BMW CHAMPIONSHIP

August 20, 2026

Justin Thomas

Bellerive Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. I know you just answered that over there, but so you're here to win the tournament, not really trying to think about anything else, but if your mind drifts at all how much a percentage of your brain do you like to think about, I want to be on the Presidents Cup team, that's part of the goal of winning?

JUSTIN THOMAS: Not a lot, to be honest. I feel like I've learned that lesson, not in the sense of I feel like I'm in a good spot by any means, it's definitely not because of that. But it's more I just feel like I've learned my lesson from Ryder Cups or Presidents Cups in the past of, especially Rome, 2023, I just, I was trying so hard to play well to make that team as opposed to just trying to play well to play well. And it's so much easier said than done, but it all takes care of itself. I mean, I feel like, you know, I have an awesome week this week and I make it to Atlanta, I've all but made my case and hopefully play well next week, you know, I feel like I've done at least as much as I can, right? But if I don't play well, it obviously sucks and I'm in the spot I'm in. But I can't be out there thinking about that. I just have to be trying to play this week as well as I can.

Q. Can you take me through you said over there you had kind of an abnormal Monday for you in terms of your workload. What was behind that and just describe the start of your week.

JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I feel like I played fine the first two days last week. Then just the weekend I just feel like I played so poorly and really just struggled kind of finding something. Just couldn't get anything going and then more than anything I left there in a way worse place mentally than I feel like I should have or would have liked or hoped. So, yeah, I just was coming out here just to do a little bit. Look, it's the end of the season, we're all pretty tired. Last week was insanely grueling in terms of heat and weather. So, again, it was a day that I likely would take off, but I just wanted to come out and feel like I kind of had some positivity or something to build on. It took a lot longer than I planned or wanted it to. Really it was, honestly, a pretty terrible day, to be perfectly honest.

Q. What did you do well today? Where was the positives?

JUSTIN THOMAS: I tried as hard as I could. That's literally about the only positive I had. I mean, it was, yeah, it was, I just, I was really tired, I mean, I was tired. So it's hard to obviously try to do something when you're in that frame of mind. That's why my dad was like, Why don't we just go home. And I'm like, I can't leave in this frame of mind. Like, leaving the golf course like this, I don't want to do that. But eventually just got to a point where I feel like I couldn't do anything and I was like, all right, I just got to start over tomorrow and that's what we did.

Q. Why do you care so much to make it to next week? Why is it important to you?

JUSTIN THOMAS: I mean, just for me, I want to. I mean, I take a lot of pride in being able to make it to Atlanta. So it's something I want to do. I think it would be a pretty awesome accomplishment, in my opinion, starting in, you know, in March and being able to do that with I feel like a pretty average season. And obviously I want to have a chance to win the FedExCup. So a lot of reasons, but more than anything I just really, really want it for me more than anything, because I'm just not really ready to be done playing golf yet this season.

Q. The back nine today, what parts of your game do you feel must comfortable with?

JUSTIN THOMAS: I drove it nicely, which, after number 10 I drove it well. I hit some really quality irons. Yeah, I did everything fairly well. I made some nice putts, nice par saves. But, yeah, just played solidly.

Q. How does the course compare to what you remember in 2018?

JUSTIN THOMAS: Similar. The greens are faster than they were I would say in 2018. But it's very similar and they're extremely soft. Fairways are soft. It's target practice, for the most part. You have a lot of mid irons, more mid irons and long irons than most weeks we play, but it's all right in front of you, you just got to go execute the shots.

Q. What's going through your mind on the bunker shot on 17?

JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I was fortunate to be on the down slope a little bit, so I just hit a 52 degree. Kind of let the, tried to let the less loft let the ball run or make it run all the way to the hole. Yeah, it was a great shot, it was nice to get that up-and-down.

Q. Do you feel you need a good showing to let Sneds know you're in good form?

JUSTIN THOMAS: I don't know. I'm probably not the person to answer that. I mean, I just want a good showing just to prove it to myself for my form that I have a chance to play next week. But I'm definitely not the one to answer that, I would say.

Q. Would you say that because you had a late start on the season that making it to Atlanta would be a pretty good accomplishment?

JUSTIN THOMAS: I think it would be. For someone who is really hard on them self and is pissed off that I'm even in this spot, and I feel like I should be in a lot better spot, I think I would even give myself some grace and take a lot of pride in that. Because it's really hard to make it to Atlanta. It's always been hard, but I feel like it's even harder. And I missed some events that I play really, really well over the course of my career. I mean, the last, what, two or three years, I think I've been in the top 5 in Palm Springs, played Phoenix really, really well. I love Riv, played Pebble well. So those are places that I've gotten off to nice starts at. So I was bummed to miss 'em for many reasons, but definitely for the late start. So I would have to take a lot of pride in that if I did.

Q. Would you take away from today overall positive? Not just the score, but the way you played.

JUSTIN THOMAS: For sure. Yeah, definitely.

Q. Same amount of top 25s you had last year you had this year. Just maybe been jumping into the top 10 that's been different. Can you pinpoint why you haven't been able to kind of jump that extra tier?

JUSTIN THOMAS: It's really just been one round. It's one round or even like one hole. I've had a lot of like kind of 12ths to 17ths. And when you're getting to that point it really can just be a shot or two. But it's just really been one round I feel like that's kept me from essentially a top 10, but I feel like more so a chance to win the tournament. I've had a nice stretch there where, on Saturday or Sunday, I mean, I very much felt like I was in contention and had a chance to win the tournament. I just had one day that was off that I needed to be better and I feel like as a time in my career I've been better in the past in kind of, you know, posting a little bit better score. So I really think it's not much, but that's what it's been.

Q. When is the last time you felt like you did leaving a tournament last week?

JUSTIN THOMAS: I don't know. It's hard to compare because you're so delirious from the heat, and it's, like it's so unbearable how hot it is, so it's very hard to compare. Because I feel like even if I played really well I would be delirious from how hot I was.