THE MODERATOR: Let's welcome to the media center, from 4Aces GC Thomas Pieters and Thomas Detry. Both well-played today. Thomas Detry, 4-under 64, currently at T2, two rounds in with two to go, and Thomas Pieters, 5-under 65 today. You're just two back from the lead.
You all are close friends. You've played with each other a lot growing up, now obviously together as teammates. Thomas Detry, how would you describe the competitive friendship that exists between the two of you?
THOMAS DETRY: Yeah, we go a long way. We've sort of followed the same path since we started really. We played the same junior tournaments. We played in the same International Team. Then we both went to Illinois. We ended up both playing on DP World Tour, then both PGA TOUR. We did a lot of the same. We had the same agent as well. We sort of followed a very similar path.
Yeah, we've been good friends and a very competitive friendship forever, and it's been a really fun ride.
Q. TP, when you're grouped together out there on the course, if you see him make a birdie on a hole when you still have a shot or two to go, does that change the dynamic, or is there any extra juice there about your performance?
THOMAS PIETERS: You just know it's going to be a good day when you play with each other because you feed off each other, and this is a course where you can make a lot of birdies, and I start making putts, he starts making putts, it's fun.
Q. The Aces secured the regular season points title; congratulations on that. How much would a Team Championship win this weekend mean to you all to tie a bow on the season?
THOMAS DETRY: It would mean a lot. To be honest, when I joined the league, I didn't realize how much fun team golf was going to be, although I did play team golf in college. But it's what it's all about. It's been a really fun year. We won three times this year, and we came close another two or three times. Obviously we finished No. 1 in the season-long rankings, so I think it would be well-deserved to get this Team Championship win this week.
It's going to be another low-scoring Sunday weekend, so we've got to get after it.
THOMAS PIETERS: I've got a question. Is it just whoever wins the Team Championship gets the ring and we just get an Instagram post? That's it?
THE MODERATOR: Double check with your general manager. But for this weekend, the lowest four scores cumulative team total is the team champion.
Q. TP, do you not have enough jewelry? Is that why you want the ring?
THOMAS PIETERS: I'd love the ring. That would be sick. Yeah, we'd better win this week.
Q. You're playing with a fractured rib; is that correct?
THOMAS PIETERS: It's five weeks old now. It hurt a bit yesterday. I just take a painkiller and it goes away. It's there, but it doesn't bother me.
Q. How did it happen?
THOMAS PIETERS: My kid jumped on me, and then a week later I sneezed and I felt it pop. I'm a loud sneezer.
Q. Going back on the dynamic between you two, obviously you play a lot of practice rounds together. How different is the vibe, would you say, when you're actually playing together in tournament competition? Are you less talkative? Do you joke less?
THOMAS PIETERS: No, I think it feels like playing a practice round to me. It's obviously very competitive, and I want to beat him, he wants to beat me. But it's loose. It's nice. Anytime you play with a team member, it feels like that, I feel like.
THOMAS DETRY: Yeah, we generally feed from each other. Which was the par-3 where we both hit it pretty close on the back nine? Is that 14? We both hit it really close. I remember he was away, so I really wanted him to make the putt so I had the momentum to make mine as well. I didn't want him to miss and then I feel like I would have been under pressure. I didn't want to miss mine as well. Little mental things like that that I thought was really fun today.
Then he followed up with a really big one on 16. I wanted to make that one as well. But no, it was great. I feel like he was pretty much ahead the whole day, so I was sort of catching up on him and was just trying to make birdies.
Q. Would you say it's a pretty big advantage when you guys are able to play together in a tournament stroke play round?
THOMAS PIETERS: Advantage? It just settles the nerves maybe a little bit, yeah. I would say it's a small advantage, yeah.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports