just building on what you were talking about coming into this week, mentally I think to start the week you weren't even sure you were going to be here, right? So when you come here, is it almost like playing with house money to a certain degree; I'm just here now and ready to roll, whatever comes?

THOMAS DETRY: No, 100 percent. But I'm a competitor, and I just want to do well for myself. I want to do well for the team. I'm not just here free-wheeling it. I was still here and wanting to get the most out of this week. That was sort of the mindset. But definitely, like being here was definitely a bonus because Tuesday morning I did not see myself being here and teeing it off on Thursday.

To be honest, on Tuesday morning I was even thinking next week was going to be a push, as well. That was sort of what I was thinking. But here we are, and life is all good.

Q. I did want to ask you about coming off Adelaide. What was the team mood like obviously with AK winning? It probably put a smile on everybody's face?

THOMAS DETRY: That was unbelievable. Pretty emotional, as well, to be honest. We were all on the 18th. When he made that putt on 17, it pretty much sealed the deal and we ran on the 18th green and watched him win. It was a pretty unique moment, really.

It was sort of a mixed feeling because for me because I had a bad Sunday and I was having a decent week, and I think I was starting the week in T11 or T10 or something like that and I shot a couple over. It wasn't personally a great week for myself, although he was playing some good golf, but for the whole team it was so cool. That AK win definitely made up for that bad round on Sunday, and it was a lot of fun.

Q. I believe I remember you came here in 2017 for the DP Tour. How much different is the golf course and the gallery?

THOMAS DETRY: I mean, I think the biggest difference for me is really the DP World event used to be played in December when it was really firm and fast. I think that's when the course plays best. It starts showing its teeth. The small, slopey greens, really firm and grainy and quick. I do remember that side of the golf course.

I love this place. This place is amazing. There's so many good courses. But obviously the rain makes it a little bit -- all those little nuances on the golf course disappear a little bit with how soft the course is. This place is amazing. I love the atmosphere. I love Hong Kong. 18 is such a cool hole with the shape of the green, the buildings behind, the clubhouse right there, putting green, player lounge. There's a lot of atmosphere here, so you really feel it. I'm hoping to see quite a big crowd over the weekend.

Q. First season on LIV, you're getting a chance to experience the global nature of the league playing around the world. I know it's very early on, but what's the start of the season and the LIV Golf experience been like for you?

THOMAS DETRY: It's been life-changing, honestly. We love it. We spend our time between Dubai and London, so it fits our life so much better, and it sort of reminds me of my early days as a pro, as well, when I was playing on the DP Tour and traveling to all these places. It's so much fun, and all these places are great. You get to travel with the team. I'm back with my good friend Thomas Pieters, as well, so it's only a bonus. I'm really excited for the next couple of months and years.

Q. Were you part of the plane that Rahm arranged?

THOMAS DETRY: I was. I was, yeah. That was pretty incredible.

Q. So now you're going into the weekend, and he's right there on your tail?

THOMAS DETRY: He's right there on my tail, yeah. I've got to pay that plane back, so I'd better play well hopefully to be able to pay that back. That was incredibly generous from Jon, with all the uncertainty. In hindsight, I was booked on an Emirates flight to Hong Kong on Wednesday morning, and it actually took off. So I would have been here on Wednesday night late, but obviously that was very unknown on Tuesday.

No, that was incredible of Jon to put on that plane, and it seems like he's always there on top of the leaderboard, so you know if you're playing well you're always going to have to fight with Jon anyway.